It was a major event for Saint Gobain PAM, a prime example of ABP Induction and a significant project for the French industry: the dismantling of the old cupola furnace system in Foug, France, and its replacement with a new, more climate-friendly induction furnace system from ABP Induction. The purpose of the new furnace system was to greatly reduce water consumption and CO2 emissions. Once the new ABP Induction system has been assembled and installed, production can be switched without interruption.
ABP Induction and Saint Gobain PAM can look back on a long history of cooperation. “We have been working together on various projects for many years, most recently in Brazil, China and the Czech Republic,” says Alexander Keller, Head of System Sales at ABP. Saint Gobain PAM's corporate goals are fully in line with ABP's strategic direction, whereby the four major trends of digitalization, decarbonization, deglobalization and demographic change become visible. “Decarbonization plays a major role in France,” Alexander Keller stated. At Saint Gobain PAM, the cupola furnace system is being replaced by induction furnaces - i.e. two 30-ton IFM, TWINPOWER® furnaces with an output of 18 MW, which rank among the largest induction furnace systems in the world. Further changes are also planned in Foug: “There is a lot going on here - the entire foundry is being completely redesigned. The aim is to advance environmental issues, digitalization and better working conditions - which is aligned with ABP's objectives.”
Comprehensive and sustainable change in Foug
That is why it is also too short-sighted to reduce the project in the arrondissement of Toul to the process of technology conversion. „Behind this is a full range of project planning and implementation that has a comprehensive and sustainable impact on the organization and the region“, explains Alexander Keller.
ABP Induction supports its customers´ in the transformation process right from the start: „We accompany all process steps and develop the project together with the customer. The process begins with the concept development, continues with the project planning and extends to the construction and commissioning of the system, including the implementation of the melting process,“ explains Alexander Keller. Throughout the process, the ABP and client teams work closely together to highlight what is important to the client. „We need to understand where the focus lies and what role aspects such as environmental influences, occupational safety or productivity play.“
The human factor also plays a major role: ABP Induction trains customer employees on site or in the Virtual Academy so that they can operate the new induction furnace system effectively and efficiently under optimum and safe conditions. ABP also offers products for activities on the furnace platform to reduce human involvement: Our modern digital products and safety equipment help to make the foundry a more attractive place to work.“ The concept development takes around three to four months: „A new, customized concept is always created for each project because the initial situation and conditions can vary greatly depending on the location and customer. But our project experience and the expertise of our team in converting from cupola furnaces to induction furnaces naturally help enormously,“ he explains. A similar approach was taken in a previous project with Saint Gobain PAM. In 2022, the Pont-à-Mousson plant in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department was equipped with a new 30-ton ABP induction furnace for the production of spheroidal graphite cast iron.
Saint-Gobain PAM has a total of 3,300 employees in Europe and five sites in Lorraine and Haute-Marne – here, responsibility is not only related to the customer, but to the entire region and the people who live there. „The modernization in Foug is a flagship project for the region, if not for the whole of France. You understand the significance when you are there – in a picturesque landscape with lots of greenery, which was previously spoiled by the smoke and pollution caused by the cupola furnace.“
Switch to induction without production downtime as part of the Vulcain project
Saint Gobain has consolidated the complete modernization of the foundry plant under the project name Vulcain. „Many auxiliary units and systems will also be modernized, and we will be able to implement all of this with no interruption," predicts Alexander Keller.
Saint-Gobain PAM, the European leader in ductile iron pipe systems, produces nearly 400,000 tons of cast iron annually, mainly intended for water and sanitary pipes. In April 2024, the Foug plant laid the foundation stone for the Vulcain project. The foundry, which specializes in the production of spheroidal graphite cast iron, will be able to dispense with the cupola furnace in around a year‘s time once all the buildings for the induction furnace system and the system itself have been completed. 7,800 tons of coal are consumed here every year. After the conversion, this need is eliminated; less energy is consumed and less CO2 is emitted. Overall, the aim is to reduce the factory‘s CO2 emissions by 62 percent – that is 22,000 tons of emissions saved per year. With around 330 employees, Foug is to become the Group‘s factory with the lowest CO2 footprint in Europe. Foug is also aiming to reduce its water consumption by 80 percent. This will save the equivalent of the annual water consumption of the city of Toul, which has around 15,000 inhabitants.
In this context, Jérôme Lionet, CEO at Saint-Gobain PAM, explains the responsibility that the company is aware of and which it communicates proactively: „We have to anchor the industry in a more sustainable world, that is part of our conviction.“ At the ground-breaking ceremony in Foug, Jérôme Lionet went one step further: „For us, this is a new industrial revolution, because we are leaving the age of coal behind us – we are entering an age of electricity with a much lower impact on the environment.“
The Vulcain project marks a major investment for Saint Gobain. Although 25% of the planned € 20 million investment will be funded by the Agence de la transition écologique (ADEME), it is still a major effort that should pay off, as Claire Pedini, Deputy General Manager of Saint-Gobain, explained: „It is part of what we want to achieve at Saint-Gobain – to be a responsible company that reduces its carbon footprint and offers its customers decarbonization solutions.“ Although potential risk factors such as the energy price trend are taken into account, this is an acceptable risk that is willingly assumed because the project orientation and statement are part of the sustainable, environmentally aware corporate strategy – just like ABP Induction.
More information about ABP Induction
ABP Induction is a leading provider of induction melting and heating systems, aftermarket services and digitalization solutions to the global foundry, forging and steel industries. ABP operates through sales, manufacturing and aftermarket locations in the United States, Germany, Sweden, Mexico, Thailand, India, China and South Africa. Since 2018, ABP Induction has been part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Primetals Technologies. For more information about ABP Induction, please visit http://www.abpinduction.com.
