Aluminium Plant Fire Damage Restoration Restores Production in Four Weeks
Case study from the archive · First published in 2010
When a major fire shut down critical production areas at Aleris Aluminium Duffel, BELFOR helped restore operations far faster than initially expected. Instead of facing three to four months of downtime, the aluminium manufacturer restarted production within four weeks, significantly reducing financial losses and business interruption.
Industrial Fire Damage at Europe’s Largest Aluminium Manufacturing Plant
On 18 November 2009, a fire broke out at Aleris Aluminium Duffel, one of Europe’s largest aluminium manufacturing facilities with approximately 1,500 employees. The fire severely damaged key production assets, including the cold rolling mill, a 150-metre-long production line, and ovens five to eight.
The incident affected the heart of the aluminium production process, bringing large sections of the plant to a standstill and threatening months of operational disruption.
Reducing Downtime After an Industrial Fire
Initial assessments indicated that production could be halted for up to four months. Such an extended shutdown would have created significant financial risks for the business.
A crisis team consisting of Aleris engineers and BELFOR Belgium project managers developed a recovery plan focused on one objective: restarting production within four weeks. The aggressive timeline required immediate action and precise coordination across multiple disciplines.
Immediate Fire Recovery and Asset Protection Measures
BELFOR mobilised emergency response teams on the day of the fire. Temporary power generation systems, industrial dehumidifiers, and heating equipment were installed to protect sensitive electronic control systems from further damage.
Special protective oil was applied to critical metal components of the cold rolling mill to prevent corrosion and preserve equipment integrity during the restoration process.
Specialised Industrial Fire Damage Restoration Teams
Before entering the site, every BELFOR technician completed customer-specific safety training. Instructional sessions and competency testing ensured that all personnel could work safely within the operational environment.
BELFOR deployed 35 electrical engineers on the first day, supported by specialists from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. An additional 90 restoration technicians worked around the clock to restore damaged production equipment.
Fast-Track Restoration of Aluminium Production Equipment
After just one week of continuous work, two production ovens were returned to operation, helping reduce production losses. One week later, the cold rolling mill was fully operational again.
The rapid restoration of critical manufacturing equipment enabled the facility to resume production far sooner than anticipated and minimise the impact of the fire on business operations.
Structural Fire Damage Repairs Completed Before Christmas
While production equipment was prioritised, the building structure required a longer repair programme due to extensive heat damage.
Structural restoration continued in parallel with production recovery and was completed before Christmas. By combining emergency response, industrial cleaning, technical restoration, and international specialist resources, BELFOR helped secure the future of the aluminium plant following a major industrial fire.
