HWI Highlights Reliable and Innovative Refractory Solutions for Steelmakers

At AISTech 2025, HWI, A member of Calderys, highlights reliable and innovative refractory solutions for steelmakers 

Pittsburgh, PA, USA – May 1, 2025 – At AISTech 2025, HWI, A member of Calderys (Booth 2129), a leading supplier of refractory products and services in the Americas, reaffirms its 160-year-old commitment to providing steelmakers with reliable and innovative refractory solutions.   

“Refractories play a critical role in successful steel production. We are leveraging our extensive U.S. production footprint, local-to-local supply chain strategies, and deep industry expertise to ensure reliability, competitiveness, and value for our partners. Our focus is on helping customers keep their operations running safely and efficiently. And we are well-positioned to provide innovations that extend refractory campaign life and reduce downtime and emissions,” says Ross Wilkin, Senior Vice President, Americas at Calderys Group. 

HWI’s investments in local capacity over the past years ensure that steelmakers have a stable and reliable supply of domestically finished refractory products and services. Over the past years, the company has built two U.S. plants: its Alabama One (AL1) manufacturing facility for steel customers in the southern United States and a state-of-the-art monolithics plant in South Point, Ohio. 

HWI has also invested in extensive capacity-building at several of its existing U.S. facilities, including  White Cloud, Michigan operations, a primary location for steel industry refractory products, and the Windham, Ohio facility, which produces a diverse product portfolio for steel and other industries.   

The production network HWI has built across the Americas is complemented by a large team of field engineers and technical specialists who support customers with tailored installation, troubleshooting, and training. With Calderys’ and HWI’s legacies as industry innovators, the Group continues to expand its R&D functions to increase refractory lifespan and performance under harsher thermal and mechanical loads for longer campaign life and lower total cost of ownership.   

Process innovations continue in technologies, including EAF-enhanced robotics, ladle refractory measurement, and user interface software for 3D modeling and more data-driven decision-making. These complement a full range of refractory ironmaking, steelmaking, and steel casting solutions. 

“Calderys’ expanding global R&D network includes HWI’s renowned Innovation Center in West-Mifflin, PA, a facility in India with more innovation capabilities under development there, and our newly announced Innovation Center in Germany. Our thriving R&D network continuously identifies products and processes to extend refractory life and performance,” notes Bruno Touzo, Senior Vice President, Innovation & Technology at Calderys.