Arconic Architectural Products contracted Fives to modernize its facilities

Arconic, a leading manufacturer of prepainted aluminium for the construction industry, decided to invest into environmentally friendly technologies to reduce energy consumption of its Merxheim plant in France.

The modernization project included the replacement of two old curing ovens and cooling sections to upgrade the existing coil coating line. The project was funded by ADEME, the French Agency for Ecological Transition as part of the “France Relance” industrial decarbonization plan. “We had the ambitious goal of finding a sustainable solution that would allow the plant to reduce its emissions and energy consumption. Our target was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 67% as part of the project. Thanks to Fives' expertise and advanced technology, the results exceeded our expectations,” says Antoine Higelé, Project Manager & Lead of Energy Management at Arconic Architectural Products SAS.

As part of the modernization project, the existing thermal equipment was replaced with new technology, including Stein ovens for primary and finish curing and new air cooler sections. A hot air injection system was also introduced to reduce energy consumption throughout the process. In addition, the robust design of the pre-assembled ovens facilitated handling inside the plant, which contributed to faster installation and less production downtime.

“We have a broad experience in designing curing ovens for coil coating lines for various metals and applications. Our team was actively involved in the pre-engineering phase to identify challenges and find a suitable solution, and we are very proud of the spectacular results in terms of energy efficiency and productivity,” says Gustavo Guzman, Chief Executive Officer of Fives Steel Spain, a Fives’ subsidiary specializing in thermal solutions.

Source and Photo: Fives

The success of the project has shown that the commitment of steel and aluminum producers, combined with the right choice of energy-saving technologies, is taking the industry to a new level of decarbonization.