Fives, an industrial engineering group in France, has completed the commissioning of a new walking hearth reheating furnace at Spanish steelmaker Rugui Squares & Special Profiles' plant in Azkoitia. The first hot billet using the new equipment was produced on November 27, 2025.

The new furnace is to improve energy efficiency and product quality for billets destined for demanding applications, including shipbuilding, construction, and farming machinery.

The new unit features advanced AdvanTek® Central Wide Flame (CWF) burners, with NOx emissions lower than 50 ppm, and an energy recovery system to reduce gas consumption and CO2 emissions.

Rugui Squares & Special Profiles' Electronic Maintenance Manager, Josu Illarramendi, said that the upgrade was necessary to address maintenance issues and meet future production requirements.

Fives delivered the challenging project in less than nine months due to strong collaboration.