Switch to induction: 62% less CO2, 80% less water consumption.

It is a milestone for Saint Gobain PAM, a lighthouse project for the French industry, and a showcase project for ABP Induction: In Foug, France, an old cupola furnace system is being decommissioned and replaced by a more climate-friendly induction furnace system from ABP Induction. The aim is to massively reduce CO2 emissions and water consumption. Once the ABP induction system has been set up and installed, production is switched over without interrupting production.

Saint Gobain PAM’s objectives are in line with ABP’s strategy, which focuses in particular on the four megatrends of decarbonisation, digitalisation, deglobalisation and demographic change. “In France in particular, the topic of decarbonisation is being advanced much more strongly,” explains Alexander Keller. The primary aim here is to replace a cupola furnace system with induction furnaces – in this case, two IFM furnaces with a capacity of 30 tons and an output of 18 MW, designed using TwinPower® technology – one of the largest induction furnace systems ever installed in a foundry in Europe. But the changes on the site in Foug are even more far reaching: “Much more is happening here – the entire foundry is being modernised. Environmental aspects, digitalisation, a significant
improvement in working conditions – we at ABP fully identify with this.”

Conversion of production in Foug – comprehensive and sustainable
“That is why it is also too short-sighted to reduce the project in Toul to one of technology conversion. Behind this is a full range of project planning and implementation that has a comprehensive and sustainable impact on the organisation and the region,” explained Alexander Keller, Head of System Sales at ABP.

ABP Induction supports its customers in the transformation process right from the start: “We accompany all process steps and develop the project together with the customer. The process begins with the concept development, continues with the project planning and extends to the construction and commissioning of the system, including the implementation of the melting process,” continued Keller.

“Throughout the process, the ABP and client teams work closely together to highlight what is important to the client. We need to understand where the focus lies and what role aspects such as environmental influences, occupational safety or productivity play.”

“The human factor also plays a major role: ABP Induction trains customer employees on site or in the Virtual Academy so that they can operate the new induction furnace system effectively and efficiently under optimum and safe conditions. ABP also offers products for activities on the furnace platform to reduce human involvement: Our modern digital products and safety equipment help to make the foundry a more attractive place to work. The concept development takes around three to four months.”

Saint-Gobain PAM, a European leader in ductile iron pipe systems, produces nearly 400 000 tons of cast iron annually, mainly intended for water and sanitary pipes. In April 2024, the Foug plant laid the foundation stone for the Vulcain project. The foundry, which specialises in the production of spheroidal graphite cast iron, will be able to dispense with the cupola furnace in around a year’s time once all the buildings for the induction furnace system and the system itself have been completed.

7 800 tons of coal were consumed every year. After the conversion, this need is completely eliminated, less energy is consumed and less CO2 is emitted. Overall, the aim is to reduce the factory’s CO2 emissions by 62 per cent – that is 22 000 tons of emissions saved per year.

With around 330 employees, Foug is to become the Group’s factory with the lowest CO2 footprint in Europe. Foug is also aiming to reduce its water consumption by 80 per cent. This will save the equivalent of the annual water consumption of the city of Toul, which has around 15 000 inhabitants.

In this context, Jérôme Lionet, CEO at Saint-Gobain PAM, explains: “The responsibility that the company is aware of and which it communicates proactively. We have to anchor the industry in a more sustainable world. That is part of our conviction.”