Profilglass developing the potential of aluminium

Industry Europe spoke to Profilglass Aluminium SpA a couple of years ago. Since then rolled products have further grown in importance and the company has commenced aluminium hot rolling (alongside its cold rolling and profile production activities), as Mr Petrucci - sales director - explains to Barbara Rossi.

Profilglass is based on the Italian Adriatic coast (specifically in Bellocchi di Fano, central Italy) and is still an Italian family company (owned by the Paci family). At the same time it is very innovative, featuring a truly young and dynamic character and a staff of 600 whose average age is 35. Performance is particularly striking. In 2013 the company achieved a 13 per cent increase in the number of tonnes sold compared with 2012, reaching a total of 125,000 shipped tonnes.

In terms of activity, Mr Petrucci explains, “Just like two years ago, we are still engaged in manufacturing spacing and decorative profiles for double glazing and flat rolled products in the following alloys: 1xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx, 5xxx and 8xxx.” The company, which is unique in the aluminium sector for having implemented vertical production, is a world leader in the production of spacing and decorative profiles for double-glazing. This is its original activity, which since the beginning of the millennium has been undergoing a very successful process of diversification, starting with the acquisition of a rolling foundry. The result is that today rolled products are the core business and the sectors served include a wide range of industries.

Currently Profilglass is investing a lot upstream, in scrap management and processing, with a specific area dedicated to scrap milling, separation, division, selection and packing. It is also considering investing in new machinery in order to be able to use painted scrap, including aluminium cans and

painted profiles. The company is strongly focusing on using recycled aluminium of all types. A new slab caster will become active in September 2014, increasing the Profilglass production capacity to 130,000 tonnes a year (60,000 tonnes thanks to the six continuous casting lines and 70,000 tonnes thanks to the two slab casters). “Investments are an ordinary activity for us. As well as the upstream investments, we are considering the acquisition of a new specialised slitter for ’soft material’ cutting, as well as other investments which I cannot yet reveal.”

In addition to using recycled scrap, the company also sources primary aluminium. “For 20 years we have been working with Egyptalum, the largest producer of primary aluminium in Egypt. Every year we buy about 40,000 tonnes of primary aluminium from this partner, in the form of ingots, billets, roughturned pieces and plates, among others.

F.lli VEDANI srl, one of the few Italian manufacturing companies, is celebrating 32 years in business.

It comprises staff, technicians and management with a deep technical knowledge and a long metallurgical process experience in aluminium smelting. The company is UNI ISO 9001:2000 certified. Currently it is classified as a class A supplier according to AVSQ94 standards.

The company has a wide range of: OWN PRODUCTS FOR NON FERROUS ALLOY METALLURGICAL PROCESSING: • Purifying, scorifying and protective fluxes for Alluminium; • Degassing tablets; • Master alloys for alloy modification (TABLEX); • Semi-finished products of any alloy or dimension.

PRODUCTS FOR MANUFACTURERS OF ALLUMINIUM PLATES AND BILLETS: • Ceramic sprues; • Ceramic hot-tops and graphite rings; • Refractory, protective and insulating paints, etc...

AUXILIARY PRODUCTS FOR THE “EXTRUSION” SECTOR • Boron nitride; • Customised graphite components; • Dummy block release agent.

Among its various clients the company supplies: PROFILGLASS • ALCOA • SAPA

VIA SAN MARTINO, 34, 20025 LEGNANO (MI) TEL. 0331/545554 • FAX 0331/441634 • MAILinfo@fratellivedani.it

ALUMINIUM PLANT WITH SEMI-CONTINUOUS PROCESS

CUSTOMISED CASTING TABLE FOR SLAB AND BILLET

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Via Fornaci 64/D – 38068, Rovereto (TN) – ITALY Tel. +39 0464 421326, Fax +39 0464 421337 tecnico@almec.it | www.almec.it

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