ANNEALING FURNACES TRANSPORTED FROM WICKEDE TO HAGEN

Eight annealing furnaces were relocated during the summer of 2018

In July and August 2018, a total of eight annealing furnaces were transported from Wickede (Ruhr, Germany) to the main facility of Waelzholz in Hagen within a period of six weeks. The bell annealing furnaces are part of the Waelzholz plant in Wickede. In addition to eight annealing furnace bases, four heating and four cooling hoods made their way to their new homes. The facility in Hagen was well prepared for the relocation due to the early expansion of the production halls, which ensured that the process ran smoothly. Shortly after their arrival in Hagen each annealing furnace could be brought back into operation.

The heavy transport of the four heating hoods attracted a great deal of attention. As the largest part of a bell annealing furnace, the hood is 4.45 meters (175.2 inches) high and an impressive 4.5 meters (177.2 inches) wide. Due to these dimensions and its weight of 13 metric tons, the relocation of the annealing hood was only allowed to take place at night and on a route specified by the authorities. As a result, the first heating hood left Wickede at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 – a heavy-duty transport that Waelzholz does not send out every day.

In the future, Waelzholz plans to move further production lines from Wickede to Hagen. By relocating these eight bell annealing furnaces to Hagen, the company has taken the first step in this direction.