09/21

Case Study

Keeping the flame alive. SORG and AFICO rebuild furnace despite pandemic restrictions

Customer: AFICO
Location: Saudi Arabia
Energy Source: Combustion
CHALLENGE

While the impact of COVID-19 was slowing down the world, a C-Glass furnace in Saudi Arabia was in need of an essential rebuild. AFICO, a manufacturer of Fibre Glass, commissioned SORG to start the necessary rebuild of their 38m² S-Melter last year.

SORG APPROACH

We managed the entire process alongside the AFICO team, including planning, equipment, demolition and assembly.

Due to the pandemic we controlled the commissioning of the SCADA system via remote access from Lohr, successfully and on time.

RESULTS

Despite COVID-19 restrictions, flexibility and great collaboration on all sides meant we completed the project ahead of time.

The quarantine was a huge challenge because travel restrictions changed daily but we managed to complete the project (glass-to-glass) ahead of time – one day before the initially planned commissioning date.

In cooperation with AFICO and our specialists, the condition of the system was checked at regular intervals and steps were considered to keep the system alive until entry was possible again.