To minimize size of the whole of press equipment by arranging tandem vertical press machines in the direction of rolling so as to stepwise down and shortening each of the rolled length for each press machine to reduce a drawing down force of each press.

The screw down presses 12, each comprising a pair of upper and lower parts holding a rolled stock 10, to reduce a rolled stock 10 per every rolling length L, are arranged in the direction of flow of rolled stock 10, e.g. in a tandem of four presses; and hydraulic cylinders 14 and pinch rolls 15 are controlled by a controller and then the rolled stock 10 is reduced to a prescribed thickness stepwise beginning with the screw down press on the downstream side. By reducing in the order from No.4 to 1 of the dies 13, the range of a length 4L that is four times the length L of each die is reduced. In order to reduce the following range of 4L, the rolled stock 10 is sent to the location under Nos.4 to 1 of dies 13, and then one set of dies reduces without fail so that, when one set of dies reduces in the order from Nos.4 to 1 of the dies 13 and is restored, a following set of the dies reduces. Thereby, two sets of presses 12 never operate simultaneously, so loading on the press machine becomes small.