Steloy Castings Key Supplier to Foster Wheeler USA for Ecopetrol Refinery Project

Foster Wheeler partnered with SA Foundry, Steloy Castings, for the supply of static and centrifugal castings for the major upgrade and expansion of the Barrancabermeja Refinery in Columbia, owned by Fortune 500 Company, Ecopetrol.

Foster Wheeler is internationally recognised as a leading engineering, construction and project management contractor as well as power equipment supplier. In order to maintain the high levels of quality standards that has earned them global prestige, it is absolutely critical for Foster Wheeler to source  from credible partners in the supply of components that assist in the successful execution of large and often complex projects.

The $1.023 billion Ecopetrol project which would see the increase in capacity of the refinery from 12.5 million tonnes per annum to 15 million was awarded to Foster Wheeler as the sole contractor in 2008 for the front-end engineering design (FEED) and project management. A large section of the contract involved the assembly of radiant stanchions comprising of over 3000 components cast in ASTM A351 HK40 weighing in at a substantial 72 metric tonnes. Steloy approached Foster Wheeler with a proposal to supply the static and centrifugal castings for the direct fired heaters and convection applications that make up the radiant sections which was subsequently accepted. 

Working in the refinery business, it is very crucial for Foster Wheeler to keep operating downtime to a minimum. Unforeseen delays in project implementation can cost clients millions, making the prompt delivery of components a key deciding factor in choosing a supplier. As a well-established foundry, Steloy was able to cater to Foster Wheeler’s demands for high-integrity, high performance components, delivered within reasonable timeframes. According to Bruce Brewer, QA Manager at Foster Wheeler, “Steloy has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to meet our stringent technical and quality requirements”. 

It is this balance between quality and timely delivery that ultimately led to the successful completion of the project, which has benefitted both Foster Wheeler and its clients directly. As a result, Foster Wheeler is pleased to continue their positive relationship with Steloy as a key supplier into the future. “Together, we have developed a good working and communication relations with Steloy’s staff which has been critically important to our project execution successes”, said Brewer. 

ABOUT STELOY CASTINGS

Steloy Castings ranks as South Africa’s most advanced specialist foundry group, supplying static and centrifugally cast high-alloy components to customers across the globe.