High capacity furnace and smelting plant specialist, Tenova Pyromet, is seeing strong growth in demand worldwide for its client support service.Recent contracts range from installing a roof cleaning system for a major platinum producer in South Africa, a world first on a brick roof application, to the design and quality control of replacement transformers for a six-in-line furnac e, supplied originally by a competing OEM and located in the USA. Tenova Pyromet is part of the global total technology solutions provider, Tenova Mining & Minerals.
In the African market, over the past year, Tenova Pyromet has also supplied copper launders to a platinum producer in South Africa, a copper and nickel producer in Botswana and copper producers in Zambia. Launders supplied to Zambian furnaces were redesigned for retrofitting to existing furnaces, phasing out competitors’ equipment during the end-of-life replacement cycles. Further work in South Africa has included the supply of various proprietary equipment for chrome and ferrochrome furnaces, with other support including plant optimisation and supervision of electrode clamp installations.
In addition, assistance was provided to a global technology house in design and equipment supply for a furnace in Zambia.
In India, Tenova Pyromet Client Support Service has been active with plant inspections, commissioning activities and the supply of proprietary equipment for ferroalloy producers. A plant audit was also carried out for India’s largest, fully integrated producer of ferroalloys with the objective of incorporating new technology into its plants.
While Tenova Pyromet has always supported global users of its key technologies with post-project and aftermarket assistance, it refocused these activities in early 2013 to provide a dedicated client support service, assisting furnace operators optimise their operational reliability and efficiencies. The service maximises the synergies between the company’s leading expertise in post switch-in technical support, copper products and spare equipment and technical assistance with close out issues.
“Tenova Pyromet Client Support Service has seen a six-fold increase in demand since early 2013,” says Werner Roberts, Manager: Tenova Pyromet Client Support. “By proactively meeting the increasing need for these services from the global smelting industry, we have captured a major portion of the African market, as well as made significant inroads into the international market.”
The client-focused service features rapid enquiry response handling and regular interaction with clients and visits to clients’ furnaces to ensure they operate at optimum availability. This is underpinned by Tenova Pyromet’s in-depth knowledge and experience in ferroalloys and base metals smelting processes.
“A significant factor in our success is the fact that the client support service draws on Tenova Pyromet’s unique source of process, engineering and development capabilities, with this expertise immediately on-hand to resolve client technical issues,” notes Roberts.
The service, which is also available to users of other technologies, ranges from on-site technical assistance, through to supply and installation of copper products and spare equipment, on-site assistance during shutdowns and rebuilds, close-out of capital projects and support to clients with cold and hot-commissioning. Operational training for clients on furnace equipment and technical training on equipment maintenance are also offered.
Tenova Pyromet is a leading company in design and supply of high capacity AC and DC furnaces and complete smelting plants for production of ferroalloys, base metals, slag cleaning and refining. Tenova Pyromet also designs and supplies equipment for material handling and pre-treatment, alloy conversion and refining, granulation of metal, matte and slag, furnace off-gas fume collection and treatment, and treatment of hazardous dusts and waste. Tenova Pyromet has several technologies to reduce operating costs and increase production power consumption.
Tenova Mining & Minerals is a total integrated solutions provider to the global mining, bulk materials handling and minerals beneficiation and processing sectors, offering innovative technological solutions and full process and commodity knowledge across the mining industry value chain.
Technical Contact: Werner Roberts at [email protected] on tel +27 11 480 2000