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INTOCAST Commissions Europe’s Most Advanced Tempering Kiln for MgO-C Bricks

With the official commissioning of its new high performance tempering kiln from Riedhammer/DE, INTOCAST/DE has reached another milestone in the strategic development of its Oberhausen plant. Since acquiring the site in 2017, the company has invested more than EUR 20 million in comprehensive modernisation and digitalisation. Today, the Oberhausen facility ranks among Europe’s most advanced production sites for shaped refractories.

A site with industrial tradition and future potential

Refractory production in Oberhausen has a long industrial tradition. Since the 1970s, the site has been manufacturing high-performance materials for demanding thermal processes. Following its integration into INTOCAST AG at the end of 2017, the plant has been systematically expanded into an Industry 4.0-ready production unit. Its central location in Germany’s Rhine-Ruhr region, with direct access to international logistics networks, makes Oberhausen today a strategically important hub within INTOCAST’s global production network.

Refractories for the most demanding processes

Refractory products ensure process stability and equipment longevity in high-temperature operations across the steel, iron, cement and glass industries. At the Oberhausen site, INTOCAST primarily produces magnesia-carbon (MgO-C) bricks for LD, AOD and EAF furnaces, as well as monolithic masses and mortars based on MgO and Al2O3. In addition, the facility manufactures special formats and customised components tailored to individual customer requirements worldwide.

From raw material to high-end product

At the heart of production is precise raw material preparation. Approximately 200 to 300 t of raw materials per day are delivered and stored in large silos. These are processed into defined grain sizes and, together with additives and binders, automatically dosed in mixing units with the highest precision. The result is a high-purity, pressable warm mix that is transported automatically to the press lines.

New tempering kiln: more capacity, more quality, more performance

At the core of the latest investment programme is the new Riedhammer tempering kiln, measuring 53 m in length. The kiln reaches temperatures of up to 350 °C and enables a daily production capacity of up to 340 t. Thanks to state-of-the-art combustion and post-combustion technology, CO₂ emissions are reduced by up to 600 t annually – a substantial contribution to sustainable refractory production.

Modernised production with Industry 4.0 standards

Since the acquisition of the plant, INTOCAST has carried out a comprehensive modernisation of the entire production process – culminating now in the integration of the new kiln.

• 5 LAEIS presses (including three HPF V 2500 and one fully refurbished HPF II 2500),

• Fully automated handling with KUKA robotics,

• Live monitoring of all press lines via Industry 4.0 connectivity in collaboration with LAEIS,

• Automated raw material logistics and flexible batch mixing.

These technologies enable INTOCAST to achieve exceptional flexibility for small series, special formats and customer-specific requirements – with maximum responsiveness, realtimequality monitoring and 75 % lower scrap rates.

A site with a future

With an annual production capacity of around 70 000 t, INTOCAST Oberhausen ranks among the highest-performing refractory production sites in Europe. The plant currently employs around 120 skilled professionals – including engineers, electricians, metalworkers and mechatronics technicians. The targeted training of its own young talent ensures the site’s long-term skills base and strengthens the regional labour market.

www.intocast.de

www.riedhammer.de


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