CISDI is supplying refractories to Oyak Group’s blast furnaces at its Isdemir and Erdemir steel plants in Turkey.

In addition to the detail design, supplies and quality control, CISDI is undertaking the management of two well-respected European sub-suppliers, Cobex and Saint-Gobain, who are supplying 95 per cent of the goods required.

✧         Race against time to ensure supplies arrived on schedule

A tight project schedule of 16 months was the biggest challenge CISDI team met during the contract negotiations.

CISDI lost no time in organising an experienced overseas project management team. All sub-contracts were signed within two months and detail designs and sub-suppliers began manufacturing immediately.

During the execution process, the Oyak Group were so impressed they awarded another two supplementary supply orders to CISDI.

When the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to slow down the project, CISDI’s team implemented safety protections and at the end of February sent the deputy project manager Yibing Pu to the site in Turkey.

Mr Pu stayed onsite for 160 days and the team at CISDI HQ in Chongqing formulated speed-up plans for its sub-suppliers’ blanking and production.

A strict project progress report system was implemented with all sub-suppliers. As a result, the manufacturing milestone was met a month ahead of contract schedule.

Because international travel had become impossible, CISDI staged joint inspections by video conference calls. This method enabled the customer, CISDI and its sub-suppliers to complete 100 per cent of Isdemir’s carbon blocks inspections, all inspections of ceramic cups for Erdemir and 70 per cent of the carbon blocks inspections for Erdemir.

Shaped carbon blocks from a Chinese sub-supplier also passed ILAC – the third-party’s inspection.

✧         Customs-clearance solutions

When the first cross-border shipment - 700 tonnes of refractory materials - arrived at the port of Iskenderun, Turkey, the customer Isdemir was asked to pay for the goods before they could clear customs.

CISDI saved valuable time by coordinating with the sub-supplier, its financiers, the logistics company and the customer.

Its team regulated the terms of negotiation for the L/C payment and streamlined every documentation procedure.

This complicated process ensured a smooth customs clearance and paved the way for a straightforward procedure for the second shipment; all required documents were submitted to the customer before the goods arrived at the port.

Four shipments have now been completed for the Isdemir refractory, totalling around 1,600 tonnes, 80 per cent of the contractual goods. These deliveries were completed a month ahead of schedule.

Erdemir plant has received three batches of shipped goods totalling 700 tonnes, 40 per cent of the contract.

Both customers have praised CISDI’s overseas project management and delivery skills.

The refractory arriving at the Turkish port