RHI Magnesita invests in technology, infrastructure, and equipment upgrades in North America

2024-03-06

Mar. 5, 2024 - RHI Magnesita, the largest supplier of refractory products, systems, and solutions both worldwide and in North America, is committed to growth in technology, infrastructure, and equipment advances in the region, which encompasses the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Recent North America investments aimed at enhancing the customer experience and further solidifying the company’s leading position include:

* Customised machinery designed to automate the application of refractory materials to support better ergonomics and safety for site personnel.

* Systems designed to increase operational safety, complementing the operator analysis of refractory materials.

* Specialised equipment and commissioning, providing precision repair of the Electric Arc Furnace.

* Increased recycling technology, providing CO2-reduced refractory solutions and contributing to the environmental sustainability of our industry.

* Expanded manufacturing capacity region-wide to increase domestic production availability.

* Upgraded and modernised facility for high quality, complex slide gate fabrication (Lexington, Kentucky).

* Established industrial training centre to facilitate hands-on training for refractory technicians (Lexington, Kentucky).

* New, state-of-the-art production line, creating a domestic source for Blast Furnace Tap Hole Clay, which is currently being imported (Huron, Ohio).

* Upgraded press infrastructure, increasing capacity, reducing lead time, and supporting growth of highly complex refractory production (Ashtabula, Ohio).

* New CNC lathe, improving dimensional accuracy, increased flexibility, and response time (Ashtabula, Ohio).

* Rotary and tunnel kiln modernisation to support high quality production, decreased downtime, and stronger, more reliable output (York, Pennsylvania).

* Equipment and infrastructure improvements for mining site, optimising material flow, and preparing for long-term growth (York, Pennsylvania).

* Research and development lab upgrade and expansion to support product enhancements and new developments (York, Pennsylvania).

Additional global investments, planned over the next two years and exceeding US$90 million, will provide benefits to the North America region, including:
* Process automation to increase employee safety and ensure quality standardisation.
* Digitalisation and rebuilding of IT infrastructure, including a state-of-the-art ERP system implementation, modernising technology and suiting the organisation for continual growth.

* World-class supply chain planning upgrades to increase supply chain reliability and delivery performance.

“The North America region has a dedicated team encompassing over 1400 employees across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. They are committed to safety, sustainability, quality, continuous improvement, and value creation for our customers”, stated Craig Powell, North America’s Regional President. He continued, “Our investment into the region is an integral part of the strategy as we encourage the team to continue paving its way in providing the best technology, research and development, delivery performance, and sustainability solutions to our customers!”