French engineering company Fives Group has announced that Rugui Squares & Special Profiles, one of the key steel producers in Spain, has successfully commissioned a new hearth furnace at its Azkoitia site. Designed and installed by Fives, the advanced plant produced its first hot billet on November 27, 2025.
The project marks the complete replacement of a superheat furnace that had been in operation for over four decades and could no longer meet modern productivity or quality requirements. Rugui produces workpieces used in highly demanding sectors, including shipbuilding, agricultural machinery and construction.
According to Josue Illarramendi, Rugui electronics maintenance manager, ongoing maintenance constraints and the need to prepare for future performance levels made the upgrade inevitable. He described the investment as a central part of the company's long-term industrial strategy.
The new furnace features special burners designed by Fives to keep greenhouse gas emissions below 50 parts per million. Its integrated energy recovery system heats combustion air to significantly higher temperatures than conventional solutions, reducing carbon emissions and reducing natural gas consumption.
