Switching to induction: 80 per cent less water consumption, 62 per cent less CO₂
It was a landmark event for Saint Gobain PAM, a prime example for ABP Induction and a major achievement for French industry: The dismantling of the old cupola furnace plant in Foug, France, and its replacement with a new, more environmentally friendly induction furnace plant from ABP Induction. The aim of the new plant is to reduce water consumption and CO₂ emissions. Once the new ABP induction plant has been assembled and installed, production can be switched over without any problems.
ABP Induction and Saint-Gobain PAM have a long history of collaboration: “We have been working together on various projects for many years, most recently in Brazil, China and the Czech Republic,” explains Alexander Keller, Head of System Sales at ABP. Saint-Gobain PAM’s corporate objectives are fully aligned with ABP’s strategic direction, with the four major trends – digitalisation, decarbonisation, deglobalisation and demographic change – becoming increasingly important. “Decarbonisation plays a particularly significant role in France,” explains Alexander Keller. At Saint-Gobain PAM, the cupola furnace plant is being replaced by induction furnaces – specifically, two 30-metric-tonne IFM TWINPOWER® furnaces with an output of 18 MW, which rank among the largest induction furnace systems in the world. Furthermore, further changes are planned in Foug: “A great deal is happening here – the entire foundry is being redesigned. The aim is to drive forward environmental initiatives, digitalisation and improved working conditions – which is entirely in line with ABP’s objectives.”
A holistic and sustainable transformation in Foug
That is why it would be an oversimplification to reduce the project in the arrondissement of Toul to the process of technological conversion alone. “Behind it lies a comprehensive project planning and implementation process that has a holistic and sustainable impact on the organisation and the region,” explains Alexander Keller.
ABP Induction supports its customers throughout the transformation process from the very beginning: “We support every stage of the process and develop the project in collaboration with our customers. This begins with concept development, continues through project planning, and leads right through to the installation and commissioning of the plant, including the implementation of the smelting process,” says Alexander Keller. Throughout the entire process, the teams from ABP and the client work closely together to identify what is important to the client. “We need to understand where the focus lies and the relative importance of factors such as environmental impact, health and safety, or productivity.”
The human factor also plays a major role: ABP Induction conducts training for the customer’s staff either on-site or via the Virtual Academy, so that they can operate the new induction furnace system effectively and efficiently under optimal and safe conditions. Furthermore, ABP offers products for tasks on the furnace platform to reduce the need for manual labour: “Our modern digital products and safety devices help to make the foundry a more attractive place to work.” The concept development phase takes around three to four months: “A new, bespoke concept is developed for every project, as the initial situation and conditions can vary greatly depending on the site and the customer. But our project experience and our team’s expertise in the transition from cupola furnaces to induction furnaces are, of course, extremely helpful in this regard,” he explains. The approach was similar 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-tonne ABP induction furnace for the production of ductile iron.
Saint-Gobain PAM employs a total of 3,300 people across Europe and operates five sites in Lorraine and Haute-Marne – here, responsibility extends not only to customers but to the entire region and the people who live there. “The modernisation in Foug is a flagship project for the region, if not for the whole of France. You realise its significance when you’re there – in a picturesque, green landscape that has hitherto been marred by the smoke and pollution caused by the cupola furnace plant.”
Switch to induction without any production downtime as part of the ‘Project Vulcain’
Saint-Gobain has grouped the complete modernisation of the foundry facility under the project name ‘Vulcain’. “Many auxiliary units and systems are also being modernised, and we will be able to carry out all of this without any interruption to production,” predicts Alexander Keller.
Saint-Gobain PAM, a specialist in ductile cast iron pipes, produces 60,000 tonnes of pipes and fittings annually, mainly for water and sanitary applications. In April 2024, the Foug plant laid the foundation stone for the Vulcain project. The foundry, which specialises in the production of ductile iron, will be able to do without the cupola furnace in about a year’s time, once all the buildings for the induction furnace plant and the plant itself are in place. 7,800 tonnes of coal were consumed here annually. Once the conversion is complete, this demand will cease entirely – less energy will be consumed and fewer CO₂ emissions will be produced. Overall, the aim is to reduce the factory’s CO₂ emissions by 62 per cent – that is 22,000 tonnes of emissions saved per year. Foug, with its approximately 330 employees, is set to become the group’s factory with the lowest carbon footprint in Europe. Foug is also aiming to reduce its water consumption by 80 per cent. This will save the equivalent of the annual water consumption of the town of Toul, with its approximately 15,000 inhabitants.
Jérôme Lionet, CEO of Saint-Gobain PAM, explains in this context the responsibility of which the company is aware and which it actively communicates: “We must 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 – we are moving into an age of electricity, with a much lower environmental impact.”
The Vulcain project represents a major investment for Saint-Gobain. Although 25 per cent of the planned €20 million investment is funded by a grant from the Agence de la transition écologique (ADEME), it remains a major undertaking – one that is set to pay off, as Claire Pedini, Deputy Managing Director of Saint-Gobain, explained: “It is part of what we aim to achieve at Saint-Gobain – namely, to be a responsible company that reduces its carbon footprint and offers its customers solutions for decarbonisation.”
Whilst potential risk factors such as trends in electricity prices are being monitored, this is nevertheless a manageable risk that the company is happy to take, as the project’s focus and message form part of its sustainable, environmentally conscious corporate strategy – just as is the case with ABP Induction.
More about ABP Induction
ABP Induction is a leading provider of induction melting and heating equipment, aftermarket services and digitalisation solutions for the global foundry, forging and steel industries. ABP has sales, production and after-sales service locations in the USA, Germany, Sweden, Mexico, Thailand, India, China and South Africa. Since 2018, ABP Induction has been part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Primetals Technologies. Further information about ABP Induction is available at www.abpinduction.com.