Beca’s innovative designs, meticulous planning and construction techniques resulted in the project being completed in 115 days, a record for a PT Inco furnace demolition and rebuild.
PT Inco’s #3 electric furnace on the island of Sulawesi is one of four, producing a total of 70,000 tonnes of nickel per year. As part of a 15-year replacement cycle, PT Inco embarked on the demolition and rebuilding of this furnace.
Having completed a virtually identical refurbishment of PT Inco’s #1 furnace five years earlier, Beca was contracted to tackle the project. Responsibilities included detail design, procurement, and project and construction management.
In a bid to reduce downtime as much as possible, the Beca team opted for parallel tasking: the furnace shell was pre-fabricated and pre-assembled and constructed in parallel with the furnace roof. This strategy demanded precise construction management skills.
The team managed the construction work, with a workforce of 35 expatriate supervisors, and more than 1,200 local supervisors and tradesmen from contractor PT McConnell Dowell Indonesia, working 24-hours per day in three shifts.
In addition to the furnace rebuild, the project also included rebuilding the #2 and #4 kilns, and PLC upgrades for the furnace and kilns.
The project was completed in 115 days, a record for a PT Inco furnace rebuild and testament to Beca's innovative designs, meticulous planning and construction techniques.