France-based machine industry company Fives Group has announced that Rugui Squares & Special Profiles, one of Spain’s key steelmakers, has successfully commissioned a new walking hearth reheating furnace at its Azkoitia facility. Developed and installed by Fives, the advanced unit produced its first hot billet on November 27, 2025.
The project marks the complete replacement of a reheating furnace that had operated for more than four decades and could no longer meet today’s productivity or quality requirements. Rugui manufactures billets used in highly demanding sectors, including shipbuilding, agricultural machinery and construction.
According to Josu Illarramendi, electronic maintenance manager of Rugui, persistent maintenance constraints and the need to prepare for future output levels made the upgrade unavoidable. He described the investment as central to the company’s long-term industrial strategy.
The new furnace incorporates special burners designed by Fives to keep greenhouse emissions under 50 ppm. Its integrated energy recovery system preheats combustion air to significantly higher temperatures than conventional solutions, lowering carbon emissions and reducing natural gas consumption.
