Vulcan Engineering Co. | Blog

Greenfield and Brownfield Foundry Projects

Written by Scott | Apr 1, 2020 1:45:00 PM

A Complete Concept-To-Production Approach

A greenfield foundry is what its name implies: a foundry conceived, engineered and built from scratch on a previously unused property. A brownfield foundry, on the other hand, is built around the constraints of existing facilities. Though very different with regard to their planning and execution, both require vast amounts of coordination, resources and expertise to come together. Vulcan Engineering has all that covered.

Since its beginnings 50 years ago Vulcan Engineering has designed and built many successful brownfield and greenfield foundries. Vulcan is a seasoned leader in the field, due in no small part to its staff of experienced engineers, project managers, trades workers and experienced management.

Vulcan prides itself on executing projects in the most efficient manner possible. A typical project will use multiple Project Managers and Engineers that use other resources as necessary during the ebb and flow of the project. This efficient use of resources allows the engineers to focus on each of their area of expertise providing the customer with the best foundry design.

The first step in a project is to understand the customer’s application. What castings do they want to make, and at what volume? Do they have equipment preferences? What are their special process requirements? Next, begins level one engineering, which produces an engineered concept drawing of the new foundry, tailored to suit the customer’s specific application. Level one engineering also generates a unit list, schedule, specification document, coordination plan and budget for the project. All of these documents are combined into a consolidated package which gives the customer a comprehensive view of the project.

Once approved by the customer, the construction phase begins. The customer will then purchase the main process equipment directly from OEMs. Concurrently, Vulcan begins final design, manufacturing and procurement of integration items such as conveyors, bucket elevators, bins, and structures.

As the equipment is being prepared off-site, Vulcan works closely with the customer to ensure the site is ready for its arrival by overseeing on-site preparation work such as site development, special foundation construction, structural erection, electrical power distribution, main building construction, and more. Vulcan coordinates the equipment deliveries to follow the carefully laid master project plan. Once equipment begins arriving, the site having been prepared accordingly, Vulcan performs the installation, startup, and commissioning quickly and efficiently. This translates into lower cost to the customer, and a quicker return on their investment.

While other companies may provide specifications, engineering or project management services, Vulcan Engineering handles all of these facets plus fills the gaps by providing the integration equipment and controls necessary to make all the different parts and systems of a new foundry work together. Vulcan provides, installs and commissions all of these different parts & systems, making it a true one-stop shop for greenfield foundry and expansion projects of any size.

Greenfield foundry and expansion projects are the focus of a presentation created by Vulcan Engineering, available for request via this link: