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Production in VM ZINC® Plants

The Company has production plants in Belgium, France, Germany, Peru, Portugal, and Switzerland.

A four stage production process:

Zinc is a naturally occurring metal which is found in large quantities in the form of ore in the earth's crust. All operations, from the transformation of the ore to the production of rolled zinc and finished products, are carried out within the Umicore Zinc Group to which the VM ZINC® brand belongs.
The Smelting Unit transforms the ore into zinc oxide in a process called "roasting", and into a zinc sulphate solution from the calcinated zinc in a process called "leaching". The solution obtained supplies the electrolysis hall where 99,995% pure zinc is obtained.
After the electrolytic process, the zinc is rolled in two VM ZINC® rolling mills in France, one at Auby in northern France, and the other at Viviez, in south west France.

1. Alloying
The first stage consists of melting the pure metal deposited on the cathodes during the electrolysis process and adding a controlled amount of copper and titanium in a series of induction furnaces to produce a liquid alloy.

2. Casting
The liquid metal is then transferred to a continuous casting machine for solidification into a continuous slab, about twelve millimetres thick and approximately a metre wide. The controlled cooling process within the machine produces a fine, homogeneous grain structure.

3. Rolling
Three to five rolling operations are performed to reduce the slab to the required thickness. Throughout this process, temperature, rolling speed and reduction rate are closely monitored and adjusted to obtain the requisite mechanical and dimensional characteristics.

4. Slitting into sheets and coils
One of the final steps involves slitting the rolled zinc into sheets or coils of the requisite weight, width and thickness on specialised finishing lines.

PREMIUMZINC, the quality label for VM ZINC®

Our entire rolled zinc product range is guaranteed by conforming to the EN 988 standard (specifications for flat rolled zinc products for the building industry) which is an indispensable reference for quality. VM ZINC®, wishing to ensure that the quality of its rolled zinc would surpass the existing standard, has put in place the PREMIUMZINC quality label. This label has stricter requirements than the EN 988 for chemical composition, dimensions and mechanical resistance. Zinc bearing this label has greater tensile strength, is more malleable and has undergone strict inspection for flatness. Furthermore, tests have been introduced for Premium zinc, which guarantee that our transformer customers will find the zinc easier to transform.

ABOUT US Production in VM ZINC® Plants

A four stage production process:

PREMIUMZINC, the quality label for VM ZINC®

ABOUT US
Production in VM ZINC® Plants