As a testament to its commitment to quality and reliability, Zanini Renk received a repeat order from St Marys Cement for four additional gearboxes to be installed at its Charlevoix, Mich., plant.
In 2022, an initial gearbox was installed in the vertical roller mill (VRM) as part of phase one of a $130 million upgrade project to expand the plant’s infrastructure to maximum productivity. Thanks to the successful performance of that gearbox, St Marys contacted Zanini Renk for phase two of the project, which involves adding gearboxes to three finish mills (FM1, FM2 and FM3).
Since these were horizontal mills, this phase of the project required Zanini Renk parallel shaft gearboxes, which are designed specifically for use in ball mill applications. The unique gearbox design makes it fully interchangeable with existing drives.
The first new gearbox (FM1) has been in operation since January 2023 and two other gearboxes were delivered at the end of November with installation expected to be completed by March 2025 (FM2) and April 2025 (FM3). The fourth gearbox will serve as a backup for the VRM.
