We interviewed,Paulo de Almeida, Managing Director of LIZMONTAGENS MELTING & SERVICES (LMS)
LIZMONTAGENS MELTING & SERVICES (LMS), a LTT Group company, completed at the end of April 2026 an overcoating project on a float furnace in Mexico, a highly complex technical intervention carried out with the furnace hot, under interrupted production conditions, but without shutting down the equipment. The operation, recently reported by Glassglobal, involved the installation of new preheated AZS refractory tiles under demanding temperature, coordination and safety conditions.
The work confirms LMS’s capability to carry out critical industrial services in a hot furnace environment, an area in which planning, material preparation, mobilisation of specialised equipment and operational discipline are as important as on-site execution. In a float furnace, normal operation takes place at very high temperature ranges and hot hold processes are precisely used to stop production without subjecting the refractory structure to the risks of a complete cooldown.
| Project | Key data |
| Type of intervention | Overcoating / refractory plating on float furnace |
| Location | Mexico |
| Completion | End of April 2026 |
| Operating condition | Furnace running; production stopped |
| Working temperature | Approximately 1000 ºC in the intervention areas (1450 ºC inside the furnace) |
| On-site team | Around 120 to 130 professionals |
| Duration on site | Approximately three weeks |
| Nationalities involved | Six, with a majority presence of Portuguese, Brazilian, Mexican and Ukrainian teams |
| Safety result | Operation completed without accidents |
GROUP LTT: Paulo, let us start with the essentials: what does it mean, in practical terms, to carry out overcoating on a float furnace?
Paulo de Almeida: It means intervening in critical areas of the furnace, usually areas with refractory wear, without taking the furnace cold. In this case, we carried out the plating of blocks around the furnace while the furnace remained running. Production was stopped, but the furnace remained hot. That is a very important difference, because we are talking about an industrial asset that cannot be treated like conventional machinery that is switched off, repaired and switched back on the following day.
Overcoating is a hot repair technique that reinforces worn areas by adding a new refractory layer to extend the furnace’s service life, improve structural stability and reduce operational risks. It is a solution that must be very carefully studied, because each furnace has a specific condition, a history of wear and its own geometry. It is not off-the-shelf work. It is engineering, preparation and execution taking place simultaneously.
GROUP LTT: The news item refers to the installation of new preheated AZS tiles. Why is that point so important?
Paulo de Almeida: Because the new material does not simply go into the furnace. In work of this nature, we are dealing with temperatures in the region of 1000 ºC in the working areas (1450 ºC inside the furnace). If the refractory material is introduced without adequate thermal preparation, we may create thermal shocks, fitting problems or loss of performance. Therefore, the blocks and tiles must be preheated in a controlled manner before installation.
AZS tiles are refractory materials widely used in glass furnace repairs due to their corrosion resistance and their compatibility with high-temperature environments. But the quality of the material alone is not enough. The technical specification, the installation sequence, preheating, dimensional control and the way the material is placed in contact with the existing structure are decisive factors. That is where the experience of LMS and the technical teams of LTT Group comes in.
GROUP LTT: The furnace was not shut down, but production was stopped. What is the real gain for the client?
Paulo de Almeida: The gain lies mainly in reducing downtime and preserving the asset. Completely cooling down a furnace of this size in order to work cold may involve a shutdown of more than 50 days, in addition to risks for the refractory material itself during the cooldown and reheating cycle. In certain scenarios, taking a float furnace cold may cause irreversible damage and require very long and costly rebuilds; there cases in the sector that may requires several months for complete rebuilds.
In this project, the client stopped production, but did not lose the furnace. We maintained the conditions required to carry out the intervention without subjecting the structure to the stress of a complete cold cycle. This has a direct impact: less downtime, lower technical risk, better predictability of restart and greater protection of the investment already made in the furnace.
GROUP LTT: There is a clear economic dimension, but also a technical one. How is downtime reduced in this type of operation?
Paulo de Almeida: It is reduced before arriving on site. Execution on site is only the most visible part. What makes it possible to gain time is preparation: technical survey, material specification, sequence engineering, equipment mobilisation, shift planning, safety methods and anticipation of critical scenarios.
At LMS we have internally developed techniques and procedures for this type of intervention. They are not merely application methods; they are ways of organising the work, positioning teams, preheating materials, controlling access, and ensuring that each work front progresses without interfering with the others. In hot operations, efficiency results from coordination. If a team is waiting for material, if a tool is not available, if a sequence is poorly calculated, time is lost that the client does not have.
GROUP LTT: We are talking about an operation with 120 to 130 people on site. What makes managing a team of this size particularly demanding?
