Case Study
SMS Meer, a world leader in metals processing and manufacturing machinery, required a series of ultra-large structural castings for a global portfolio of projects. Each component needed to reach a finished weight exceeding 325 tonnes – placing them among the largest castings ever produced anywhere in the world.
The Challenge
The manufacturing challenge was not simply one of scale, but of precision under extreme conditions. Each casting demanded 600 tonnes of molten steel to be poured in a single, uninterrupted sequence – a process that leaves no room for error across any stage of melting, transport, or mould filling.
Very few facilities can produce components at this weight. Sheffield Forgemasters – operating the largest foundry in Europe – was one of a handful of organisations equipped to take on the work.
"The process is highly complex with precise timescales for each element of the pour – from melting the steel, transporting such large volumes of molten steel across the site, and scheduling the continuous pour."
Dr Steve Price – (Former) Managing Director of Sales, Sheffield Forgemasters
Our Approach
Multiple ladles of molten steel were sequenced and transported across the site to fill the vast subterranean mould without interruption. From the moment pouring began, the process had to run flawlessly – any break in continuity would compromise the integrity of the finished component.
Building on a long working relationship with the SMS group, the team drew on proven process knowledge from previous ultra-large casting programmes to plan and execute the first pour with complete success. A schedule for the second casting was confirmed within four weeks of the first.
The Outcome
The first casting was completed exactly as planned – one of the largest ever produced, weighing the equivalent of a 1.5-mile traffic jam. Sheffield Forgemasters went on to deliver all 11 castings across the two-year contract, generating more than 6,000 tonnes of molten steel and providing a sustained body of work for 800 staff across multiple operational areas.
The contract reinforced the company’s position at the frontier of ultra-large casting manufacture and marked a continuation of a track record that includes the world’s largest single casting for a closed-die forging press, and record-breaking cast nodes produced for the Aasta Hansteen Spar offshore platform.
