Lots of coordination, lots of commitment - Shutdown 2025

Even though a shutdown is scheduled every year, it is always impressive to see how many individuals have to work together to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Around 400 people - including internal employees, managers, interns and external partners - worked hand in hand to manage numerous small and large construction sites.

Preparations for the shutdown began long before the actual "Day X". All construction sites are planned in detail in several coordination meetings between production, maintenance and the project department. The aim was to ensure smooth interaction between all trades and optimum use of the available resources.

Particularly important: the timely availability of all main components. No construction site was started without the required parts being physically on site.

An important point that should never be missed are the morning coordination meetings. Every day, the previous day was reviewed and the construction sites on the timeline for the day were discussed. Occupational safety and the well-being of our employees always had top priority.

In general, there were a lot of smaller construction sites this year, which also required precise coordination. Smooth cooperation between the individual departments, management levels and external companies should be emphasized again this year.

• Cross roll piercer
• Roller table
• Reeler
• Stretch reducing mill
• Hollow sections rolling mill

The largest construction sites were the complete renovation of the reheating furnace with 260 concrete elements, the renewal of the cold section control system including hardware and software, the rewiring of several technical rooms with modern modules, and the annual renewal of the "humps" in the rotary hearth furnace to ensure pipe eccentricity.

Once again this year, numerous optimizations and cleaning on the systems and buildings as well as the replacement of wearing parts were on the agenda as part of the overhaul.

Two central projects were implemented in parallel in cutting operations:

• Line 1 - Group A: Early shutdown and support by the EMAG service team
• Line 2A: Expansion of optical thread measurement and replacement of the thread brushing machines with a modern robot

Two construction sites in one place - that meant working in a confined space, high efficiency and a logistical challenge. The new brushing machine features automation and intelligent pressure control. In addition, a pin lubrication system for process optimization and a modernized media preheating system were installed.

In the heat treatment line numerous maintenance measures that are essential for smooth operation were once again on the agenda as part of the classic shutdown work. These included the replacement of various transport rollers, rollers of the straightening machine, hydraulic cylinders as well as wear strips and stop plates. Furnace rollers, filters and lifting flaps were also replaced, hydraulic tanks were cleaned and scaling was carried out.

A highlight was the completion of the curing oven floor refurbishment, which was planned over several years and extended over the maintenance periods in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

The last section of the furnace floor was renovated, the hot air insulation was renewed and the recuperators were replaced. In addition, the hydraulic unit and the frequency converters were brought up to the latest state of the art and contribute to increased efficiency and operational safety. The measure was rounded off by replacing the entire roller set.

A number of technical optimizations were also implemented in the course of this work. The refurbished hardening furnace floor will provide significantly improved thermal insulation in future.

The classic maintenance tasks include cleaning work, particularly in those areas that are not accessible during ongoing production.

The largest construction site this year was certainly the control system conversion of the straightening machine (area 410), the transport systems (area 411) and the control system of the magnetic crane. As part of the business interruption, work began on the mechanical preparations and electrical installations for our future automated pipe geometry measurement system.

Mechanical maintenance: high operation with heart and soul

The large number of construction sites, coupled with the time pressure, clearly showed the capacity limits of each individual. Mechanical maintenance during the shutdown not only included plant inspections, but also work on the crane systems, water management and compressed air supply.

Coordinating this work was a major challenge every time, given that shutting down a crane system or the process water or compressed air supply can have a direct impact on a system overhaul.

Inspection activities at a glance:

• Hydraulic unit for hardening furnace: Complete replacement of the system - technically and economically sensible.
• Ring bed push bench: Replacement due to cracking and wear.
• Crane rails in bays C-D: Replacement of 343 running meters, combined with logistical challenges.

Electrical maintenance: digitalization and automation

Progress has also been made in the area of modernization and innovation: Targeted optimizations have been made in almost every area of production to make the systems more efficient and future-proof - especially during downtime.

Electrical maintenance focused on:

• Control system replacement
• Renewal of the low-voltage distribution system for grid transformers 5 and 6
• Installation of two optical thread measuring systems
• Preparations for automated pipe geometry measurement

A particularly appreciated benefit for the entire staff was the provision of snack packages.

The works council also provided a "Leberkas" buffet, a meeting point for joint refreshment and discussion.

Planning for the next shutdown had already begun during the shutdown. Once the maintenance and conversion work was completed, production was able to resume on time. The optimizations carried out during the shutdown will make operations more efficient and sustainable in the long term. In particular, the modernization of the reheating furnace and the measures in the threading shop will help to further improve production processes.

The company is proud of the work it has done and is well equipped for the challenges ahead. The 2025 shutdown has once again impressively demonstrated how important cohesion and commitment are in order to be successful even in difficult situations.

Discover more impressions from the 2025 maintenance period.