← Critical Product/Equipment/Process: Metals, Mining & Materials (all topics)
Qualification lock-in - tundish & flow control refractories
What it is
The tundish is the intermediate vessel between ladle and continuous caster; flow control products - slide gate plates, nozzles, stoppers and purging systems - regulate molten steel flow and protect it from oxidation
These are precision consumables where failure interrupts casting and can scrap a heat
Impact on industries
- The highest-value, most technical part of the refractory portfolio, priced on performance and reliability rather than on tonnage
- Consumed continuously in casting, so revenue tracks steel output directly and recurs without a project cycle
- Failure cost to the customer vastly exceeds product cost, so switching on price alone is irrational - a durable defence against low-cost competition
- Requires close technical service, on-site presence and application engineering, which raises the cost to serve
- It is the natural anchor for total refractory management contracts, since flow control performance is measurable per heat