Unexpected failure

An unexpected failure of the mandrel at a UNI plus downcoiler for coiling of high-strength steel at one of our customers resulted in the inability to roll and coil a significant part of the company's product portfolio. At the time of the failure, the steel producer did not have a replacement mandrel available and the cause of the failure was also initially unclear. In order to minimize the damage caused, the SMS group was contacted. 

SMS group reacted immediately and sent two experts to the customer's workshop to assist with disassembly and damage assessment and to define further measures for repair. During the damage assessment, it turned out that the mandrel body and the connecting piece in the force transmission area showed a large damage that led to the failure.

Emergency repair by SMS group workshop

As a result of this diagnosis, the mandrel body and the connecting piece could be sent to the SMS group workshop for repair. The subsequent repair was carried out using state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. Without these possibilities, the repair of the mandrel body as well as the connecting piece would not have been feasible.

After the repair, the mandrel was completely assembled and adjusted in the SMS group workshop using components provided by the customer and components from the SMS group stock. Following the repair, a joint acceptance test was carried out with the customer. Subsequently, the mandrel was returned to the customer for installation in the plant.

Efficient project management

This very special and complex repair was carried out in only six weeks after failure, so that the customer was able to quickly put the downcoiler for high-strength grades back into operation. Such an extremely short turnaround time was only made possible by excellent project management combined with the strong know-how in terms of the product and repairs. During the repair, a weekly regular meeting was held with the customer to exchange information on the current status of the repair. This exchange about set targets and achieved milestones is an essential part on the way to success. The immediate support of the SMS group has further strengthened the good and long-standing cooperation.

There is nothing worse than unexpected breakdowns and unplanned downtime. With our Genius Condition Monitoring System we are able to monitor the status of the equipment and to avoid unexpected downtimes. But in case of failures, we are here to support any repair topic as quick as possible.

Contact: Benjamin Viereck