Rapid Delivery and Implementation of a Dry Cooler for Metal Processing

RUGUI is a European engineering and manufacturing company specialising in metalworking and the manufacture of structures for mechanical engineering, infrastructure and industrial projects. The company’s manufacturing processes include cutting, forming, welding and assembling metal structures, where temperature stability directly affects the quality and pace of production. Such enterprises typically operate on a contract basis: all products are manufactured to specific orders, with tight deadlines and fixed volumes. Any deviations in the equipment’s operating mode quickly affect the production schedule, metal quality and obligations to B2C customers:

— Quality sensitivity to overheating and ΔT fluctuations;

— Limited window for stopping lines without losing momentum;

— High cost of reprocessing products and rejects;

— High concentration of thermal loads in processing areas;

— Continuous or multi-shift equipment operation cycles;

— Dependence of financial results on process stability.

In this system, RUGUI focuses not on formalism, but on the nature of HVAC engineering solutions. On their practical reliability and ways to maintain production without potential failures in their operation.

EVROPROM acts as an industrial partner in this project, understanding the specifics of contract metalworking: where cooling is not an auxiliary system, but an element of complete production stability. Our task is to provide solutions that will fully support the customer’s B2C work rhythm and minimise risks, which in turn fit into the real operating conditions without complicating the production cycle of the metalworking plant.

Customer request for HVAC modulation and dry cooler integration 

RUGUI’s task was as practical as possible: to quickly find a reliable solution for cooling work processes. It was not a question of modernisation for the future, but of removing the current thermal risk, which had already begun to affect production stability. Therefore, the search was conducted throughout Europe, with priority given to availability and readiness for launch:

— Overheating caused frequent stoppages and failures, totalling 2–4 hours of downtime in 7–10 days;

— The existing system could no longer cope with the thermal load as production increased by 20–30%;

— A temperature increase of 5–8 °C led to instability in metal processing quality and deviations in tolerances;

— Each delay increased the risk of unplanned downtime and a 10–15% increase in energy consumption, which translated into €1,200 in energy costs per kW/h.

According to the customer’s internal assessment, even short-term stoppages cost thousands of euros per day due to staff downtime, processing cycles and loss of production speed. In these conditions, the decisive factor was not the formal optimality of the solution, but the speed of its availability and practical reliability under operating conditions.

How much can downtime cost a high-tech enterprise? 

In metalworking, unplanned downtime is almost never a local problem. A failure or unstable operation of the HVAC cooling system triggers a chain of losses affecting personnel, staff, equipment, product quality and contractual obligations. For a medium-sized European enterprise, even the first hour of downtime ceases to be an engineering issue and becomes a financial one: on average, €800-2,500 per hour, and in the case of high capacity utilisation, contract lines or urgent orders, up to €3,000-4,000. Therefore, even a shift downtime costs €6,000–20,000 for 8 hours, and delays of several days cost €20,000–60,000, which directly affects the profitability of the industry.

Factors that affect losses and subsequent investment resources:

Personnel costs when industrial lines at the plant are shut down:

— During downtime, a shift of 6–12 operators remains at their workplaces;

— One 8-hour shift means €1,920–3,360 in labour costs;

— Overtime costs, loss compensation and shift redistribution after restarting the production line are distributed;

— With multi-shift work and repeated restarts, actual losses quickly increase due to reduced efficiency and staff workload.

Loss of machine and module time when equipment is stopped:

— The average total cost of one hour of equipment operation, including depreciation, energy and maintenance, is €400 per unit;

— When 3–5 key units are stopped simultaneously, losses reach €500–2,000 per hour for equipment and €4,000–16,000 per day;

— Metalworking relies on capital-intensive assets: CNC machines, cutting and forming lines, welding stations; Downtime does not reduce wear and capital costs, but only nullifies the economic return on investment.

Defects and rework due to HVAC temperature deviations:

— Additional machine time is lost and the workload on staff increases, which exacerbates the effect of downtime and stable material quality;

—An increase in defects of 1–2% for a batch worth €100,000–200,000 means €2,000–4,000 in direct losses for the investment package;

— Overheating leads to changes in the metal structure and disruption of the geometric parameters of parts; Deviations from acceptable tolerances require reworking or complete write-off of the product.

Contractual risks, loss of production speed and business KPIs:

— These consequences add €1,000–5,000 per downtime event.

— Deviations from the production plan shift the subsequent stages of the project.

— Failure to meet delivery deadlines leads to penalties, schedule revisions and a loss of trust on the part of existing B2B, B2C and B2G customers;

—Overtime shifts and additional staff hours and factory equipment depreciation are required to compensate for the delay.

Equipment selection: ALFA LAVAL dry cooler for precise cooling

The ALFA LAVAL VDDS906CD196 945.4/779.4 kW dry cooler was selected for the project — a powerful and proven solution for heat removal in harsh industrial environments. The equipment arrives fully ready for operation with a filled glycol circuit, which speeds up start-up and minimises the risk of installation errors. Although the equipment was manufactured in 2006, it is still working like new in 2026, demonstrating the stability and reliability of the industrial platform:

— Cooling capacity of 945.4 kW at 40/35°C and 779.4 kW at 25°C fully covers the current and peak loads of the plant in Spain;

— Liquid flow of 164.4 | 135.5 m³/h and air flow of 251,913 |195,147 m³/h ensure efficient heat dissipation even under high loads;

— 12 fans with a diameter of 910 mm, a heat exchange surface of 3868.2 m² and a glycol volume of 336.9 dm³ guarantee a stable air flow;

— The equipment has dimensions of 8.19 × 2.23 × 2.5 m and weighs 2600 kg, which simplifies installation and integration into existing production lines;

— The industrial platform without sensitive electronics is resistant to dust, vibrations and extreme conditions in HVAC operation;

— The ALFA LAVAL brand confirms durability, and the EVROPROM warranty for RUGUI provides protection for key components.

For the customer, this meant one thing: removing the thermal risk from production, restoring process stability and metalworking quality without the need for line reconstruction and long start-up times, with insurance coverage that included the compressor unit, heat exchanger and condenser.

Contact EVROPROM for an optimal and economical solution:

🌐 evroprom.com
📞 48 799 355 595
📥 sales@evroprom.com

Author of the article:

Svyatoslav Ovcharenko, Sales Manager