Even for a high-performance company like Hilgefort, for whom almost every task entails a unique challenge, breaking a world record is something very special. And now Hilgefort GmbH has done just that, claiming a world record in plant construction.

Hilgefort has manufactured what is currently the largest sinter cooler in the world. The sinter was dismantled and its component parts shipped in containers to Vitória, Brazil. It measures 56 m in diameter and the whole plant weighs approximately 870 tons.

Ulrich Hilgefort, director of the company based in Dinklage, Germany, commented: “The decisive factor that worked in our favour and led to Hilgefort GmbH winning the call for tender was the impressively short delivery time. As a medium-sized plant construction company with decades of expertise manufacturing plants for industrial firms in sectors such as the iron and steel industry, chemical and petrochemical industry and power stations, our bid for the tender was successful thanks to our expertise in high-quality engineering.”

With an above-average highly qualified employee base, Hilgefort GmbH is proof that companies from Lower Saxony are absolutely capable of competing for global tenders. And that’s without compromising on the internationally high expectations of German workmanship in terms of precision and reliability.

The hot sintering material is introduced into the rotating sinter cooler via a feeding chute lined with wear plates. The sinter cooler itself comprises 56 individual transport carts which are combined to form a closed circle that permanently rotates. Fresh air is blasted through a total of five ventilation ducts positioned equally around the circumference to cool down the sinter. Each individual cart is fitted with a tipping device. At the end of every cycle, the carts are released and emptied via said tipping device. Once emptied, the carts are locked back in place and filled with fresh sintering material, thus ensuring continuous operation.