Paulo de Almeida: The size of the team is only one of the factors. In this project we had six nationalities involved, with a very strong presence of Portuguese, Brazilian, Mexican and Ukrainian teams. That brings technical richness and mobilisation capability, but it also increases the complexity of communication, supervision and cultural integration.
The role of management is to transform that diversity into a single team. To achieve this, there must be a clear chain of command, experienced supervisors, simple instructions, repeated safety routines and a culture in which everyone understands that the goal is not just to finish the work, but to finish it well. Our management team has extensive experience in multicultural environments and international industrial projects. That is a very important asset of LTT Group.
GROUP LTT: Safety is an unavoidable topic. How is safety managed in work carried out with the furnace at around 1000 ºC?
Paulo de Almeida: It is managed with discipline. There is no other word. Work of this kind is complex from a safety point of view because it combines extreme heat, movement of heavy materials, constrained spaces, intense shifts and several work fronts taking place simultaneously. Teams work with specific protective equipment and controlled exposure times. In hot repairs of large float furnaces, human endurance to heat is an operational variable that must be considered in planning.
In this project, we finished without accidents. That is a reason for satisfaction, but not for surprise. It was the result of preparation, leadership on the ground, compliance with procedures and permanent attention to detail. Safety cannot be a layer placed on top of the operation; it must be embedded in the way the operation is conceived.
“Safety cannot be a layer placed on top of the operation; it must be embedded in the way the operation is conceived.”
GROUP LTT: What role did LTT Group play beyond LMS on the ground?
Paulo de Almeida: It played a very relevant role. The necessary equipment was mobilised by LMS and by other LTT Group companies. This type of intervention requires specific resources, redundancy and rapid response capability. We cannot rely on improvisation when we are working on a hot furnace, with a short intervention window and a large team on site.
In addition, although the material installed was not manufactured by the group, the technical specification was prepared by LMS teams and by other LTT Group teams. This is very important. The client does not merely purchase installation labour; the client purchases a technical solution. We analyse the problem, define the appropriate material, validate requirements, prepare the application and assume responsibility for the quality of execution.
GROUP LTT: When you say that the client purchases a technical solution, what exactly do you mean?
Paulo de Almeida: I mean that the value is not merely in placing blocks in the furnace. The value lies in knowing which blocks should be placed, where, in what sequence, with what thermal preparation, with what equipment, with what team and with what control. A wrong decision at the beginning can compromise the entire result.
In critical industrial services, trust is built before the work begins. The client needs to know that the team arriving on site has already studied the furnace, already prepared alternatives and already has the capacity to react. LMS has that capability because it combines field experience, engineering, technical support and a group network that allows resources to be mobilised quickly.
GROUP LTT: In terms of execution, what were the greatest challenges of this project in Mexico?
Paulo de Almeida: The first challenge was the very nature of the work: operating close to a hot furnace, with preheated materials, in an intervention that allows little margin for error. The second was the scale, because three weeks on site with 120 to 130 people require very precise logistics. The third was multicultural coordination and integration with local partners.
But perhaps the greatest challenge was maintaining consistent performance throughout the entire project. In operations of this kind, the first day and the last day must have the same level of concentration. Fatigue builds up, the conditions are tough and the pressure of the schedule exists. That is where the maturity of the team makes the difference.
GROUP LTT: What does this project demonstrate about LMS?
Paulo de Almeida: It demonstrates that LMS is prepared to carry out highly complex work in any geography. We have technical capability, mobilisation capability, management capability and a safety culture that allows us to work in very demanding environments.
It also demonstrates that the strength of LMS is not only on the ground. It is in the support team, in engineering, in logistics preparation, in technical specification capability, in the relationship with suppliers and in coordination with other LTT Group companies. When all of this works together, we are able to deliver real value to the client.
GROUP LTT: And what does this project demonstrate about LTT Group?
Paulo de Almeida: It demonstrates that LTT Group has an integrated proposal for the glass industry and for highly demanding industrial services. LMS is a fundamental part of that proposal, but the group adds scale, complementary knowledge and response capability.
In a project of this nature, the client feels the difference between hiring an isolated team and hiring an organisation capable of planning, mobilising, executing and technically supporting the intervention. That difference translates into lower risk, greater control and greater confidence.
GROUP LTT: To conclude, what is the main message you would take from this project?
Paulo de Almeida: The main message is simple: in critical work, success is measured by what the client does not lose. The client did not lose an extended shutdown. The client did not lose control over the schedule. The client did not lose furnace integrity through a complete cooldown. And, above all, there were no accidents.
For LMS, this project in Mexico confirms what we defend every day: the best industrial maintenance is the one that combines technique, safety and pragmatism. The objective is not merely to repair. It is to extend the life of the asset, protect future production and create concrete gains for the client.
