The modernization shows the potential offered by the further development of existing plants. Sound consultation combined with a tailor-made implementation provides gains in efficiency and reduced emissions within a timeframe that can be practically integrated into everyday production.
With the target of significantly lowering their CO₂ footprint and making an active contribution to industrial decarbonization, Neuman Aluminium Strangpresswerk GmbH has, in cooperation with OTTO JUNKER, investigated its potential for emission reduction and paved the way in this direction by a tailor-made modernization of their billet heater plant within a brief period of time. The modernization was realized in the first quarter of 2025. The focus of the project was on the complete electrification of the convective gas-fired preheater, which had previously been operated with fossil energy.
The technical realization of the electrification was carried out during a brief service interruption and in close cooperation with Neuman Aluminium. The OTTO JUNKER GmbH service team was in charge of planning, on-time realization, and project support. Mr. Schatko, Technical Manager of the Neuman Aluminium pressworks said: “The project team convinced us with its comprehensive technical expertise and a precise, solution-oriented implementation. From the engineering and the project development to the final commissioning, all the project stages were accompanied in a professional manner. The plant runs reliably in continuous operation, with a high energy efficiency and completely without any fossil energy carriers. That way, it meets all the requirements of our decarbonization strategy and represents an important step towards climate-neutral production.”
Thanks to the conversion, the company can now heat its 8-inch aluminium rods with clean, CO₂-free energy, which is an important step towards climate-neutral production. The elimination of gas firing does not only represent a distinct ecological advantage, but also a reduction of the company’s emissions to zero in process heat supply.
Another advantage is the high efficiency of the electric heating wire coils used. With an energy utilization of more than 90%, the supplied electric energy is converted into process heat almost loss-free – a clear improvement in efficiency compared to conventional gas firing. Depending on production throughput, the aluminium rods are heated from ambient temperature to a target temperature of up to 480°C.
With this successful modernization, OTTO JUNKER has proved once again that economic efficiency and climate protection do not have to contradict each other.
“The project emphasizes the importance of regularly checking existing processes for their future viability. By means of targeted modernizations or conversions of plants, companies can make significant progress towards climate neutrality within a short period of time using solutions that can be integrated into ongoing production. To us, sustainability also means orientation to the existing stock,” said Stefan Krieger, OTTO JUNKER Service Dept.
This type of equipment is also available from OTTO JUNKER with hybrid heating – for maximum flexibility in terms of energy supply and a step-by-step transformation towards climate neutrality.
