London, April 19, 2018

Primetals Technologies and ITR sign cooperation agreement on predictive maintenance solutions

• Cooperation agreement follows more than 10 years of successfully working together
• Combined customer base includes several hundred mills worldwide
• Cooperation forms go-to supplier for all maintenance related services

Primetals Technologies and Industrial Technology Research (ITR), headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA have signed an exclusive cooperation agreement covering the application of predictive maintenance solutions in steel related industries worldwide. Both companies have been working together successfully in the field of condition monitoring for more than 10 years and jointly serve currently more than 50 customers. In combination with the previously separate customer bases covering several hundred mills worldwide, the cooperation will represent a major player and the go-to supplier for all maintenance related services.

“With the technology, know-how and capabilities of ITR, especially in the area of prediction, we will be able to even better serve our customers through leading condition monitoring and predictive maintenance solutions”, stated Karl Purkarthofer, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Metallurgical Services. “This partnership also demonstrates our position as a technological front runner in the area of digitalization and Industry 4.0 for the metals industry.”

Most asset failure modes are predictable, provided the right data at the right time is collected and analyzed. Moreover, unplanned failures can be avoided if the necessary information is effectively communicated, so maintenance and reliability professionals can take timely action. By taking condition based action on minor issues - instead of reactive or just time-based actions -, organizations ensure small problems never evolve into big problems and can make the best use of their limited resources. In addition to immediate benefits, aggregated data is further analyzed to identify macro trends and help maintenance and reliability groups to continually improve purchasing as well as operational and maintenance practices over time.

In the mid-1970’s, ITR was one of the original founders of today’s worldwide vibration monitoring and analysis industry. ITR started as a research and development initiative in one of the world’s largest steel producers and quickly became a leading provider of these technologies and services. Today, 75% of ITR’s customer base is in steel related industries, including flat and long rolling, iron and steel making as well as casting, in more than 20 countries on 5 continents. ITR’s predictive maintenance offerings include all major predictive maintenance technologies, such as infrared thermography, airborne ultrasound, and fluids analysis.

Primetals Technologies and ITR team up on predictive maintenance solutions: Jonathan Davis, CEO at ITR (center left) and Karl Purkarthofer, Head of Metallurgical Services at Primetals Technologies (center right), shake hands on the occasion of the signing ceremony.

Primetals Technologies, Limited, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, is a pioneer and world leader in the fields of engineering, plant building, and the provision of lifecycle services for the metals industry. The company offers a complete technology, product, and services portfolio that includes integrated electrics and automation, digitalization, and environmental solutions. This covers every step of the iron and steel production chain—from the raw materials to the finished product—and includes the latest rolling solutions for the nonferrous metals sector. Primetals Technologies is a joint venture of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and partners, with around 7,000 employees worldwide. To learn more about Primetals Technologies, visit the company website www.primetals.com.