A green future with Gautschi technology.
EBNER.blog | Peter Krajca, Gautschi
A green future with Gautschi technology.
Gautschi supplies new furnaces for Novelis Pindamonhangaba, Brazil, supporting the path toward a more sustainable and recycling-oriented future.
Gautschi recently participated in one of the most important expansion projects in South America, adding new furnaces to the recycling facility operated by Novelis Inc. in Pindamonhangaba, Brazil.
Novelis Inc. has completed 150 Million USD investment to expand both rolling and recycling capacity at its Pindamonhangaba, Brazil plant by 100,000 t each.
Annual capacity at this rolling and recycling complex, the largest in South America, is expected to increase to around 680,000 t for aluminum sheet and 490,000 t for recycling.
The additional recycling capacity helps to support the Novelis sustainability goals to reduce its carbon footprint by 30 % by 2026 and to be net carbon neutral by 2050.
The additional capacity at the South American plant will allow Novelis to continue growing alongside its beverage packaging and specialty customers in the region.
This is the second major investment within a decade in the Pindamonhangaba plant. Ninety new permanent jobs have been added as a result of the expansion, which was completed on time and within budget. (Source: Light Metal Age, August, 2021.)
During the project, Gautschi supplied two round top charged melting furnaces, each with a capacity of 155 tons, and one rectangular melting and holding furnace with a capacity of 105 tons. The scope of supply and services included design, engineering, manufacturing, supply CIF, installation supervision, commissioning, testing and training.
The plant and equipment were selected and designed for excellent operability, quality and reliability (efficiency, speed, quality & cost). All requirements for casthouse safety and explosion risk management were incorporated.
Equipment was carefully selected for optimum performance, based on Gautschi‘s decades of experience, the customer’s business needs and performance evaluations. Every aspect of process control and the process variables were accounted for in the design of the equipment and automation system.
The complete project was a logistical challenge, as the furnace shell was manufactured in China, the electrical equipment, refractory linings and cover handling machine for the round top furnaces came from Europe, the burner system was shipped from the USA and installation services were performed in Brazil.
In the end, as the customer can confirm, everything worked out perfectly, on time and within budget. The equipment is now in operation and exceeding the cus-tomer’s expectations.
