Sitron has made tube manufacturing at Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes safer. The world leader in seamless hot rolled steel tube manufacture opted for Sitron's SULG accident prevention light grid for a new production line at its Mülheim an der Ruhr site.

The seamless rolled tubes are made with VAM threads in continuous mandrel rolling mills. The Mülheim facility produces tubes entirely in-house from rolling, thermal processing and finishing through to thread manufacture.

All areas accessible to personnel across the whole facility are secured using a newly developed SULG light grid system with integrated warning lamps.

SULG in operation

Together with the Duisburg-based machine manufacturer WBM GmbH and Mr Terbrüggen from Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes, Sitron developed a system which reduces fitting and assembly costs,  and impresses through a clear design:

the SULG accident prevention light grid with special warning lamps. Each SULG light grid is installed with a warning lamp. "The first model with separately mounted warning lamps was not quite what we required. The new design, with the warning lamps connected directly to the light grid, is perfect. It not only saves costs but is also clearer for our operators to use. Ultimately, it's all about work safety."

Fast support

Reiner Terbrüggen: "As we had hoped, Sitron implemented our ideas quickly and precisely. The operators also quickly got used to the protection system because the status of the SULG light grid can be seen from a distance. The decision to opt for Sitron as a partner was therefore absolutely the right one."

Production at the Mülheim facility has become not only more efficient but also safer. Monitoring of the production line takes place at each of the 12 SULG points to enable operators to work free of hazards. The system status is displayed using green or red warning lamps. These lamps are installed in such a way that the operator gets an instant overview of the machine's safety. This tailor-made system from Sitron has made work safer and prevents accidents.