SLOVMAG, A.S. LUBENÍK
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MINING
We speak to Milan Kvetko, Commercial Director of SLOVMAG, a.s. Lubeník, about enhancing the handling and processing of refractories in Slovakia Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Thomas Arnold
MATERIALS TO HANDLE THE HEAT
A 60-year-long tradition of shaped refractories production, as well as vast experience with the diverse chemical, mechanical and thermal conditions in furnaces of various types, helps us to provide our customers with the most suitable refractory solutions,” opens Milan Kvetko, Commercial Director of SLOVMAG, a.s. Lubeník (SLOVMAG). Used in furnaces and kilns, refractory materials must be chemically and physically stable at the highest temperatures. Of the most important materials used to manufacture refractories, namely the oxides of aluminium, silicium and magnesium, SLOVMAG produces materials on a magnesia basis to be utilised for heat aggregates linings. Since 2008, SLOVMAG, one of the largest producers of refractory materials in Slovakia, has been a member of Russia’s number one refractories producer, Magnezit Group, who own several factories including the country’s largest refractory brick production facility. Kvetko adds that the costeffectiveness of the refractories supplied are taken into consideration. “Our flexibility makes it possible to react even to our customers’ most specific refractory requests. Our R&D in new products helps our customers to prolong the lifespan of refractory linings in their furnaces, thereby increasing their performance whilst creating a safer working environment.”
MADE FROM MAGNESIA The steel industry is the biggest consumer of basic refractory products, which are used to line hightemperature equipment. Operating its own magnesite mine, processing and manufacturing facility, SLOVMAG’s product portfolio for the steel sector includes a line of magnesia, magnesia-chromite and magnesia-carbon shaped bricks, EME Outlook issue 44 | 3
SLOVMAG, A.S. LUBENÍK
MAGNESIA-BASED REFRACTORY MATERIALS
SLOVMAG produces magnesiabased refractory materials, which can be utilised in: FERROUS METALLURGY Refractory products on a magnesia basis can be utilised in steel-making heat aggregates linings. NON-FERROUS METALLURGY Products for non-ferrous metallurgy include bricks and mortars for copper, lead, zinc and nickel heat aggregates production. They can be used in anode furnaces, converters, drum furnaces, flash smelting furnaces, and more. CEMENT INDUSTRY Refractory materials can be utilised here in the burning and transiting zones of cement rotary kilns. Products for this sector enable linings to adjust to certain conditions and temperatures in accordance with thermal zones and rotary kiln diameters. LIME INDUSTRY Available in rotary and shaft kilns, magnesia-based refractories for this sector can be utilised for lime burning heat aggregates linings. STORAGE HEATERS SECTOR Magnesia brick can preserve heat in the heating systems of block storage heaters.
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supplemented by unshaped mixes and mortars. Although refractories aren’t visible as a final product, they are part of the production process in many industries. As such, there are more than 550 shaped products with different physical properties and chemical compositions across SLOVMAG’s entire portfolio, which also caters for non-ferrous metallurgic, cement, lime and storage heating applications. “We can produce these products in approximately 2,000 various shapes, and the portfolio is complemented by almost 200 different bulk products,” reveals Kvetko. “Linings for the production of steel, lime, cement and non-ferrous metals cannot perform without our bricks. “The unshaped products, made of dead-burned magnesia and various additives, include ramming and gunning mixes, mortars and filling mixes. In addition, we can flexibly adapt to specific customer requirements and create the required quality for them, thus expanding our production portfolio.” A few years ago, SLOVMAG achieved FAMI-QS certification, the worldwide Quality and Feed Safety Management System for the sector of Specialty Feed Ingredients, before penetrating the caustic calcined magnesia market, which is used as an additive in agricultural compound feed or industrial fertilisers. “We consider customer satisfaction as the most important condition for the long-term success of our company,” Kvetko emphasises. “This is why we do our best to manufacture high-quality products and to support them with high-level technical solutions and services.”
iCargo Since iCargo’s establishment in 2006, the company provided transportations of refractory products for SLOVMAG, a.s. Lubeník. After years of cooperation, as our relationships have strengthened, we have become like one team. We always try to choose the best transportation methods, which suits SLOVMAG’s needs, specific requests, and destination, while taking into consideration transportation time and costs. We carried out transportations from China, where we used ship container transportation to European seaport, and then the transport continued by railway to the final destination. We are also able to transport goods by the intra-European waterway. For example, we used the Danube to transport goods to Slovak port Komarno and then the railway to Lubenik. We transport the SLOVMAG production by railway to former CIS countries, like Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. Furthermore, we carried out container transportations to the USA, or railway transportation to the European countries. We handled the challenging Justin-time system transportations for SLOVMAG when the furnaces in Norilsk, the city beyond the Arctic Circle, were in reconstruction. It was necessary to transport the goods by railway to port on Yenisey river, which is navigable only during a short period in the summer. For 15 years, we have been trying to contribute to the success of SLOVMAG, a.s. Lubeník in the world.
GLOBAL FOOTPRINT SLOVMAG delivers products to countries around the world, predominantly in the European Union, Eastern Europe as well as the likes of
www.icargo.sk
OUR SERVICES TO YOUR SUCCESS
SERVICES
Forwarding experts working for you • Preparation of customised proposals for the transport of goods • Finding an effective solution for the client • Types of transportation: - Rail transport - rail cars shipment or logistics trains - International truck shipment - Combined transport rail/road - Oversea container transport - Oversea conventional shipping
With our many years of experience, we are your partner for tailor-made logistics solutions through the primary use of rail transportation to full logistics solutions.
