Flatness and dimensional criteria are included in the current quality standards for many sheet and plate products, e.g. steel, aluminium plates, door leaves etc. The consumers of steel plate and strip products are increasingly requiring tighter dimensional tolerances and better profiling and shaping. A flatness disturbance can be produced at a hot strip mill by a mismatch between the work roll profile and the incoming strip thickness profile. This will produce a non-uniform reduction across the width of the strip, leading to a non-uniform elongation of the strip in the direction of the rolling. Flatness measurement methods are nowadays developing rapidly and several different types of sensors are commercially available. Inkomet has been developing and testing this type of equipment with Bortnik Fund financing and in cooperation with several steel and non-ferrous metallurgical firms (including industry leaders such as NLMK, Severstal). After testing of the pilot samples had been completed, the company started manufacturing and selling the devices.

CNCP has supported the start-up of the company. Members of the core team had previously been engaged in developing the product including the development of a prototype. Equipment was procured and a highly-qualified team formed.

By the end of Q3 2010-2011 13 new jobs (10 for the former employees of VNIIEF) had been created.