Precasting Special Shapes on the Fly to Prevent 2 Days of Downtime
One of the lesser-known, yet most rewarding, parts of our business results from the opportunities we have to leverage our creativity. That may sound odd coming from an industrial refractory contractor. Not everyone thinks of industrial contractors as being creative. And many of our jobs are very straightforward. But sometimes, the unexpected occurs which gives us a chance to flex…Read More ›
A Maintenance Checklist for an Aluminum Furnace
Keeping your industrial aluminum furnace in peak operating condition and preventing refractory breakdown requires regular maintenance. It’s like your car: if you don’t change the oil, monitor fluids and replace the parts that wear out, you’re headed for a breakdown. Remember, “pay-me-now or pay-me-later.” Today, unlike in previous decades, we’re finding that it’s not uncommon for industrial facilities to lack…Read More ›
Double the Refractory Cost, Triple the Savings
To state the obvious, everyone in industrial manufacturing in the U.S. is searching for cost reductions. The common practice is to attempt to find savings by reducing upfront material and labor costs. However, that provides no guarantee of actual saving over the long term, and there are times when you need a wide-angle lens instead of a fine-tooth comb to…Read More ›
Rebuilding a Kiln for a Major Refractory Manufacturer
Construction contractors don’t always have the best long-term reputations. It’s common for them to come and go, even in our specialty industry of refractory contracting. But there can be tremendous value in building a long-term relationship with the right refractory contractor. An example of this is highlighted by our recent job for a major U.S. refractory manufacturer that produces high…Read More ›
Mud is Mud …
Many people view refractory as dirt in a bag. It sure looks like dirt, right? If you can lay brick, you can lay firebrick, right? If you can cast concrete, you can install refractory, right? And many believe any laborer can install castable. In redbrick, a bricklayer not laying proper joints will be “run off” the job. However, we’ve seen…Read More ›