Speira's 6.4 million euros worth of new furnace saves 15 per cent of energy consumption

Speira is back with a bang! The enterprise has introduced its new 'transparent' melting furnace, which consumes 15 per cent less energy in all the processes with enhanced capacity, recycling, insights, and data collection.

The company, known for its aluminium rolling and recycling, is investing close to 6.4 million euros in the new furnace which is planned to be placed in the Hamburg plant. The unit, internally referred to as 'Furnace 6', will come in lieu of the oldest model on the site, which dates back to the 1970s. This project is historically significant in successfully handling without any accidents during ongoing foundry operations.

Enhanced production with reduced energy consumption

"This new furnace is of great importance to us. It increases the performance and output of the foundry in Hamburg and helps us to optimise the metal flows and recycling options at Speira," describes Alexander Dörsel, Head of the Specialties business unit at Speira. On the other hand, Danny Kelm, the new plant manager in Hamburg since October, added, "By introducing state-of-the-art process control and further improving energy efficiency, we are setting new standards for our customers. This is also a great signal for our colleagues and, therefore, for Speira's future in Hamburg."

The plant in Hamburg is a real allrounder and is also of utmost importance regarding prime logistics location in Europe. More than 165,000 tonnes of aluminium strips are produced on-site for a miscellany of applications. The new furnace is equipped with a melting capacity of 60 tonnes per batch, increasing aluminium production by 7,500 tonnes per annum. An electromagnetic stirrer and immensely efficient burner technology have improved energy efficiency by 15 per cent and significantly pared CO2 emissions.

Sensor, camera and AI inclusive feature

One notable feature is the integration of state-of-the-art Industry 4.0 technologies, wherein the oven is the company's first entirely 'transparent' oven. Here, innovative sensor and camera technology feed real-time insights into all furnace operations, and the data obtained in this way enables continuous optimisation of the operation and burner control, adapted to the mix of scrap and primary metal used. Based on the constant monitoring of the melt and supported by artificial intelligence, the operator is given the ideal times for alloying or dross removal, for example. The measured parameters also permit the hydraulic components to be operated with less wear and tear, facilitate targeted predictive maintenance and thus lower downtimes and further enhance plant efficiency.