Also for 2011 INTECO achieved the rating 1 by Dun & Bradstreet. This excellent rating stands for INTECO’s great and stable financial and economic situation. And proves INTECO’s quality of being an attractive business partner.

To strengthen INTECO’s capacities in terms of automation engineering the company ATEC Automatisierungstechnik GmbH, located just south of Graz, was incorporated in the INTECO Group. ATEC since its foundation in 1995 was already doing business in several fields of the automation technology industry and has already worked together with INTECO in several projects.

 The company name ATEC was now changed into INTECO atec automation GmbH, which in future will not only pursue the original business of ATEC, but will also have a main focus on INTECO’s secondary metallurgy sector and shall become a centre of excellence for Level 2 programming.

The annual conference and exhibition STAHL took place on 10th of November at the CCD Dusseldorf, Germany. As in the past also this year INTECO was happy to welcome numerous clients and business partners at their booth. Besides networking INTECO’s guests could also enjoy special Austrian food and drink.

Just recently Dipl. Ing. (FH) Barabara Pachner graduated from FH Joanneum Kapfenberg by writing her diploma thesis in tight cooperation with the INTECO purchasing department and now was awarded with the business award of the city of Kapfenberg. Miss Pachner in her work designed a performance measurement system especially for project purchasing at INTECO, which won the category science & research.

In July INTECO successfully completed the modification of the ESR plant 3 at BGH Freital in Germany. The following purposes were fulfilled through the modification: Ingot weight increase from 1,3t to 2,3t, durability increase of the crucibles as well as a redesign of the electrode clamping device. This project is a perfect example that close and flexible teamwork between the client and INTECO with shared responsibility can lead to success. Despite the tight time schedule the modification was completed to full satisfaction of the client. As a consequence of this successful modification recently the contract for the modification of ESR plant 4 was signed. Discussions concerning the order of a new plant will follow soon.

At this year`s METEC INTECO was welcoming its guests in an original Austrian chalet. Beside several delicious Austrian treats INTECO’s guests were served innovative news in terms of secondary- and special metallurgy. A definite highlight were the four acitivity stations: At the melting station one could enjoy chocolate fondue or at the vacuum station guests could evacuate tasty sausages and take them home.

The whole INTECO team was happy about the great number of visitors and the vivid information exchange.

Interview with Mr Holzgruber (Video)

End of 2010 the German steel plant Saarstahl AG awarded INTECO with the supply of a new secondary metallurgical plant.

The order includes supply, engineering, assembling and start up of two 200t twin ladle furnaces and one RH plant of the same batch size. Each ladle is equipped with four wire feeding machines, two T&S manipulators, 2 emergency top lances and two nipple stands.

The RH plant is equipped with a steam vacuum pump for vacuum treatment. The ladle is liftet to the vacuum vessel with a hydraulic ladle lifting device.

The start up of both plants is planned for end of 2012/beginning of 2013.

INTECO successfully completed the first heat at a confidential customer in Milan, Italy. The new ESR plant consists of three static mold melt stations to be operated by four fully equipped furnace heads. The maximum ingot size is 1900 mm diameter, 5200 mm length resulting into 110 tons maximum weight. Start of erection was September 2010.

End of February Saarstahl AG signed the final acceptance certificate (FAC) for the ESR project carried out by INTECO. Consisting of three static mold stations and one short collar mold station this plant remelts ingots with a max. weight of 145 t and a max.diameter of 1900 mm and therefore is the biggest ESR plant worldwide when it comes to this construction type. More than 100 ingots have been produced so far with the new plant, all of them passing the tests with results to the satisfaction of the client.

The INTECO ASMET Award worth a totale of 4000 € this year was awarded to Dr. Wiener, Dr. Korp and Mr. Griesser for their extraordinary scientific work.

The ceremony took place as part of the ASMET Forum for Metallurgy in Leoben.

Have an eye on our technology is INTECO's slogan, on May 5th at the WOCHE Businessmarathon all eyes were set on the 24 students attending the INTECO class at the HTL Kapfenberg. And their training effort during the last month definitly paid of, as 8 of them won the price for the fastest 8 person relay race with a superb time ( 8x 4,5 km) of 2 hours and 57 minutes. Each of the successfull runners was awarded with a pluse monitor watch and 250 € for the class account.

After the successful start up of a 16t ESR plant, Daye Special Steel in May 2010 decided to lay another project, the engineering and supply of a vacuum arc remelting plant, in the Austrian special metallurgy expert’s hands. This proved to be the right decision, as 1 ½ years after the contract was signed, the 1st heat with the new VAR plant took place at Daye. With this new piece of INTECO technology ingots of highest quality with the maximum weight of 6 tons and a maximum diameter of 600 mm can be remelted.

“TECH Runs” is a new initiative presented by INTECO and 4 other Styrian high tech companys. Throughout a school year INTECO accompanies a school class of the technical secondary school in Kapfenberg:  INTECO’s experts will become teacher for a few lessons in turn students will visit INTECO at the headquarters in Bruck and get training on the job.