The Dortmund installation is of great strategic importance for thyssenkrupp Steel Europe: all steel strip undergoes thorough inspection before leaving the facility. The purpose of the installation is to inspect steel strip for faults and defects as well as to detect and remedy flaws. The steel strip can also be edge-trimmed, oiled and cuted. All of this is carried out by different machines: coilers are used to wind up and uncoil the up to 40 ton steel coil. From there, the start of the strip is transported to the welding machine where it is welded to the end of the last coil. At the inspection station, trained personnel using a wide range of measuring technology inspect the 1,700 millimeter wide strip. The sophisticated automatic system ensures seamless tracking of material and error detection. Cropping shears and edge trimming shears cut the strip to size. The installation also includes an oiling machine as well as devices to automatically mark and strap the coils. When the installation first went into operation in the early 70's, safety regulations were different than they are today. This has necessitated ongoing further development to keep the installation state-of-the-art and guarantee its long-term safe operation.