First Aluminium Audit Nigeria

Bronx International has recently completed a significant Engineering and Technology Improvement Program at First Aluminium, Nigeria on their No. 1 Paint Line, commonly referred to as: “Bessy”. This line was originally installed in Alcan, Birmingham UK before being relocated to Nigeria in 1995. “Bessy” has proven to be a very successful line for First Aluminium, so much so that they needed to increase their production capability to meet growing local demand. Product quality was also a key target for improvement. Bronx were invited to conduct a detailed paid audit of the complete line operation to identify those areas where improvements were possible and would provide the greatest returns on investment.

Bronx were selected based on their excellent reputation in the Nigerian market and their well regarded Technology and Engineering Team, who have a track record of delivering high quality reviews on Coating Lines globally. David Brown, Technical Director for Bronx International was chosen to lead the audit. David has almost forty years experience in Colour Coating and Galvanizing Lines, both in management and operational roles.

From the initial audit, many areas of improvement were identified as the Bronx Technology Team worked with the customer to develop a short list of key modifications that would meet required expectations for the investment available.

These included:

• Replacing the existing gas fired oven for an electric infra-red oven. Nigeria cannot provide consistent gas supply and this had previously resulted in lost production time that constituted over 30% of available time.
• Replacing the Uncoiler and Coil Car. The existing unit was causing damage to the product causing unacceptable scrap losses.
• Replacing the Paint Coater Machine. Paint quality and paint control and consumption needed to be significantly improved.
• Improving strip steering. The strip tracking through the line was causing losses and needed upgrading to guarantee no product losses.
• Upgrading the exit section. The equipment in this area needed upgrading to ensure no strip damage and a new Edge Guide System was installed.

Further work undertaken by Bronx on the line included installing:

• Complete new hydraulic systems for sections of the line.
• New hydraulic piping for the complete line.
• Complete electrical control system, control panels and drives with Siemens equipment utilising HMI operator controls along with complete new electrical cabling of the line.

Upon entering the factory following the upgrade, Mr Gavin Malloy, the Managing Director and driving force behind the project said: “I consider this project (audit and installations) to be one of the best ever executed by the Rolling Mill and has shown everybody what can be achieved. Thank you for your extremely valuable input”.

The advances made by Bronx in the use and integration of Infra-Red Curing Technology provided a justifiable and cost effective solution to this improvement program. The mechanical and electrical modifications improved the line’s performance and operation significantly with reduced scrap and downtime. Product quality has improved greatly and line capacity has increased, giving “Bessy” a new lease of life.