High-temperature, energy-efficient ceramic coatings for refractories—no longer “theoretical” technology—are being used successfully in kiln and furnace applications to reduce energy consumption, improve temperature uniformity, reduce maintenance, and increase production while improving product quality.

The Safe Cronite business unit of the Safe Group has been purchased by its CEO Pierre Wittmann and a group of managers in partnership with investment funds driven by CICLAD. The company, now Cronite, designs and manufactures fixtures and parts in refractory alloys for the heat-treatment, steel, incineration, power-generation, automotive and aerospace industries. Cronite operates seven plants in France, England, Germany, China, India and Mexico. The company has sales offices in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Sweden.

As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This is certainly true when it comes to your refractories.

The Ez Flexx50 bricking machine offers the highest load capacity on the market – as much as 13,200 pounds with a 17.1-foot work deck.

HarbisonWalker International (HWI) celebrated the grand opening of its newly constructed monolithic refractories manufacturing plant in South Point, Ohio. HWI announced in February 2017 that it would invest $30 million to build a technologically advanced refractories plant. Ground was broken for the facility on June 8, 2017, and the plant began shipping products in spring 2018. The plant features state-of-the-art processes and technology and utilizes lean-manufacturing techniques throughout its operations to maximize material flow efficiency and production.

The costs of adhering to new and changing safety regulations, maintaining up-to-date protective equipment and covering employee injuries are increasingly burdensome for many companies, including those in the refractory installation business.