Eredi Gnutti Metalli represents an international partner in the responsible production of brass rods, with over a century and a half of industrial life behind it and projected into the evergreen future of sustainability.

Founded in Lumezzane back in 1860 by Giacomo Gnutti, over the decades EGM has successfully tackled numerous production challenges, from white weapons to precision mechanics, up to its current position in the non-ferrous metallurgy sector, specifically brass. Brass bars, the company’s core business with more than 90,000 tonnes per year, are produced through an integrated cycle involving casting, hot extrusion and drawing.

Brass bars are used in various sectors such as plumbing (water and gas valves), construction, automotive, mechanics and the fashion industry. Brass, a noble alloy composed mainly of copper and zinc, is a metal that does not lose its chemical or physical characteristics during the production process, allowing it to be remelted and thus reused countless times, making it a key player in an eco-sustainable world.

 Business objectives

Environmental impact and the reduction of energy consumption and, in general, of resources is now more than ever a topical issue and EGM has among its short-term objectives those of

  • to increase the use of renewable energy sources through the installation of a new 4 MW photovoltaic park adjacent to the plant, in addition to the one already present on the roofs since 2011, in order to reach 30% of energy consumed as self-produced within 3 years
  • to reduce specific energy consumption with capillary, continuous and centralised monitoring of all electricity and gas withdrawals and with the replacement of low energy efficiency plants, such as foundry furnaces and turning drying treatments, with new plants with better performance that will reduce specific consumption by 10% over the next 3 years;
  • obtain the highest possible yield from metal by reducing the generation of by-products, which is where the new Zato twin-shaft rotary shear comes in.

EGM chose Zato technology with a view to industrial sustainability

One of the main components used in the production of brass bars is mixed copper scrap. It can come from the disposal of products such as electrical equipment, piping, motor windings, heat exchangers, or from processing waste such as scrap or scraps of tube and plate.

EGM chose the technology of the Blu Storm GF 1000 twin-shaft rotary shear manufactured by Zato to process this type of material. The heterogeneous conformation and composition of the material makes it difficult to handle and inspect unless its volume is reduced. Blu Storm GF 1000 with its special knives is able to effectively reduce the size of the material, facilitating its handling, sorting and allowing more efficient melting of the metal itself.

In an industrial context projected towards the future in which sustainability is an essential feature, the Zato twin-shaft rotary shear finds its place, allowing the shredding of scrap by supervising the status of the machine and its energy consumption in real time, and also allowing remote analysis of the operating efficiency, with a direct advantage in safeguarding the plant and specific energy consumption.