Forglass has once again partnered with Saint-Gobain ISOVER. This time, we have been tasked with developing a complex engineering solution aimed at modernising the plant in Orange, France, which produces glass wool. The crux of the project is the replacement of the current batch transport system and this is where the complexity and the challenge of the project really begin.

The building that houses the glassworks is over four decades old and has undergone many modernisations in its lifetime, so accurate documentation is scarce and sometimes non-existent. Forglass structural engineers had to literally scan the building in order to create a calculation model, which in turn would allow them to calculate the loads and design the necessary support structures that are needed to accommodate the new equipment.

Forglass automation specialists will also be challenged, as all the testing and switching over to the new batch transport system will have to be completed on the run – without stopping the furnace and the production!

The multi-phase project will be completed when the furnace is scheduled for renovation in summer 2023.