Skip to main content
Search
Toggle Navigation
voestalpine Tubulars GmbH & Co KG
Return to overview

Shutdown 2023: Major Challenge Successfully Mastered

14 November 2023 | 

In 4 weeks the most extensive shutdown since 1998 was realized. A big thank you to all involved.

Due to the extensive overhaul of the rotary heath furnace as well as the preliminary work for the new profile tube mill, the regular shutdown period of 2 to 3 weeks was extended to 4 weeks for the first time. But what happens during a shutdown, and what role does mechanical maintenance play?

These questions were answered as part of a comprehensive overhaul that included not only maintenance, but also a thorough overhaul and optimization of the plant.

Teamwork: The key to successful implementation

In the run-up to the annual shutdown, there is a need for comprehensive planning with all the trades involved. In several joint meetings between production, maintenance and the project department, the workflows of the individual construction sites were planned to ensure that on Day X, when the production facilities are shut down, all the gears mesh smoothly and the available resources are used in the best possible way.

A key lesson learned from this year's shutdown was the need for more emphasis on collaborative commissioning to ensure that the machinery works properly when production resumes.

Detailed planning is essential

Preparing for a shutdown requires careful planning of personnel and resources.  

On the one hand, it is of paramount importance for the successful implementation of all projects that all purchased or spare parts are available in sufficient quantity and quality at the right time.

"No construction project is started without the main components of the planned overhaul being physically present.

On the other hand, every construction site requires a certain amount of human resources. The extensive projects and construction sites during a major overhaul cannot be handled by the company's own personnel alone, which makes the need for qualified external personnel indispensable. Due to the extensive shutdowns, the total requirement for external personnel in mechanical maintenance was around 230 people this year. This compares to the company's own staff of around 65 employees and 15 internees.

Our employees faced particularly great challenges this year. The large number of projects, coupled with the time pressure, clearly showed the limits of each individual's capacity.

We would like to take this opportunity to once again express our sincere appreciation for the tremendous dedication and flexibility of all our employees.

After a shutdown is before a shutdown, so planning for the next shutdown began during the current one, with the lesson learned from the past that early orders are essential due to longer lead times.

Reviews at a glance:

 

Mechanical maintenance during the shutdown included not only plant revisions, but also crane, water and air supply work. The coordination of these activities is always a great challenge, given that the shutdown of a crane system or a water or air supply can have a direct impact on a plant revision.

You could tell stories about every construction site. But with so many activities, a news article would not be enough. 

In the CT area, the production line 2A has been rebuilt analogous to the production line 1B in the area of the diameter control, so that also pipe short pieces, up to a min. length of 5.5 m can be fed through the line. For this purpose, the line area was measured in advance with a 3D laser scanner, so that the installation of the additional rotary transmission could be optimally planned by our in-house engineering in cooperation with the responsible IH technician. One must also always bear in mind that every rebuild of a plant has an effect on the preceding or following plants.

I am proud of everyone involved that everything went so smoothly despite the time pressure. I always like to tell my colleagues that we can only be successful as a team. Everyone knows a little something, and together we know almost everything, because you can never know everything.

Christoph Hofbauer, TA2 Production Leader