Rugui Squares & Special Profiles and Fives have commissioned a new walking hearth reheating furnace designed to significantly improve energy efficiency and product quality.
The first hot billet was produced at Rugui Squares & Special Profiles’ plant in Azkoitia, Spain, on 27 November 2025.
The new furnace will replace its existing reheating furnace, which had operated for more than 40 years and could no longer meet evolving production and quality requirements.
The company manufactures high-value billets for demanding applications, including shipbuilding, farming machinery, and construction, where consistently premium product quality is essential.
“Maintenance issues with the old furnace and the need to anticipate future production demands drove us to invest in a complete upgrade. In a word, this project represents our future,” said Josu Illarramendi, electronic maintenance manager at Rugui Squares & Special Profiles.
The new walking hearth furnace is equipped with the latest AdvanTek Central Wide Flame (CWF) burners, which have NOx emissions lower than 50 ppm.
Additionally, its energy recovery system preheats air at higher temperatures than standard solutions, reducing CO2 emissions and gas consumption.
One of the main challenges of the project was the exceptionally tight schedule. Thanks to the strong collaboration and commitment of both companies, the furnace was fully designed, installed, and commissioned in a remarkably short amount of time.
“The main objective of the customer was to get the first hot product in less than nine months. This was a very challenging schedule for all the parts,” added Amaia Lizarralde, project manager at Fives Steel Spain, a Fives subsidiary specialising in thermal solutions for the steel and aluminium industries.
“Without the close collaboration between Fives and Rugui teams, it would have been impossible to execute this project in such a smooth way.”
