According to the Public Relations Department of SSMIC, Saeed Naghieh, the Manager of the Pelletizing Unit, announced the successful execution of the plant’s shutdown and stated: “The largest maintenance operation in the Sangan region, with a total of 62,500 man-hours, was successfully completed at the SSMIC pelletizing plant. The pelletizing personnel, in collaboration with other supporting units, managed to fully implement the scheduled activities within the planned production timeline.”

Mehrdad Shokoohi, Head of the Technical Office, stated:

“The Technical Office of the Pelletizing Unit, aiming to achieve quantitative and qualitative production targets and enhance production line efficiency, has systematically held meetings since the beginning of 2024 to consolidate maintenance activities, anticipate spare parts needs, and implement optimization projects. The scheduled maintenance workload totaled 62,500 man-hours, including 40,000 man-hours for the mechanical team, 5,000 man-hours for production and industrial cleaning activities, 8,000 man-hours for ancillary operations, and 9,500 man-hours for electrical, instrumentation, and automation tasks. Thanks to the skilled personnel of SSMIC, along with contractors and full organizational support, these tasks were successfully executed.”

Shokoohi added: “The pelletizing plant’s induration furnace, identified as the critical path due to its high workload, underwent successful repairs, including rail maintenance, lintel repairs, refractory work, and sprocket drive system refurbishment, all completed on schedule.”

Reza Zanganeh, Head of Pelletizing Maintenance, further stated:

“By the grace of God and the dedication of the maintenance team, the 2024 maintenance key performance indicators in all areas, including operational efficiency and direct work time, exceeded the assigned targets. It is worth mentioning that maintaining this trend requires comprehensive production line maintenance in the shortest possible time with the highest quality, ensuring at least one year of continuous operation without an unscheduled shutdown.”

He added: “The maintenance team was responsible for overseeing contractor activities, receiving and inspecting spare parts, and verifying work requests, all of which were carried out effectively. Key activities during the cold shutdown included replacing the slide rails of the induration furnace, optimizing the cooling system of the furnace, major thickener repairs, replacing mixer paddles and liners, servicing process electric motors, overhauling furnace burners, and renewing the lubrication paths of the furnace rails. Additionally, in collaboration with the Localization and Development Unit, data collection and the preparation of a technical catalog for the required components were successfully completed during this period.”

Mohammad Razi Roudi, Head of Pelletizing Production, concluded by thanking the operational and execution teams:

“To ensure stable and high-quality production, the annual maintenance program was systematically planned. Key activities of the production and industrial cleaning units included:

1. Active participation of production shift personnel in maintenance operations.
2. Initial servicing of mechanical and electrical equipment and handing them over to the maintenance team.
3. Draining and transferring thickener water and cleaning the thickener bottom.
4. Cleaning ducts, wind boxes, and the induration furnace.
5. Collecting and sorting waste materials.
6. General cleaning of the plant structures.”