Siempelkamp Foundry Prepared for Potential Gas Shortage with Innovative Furnace Preheating Methods

The winter can come. The Krefeld foundry Siempelkamp has just completed its test runs in the event of an emergency where there could be no more gas. Although managing director Georg Geier does not expect another shortage, he is still prepared for the worst case scenario. His employees have practiced how they can preheat their induction melting furnaces for up to 8,000 cubic meters of iron without gas if necessary. If they are not warmed up, they threaten to crack like a jar filled with boiling jam. One variant is to heat the furnaces very gradually with the melted material itself, either with electricity or with diesel: “That is tricky and not ideal,” says Geier. And it’s only an option for emergencies because it’s also more expensive and less efficient.”