• Tracking of cargo, informing clients about the location and the estimated delivery date • We always seek the most cost-effective and technologically advantageous solution for our customers tailored to their needs • Enviroment-friendly transportation: our goal is to get as many goods as possible on the railway, but it must be economically beneficial for our customers • We are able to transport a wide range of commodities,for example raw materials, chemical goods, machinery products, by different types of transporting like bulk cargo, liquid cargo, palletized cargo, etc.
Head Office: Jašíkova 2, 821 03 Bratislava, Slovakia | E office@icargo.sk | www.icargo.sk
SLOVMAG, A.S. LUBENÍK the Balkans, Turkey, US and the Middle East. As the company’s product range covers several industrial territories, SLOVMAG’s business partnerships consist of both long-term and short-term contracts for many sub-contractors, whether they are smaller or bigger companies in the region. The supply chain is managed centrally, with most suppliers located in Slovakia and some relationships
spanning over 20 years. “We have verified suppliers, but we also establish cooperation with new contractors,” Kvetko outlines. “Stable cooperation, high-quality products and services in our business network ultimately create a symbiosis of successful outcomes for all participants.” For several years now, SLOVMAG has been significantly addressing the renewal and modernisation of its
AT A GLANCE SLOVMAG’S ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
COMMERCIAL-TECHNICAL SERVICE: - Design of furnace lining shapes and selection of proper refractory materials. - Preparation of technical documentation. - Engineering supervision. LOGISTICS: The role of the logistics department is to ensure the transportation of refractory materials (by rail, truck, vessel and air) according to the requirements of external and internal customers. Other activities connected with logistics include delivery preparation for customs control, and the purchase of strategic raw materials. RESEARCH AND LABORATORY: SLOVMAG’s own laboratory has special equipment to provide chemical analysis and relevant physical and thermomechanical properties. GRAVEL AND AGGREGATE: Dolomite is a by-product resulting from extraction and magnesite ore processing. After extraction, the dolomite is separated, then crushed and graded for various fractions. FEED PRODUCT: Caustic calcined magnesia is used as an additive for feed compound and industrial fertilisers. As a rich source of magnesium, it is available for livestock and vegetable production.
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production facilities and premises. Despite the challenges surrounding COVID-19, this hasn’t stopped SLOVMAG from investing in new equipment to enhance the handling and processing of materials. Existing presses have been overhauled, whilst new presses, press moulds, a CNC milling machine and chamber hardening furnace have been purchased to support the company’s expanding product portfolio, satisfy specific customer requirements, as well as increase flexibility and independence from external service providers. “We are continuing to modernise the laboratory with new vibrating mills, muffle furnaces and a benchtop spectrometer to make the work in the laboratory more efficient,” adds Kvetko. “A new drilling rig in our mining operation will also reduce the financial burden of repairs whilst ensuring safety and efficiency in the extraction of raw materials.” Last year, SLOVMAG trialled the operation of an automatic measuring system (AMS) for measuring emissions that occur in shaft furnaces during the firing of magnesite raw material. At the treatment plant centre, the company replaced two dedusting devices to ensure the reduction of solid pollutants in the working environment by returning the
MINING
“WE CONSIDER CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AS THE MOST IMPORTANT CONDITION FOR THE LONG-TERM SUCCESS OF OUR COMPANY” – MILAN KVETKO, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, SLOVMAG, A.S. LUBENÍK dust collected back to the production process. Meanwhile, the launch of a project to modernise the preparation of pressing materials, which involves the introduction of automatic dosing and mixing of materials, is close to completion. This will reduce the consumption of raw materials,
“In connection with this, we want to set up and put into operation a packaging line that will reduce the physical demands of the storing and packaging process, whilst increasing the protection of products,” Kvetko says. “The priority for this year and the following year is also the reconstruction of the tunnel kiln in order to improve the firing quality of our core products.” Kvetko notes that, due to high transport costs, imports from the likes of China fell sharply and demand for complete products from the European market increased, boosting demand for SLOVMAG’s products as a result. “As we have invested a lot in recent years, we have also raised our production capacity and can receive more orders. Although demand has increased, we want to continue to meet the requirements of our customers and ensure the quality of our products,” continues Kvetko. “Specifically, we want to sharpen sales of fired products such as magnesia-spinel bricks to the lime industry, as we have invested heavily in new moulds for special shaft kilns for firing lime.” Though there is ongoing unpredictability in the market and the world, Kvetko hopes that SLOVMAG will succeed in fulfilling its main goals. “We also want to raise sales of magnesia-chromite bricks for the non-ferrous metallurgic production of copper and lead. In addition, one of our priorities is the diversification of MgO-C bricks into the steel industry,” he concludes.
electricity, and the emission of solid pollutants.
BOOSTED DEMAND The introduction of robotics, with future investments to be tailored towards an enhanced extraction capacity, is part of SLOVMAG’s ongoing strategy.
SLOVMAG, A.S. LUBENÍK Tel: +4215 84 81 11 11 marketing@slovmag.sk www.slovmag.sk
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SLOVMAG, A.S. LUBENÍK Lubeník 236, 049 18 Lubeník, Slovakia Tel: +4215 84 81 11 11 marketing@slovmag.sk www.slovmag.sk
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