Energy efficiency and low operating costs: cookware manufacturer Neoflam convinced of benefits of Westomat
Reduce costs and increase productivity: that’s what the Neoflam Company (Seoul, South Korea) had in mind when it purchased a total of seven Westomat dosing furnaces from StrikoWestofen Asia (Taicang) instead of automatic ladle systems. Not only the considerably lower operating costs, but also the easy set-up and operation using the new ProDos 3 control system convinced the Korean manufacturer of pots and pans of the Westomat benefits. In comparison to ladle systems, the dosing furnaces display a higher availability and considerably less oxide formation. This increases the quality of the melt while lowering the metal loss and the cleaning effort. The comprehensive range of service and wear parts provided by StrikoWestofen at site was also an important factor for Neoflam.
The figures speak for themselves: statistics such as the growth figures of the StrikoWestofen Group in Asia show that the availability, quality and long service life of the foundry systems and the efficient use of resources are becoming more and more important in the Asian metal industry. With current additional sales of about 50 percent – and even of more than 100 percent in the previous year – the Chinese location of the German company in Taicang has now become the supplier of choice for the most successful aluminium foundries in the People’s Republic of China. The word has spread in other Asian countries, too: as one of the largest manufacturers of pots and pans worldwide, Neoflam from Seoul (South Korea) decided in favour of the dosing and melting furnaces from StrikoWestofen when expanding its facilities. To expand the Korean location and set up a further production facility in China, the cookware expert has invested in a total of seven Westomat dosing furnaces in addition to the StrikoMelter melting furnaces it has purchased.
Long-term investments
“Although Neoflam was initially interested in an automatic ladle system, they were convinced by the high energy efficiency and the considerably lower operating costs of the Westomat,” explains Rainer Erdmann, Managing Director of StrikoWestofen Asia. “This is because, in contrast to ladle systems, dosing furnaces exhibit a considerably higher-quality melt, low metal loss and low energy consumption.” In addition, foundries profit from the long service life of the Westomat and the extremely low cleaning effort it requires. The dosing system optimizes the continuous processes and ensures the constant availability of the system. Within two years, Neoflam will have recovered the investment costs.
Range of services at site
An additional argument motivating Neoflam to purchase Westomat dosing furnaces was the comprehensive range of service provided by StrikoWestofen at site including training, technical support, repair and maintenance service, a hotline and spare parts supply. This allows foundry operators to ensure failure-free operation of their systems at maximum productivity. “The rapidity and the high level of expert competence of our service team allows us to clearly distinguish ourselves from our competitors. And when original parts are required for our products, we usually supply them from our warehouse at site,” explains Rudi Riedel, manager of the StrikoWestofen Group. Although Neoflam has only recently taken the seven new dosing systems into successful operation, the leading manufacturer of pots and pans is already holding talks with StrikoWestofen about additional equipment – i.e. more StrikoMelter and Westomat furnace systems.
