Pictured from Left to Right: Edward Bennett, Mark Hamilton, Juan Lule, Steve Ryan, Terry Black, Humberto Guerra, H. B. Kincaid, Mike Stempock, Benito Salazar, Reinhard Sterling, Doug Robinson, Bugrahan Cetinkale, Ehren Plew.

The EAF Tilt Platform replacement encompassed numerous components, including a redesigned roof and new modern equipment. Steve Ryan, Manager of Process Technology, said, “It all started from the foundation of the building that was prepared to handle the new equipment and went all the way up to the electrode arms on top of the furnace.” An entirely new hydraulic system that controls every movement of that EAF was installed. “The new tilt platform was designed with additional safety components, including individual lock-out capabilities for various subset components,” noted Ryan.

Safety first: Ehren Plew, General Manager of Engineering and Maintenance Technology, noted that “The biggest risk was the multilevel work,” and “planning in the inefficiencies of stacked work was an essential part of keeping everyone safe.” The team of maintenance personnel, engineers, operators, and contractors were highly involved. They actively cared for each other’s well-being and were supported by a dedicated team of safety advocates.

Humberto Guerra, Manager Melting, emphasized that "the high-level communication between our team and the contractors contributed to a safe outage." Terry Black, General Manager of the Melt Shop, expressed the strong engagement of the safety advocates with everyone involved. He also agreed with Plew, saying, “The safety and communication that happened during the outage was truly remarkable and cannot be physically seen, but it is what made this outage successful." The outage was completed safely without any injuries.

A new EAF Alloy System was installed. “We decided to go ahead and proceed with the installation of the alloy system and finished the job without adding time to the outage,” Plew said. “With limited time to prepare, we were able to successfully install the new alloy system to supply the EAF,” Black said.

A caster turret bearing was also replaced. Black said, “Jim Meredith and Warren Williamson did a great job planning and coordinating that job.” Meredith and the team changed the existing grease product to another that has been proven to withstand the caster conditions and last longer. We are seeing cleaner areas inside the turret and have not seen any grease break down,” Meredith shared. The ancillary work documenting the bearing change process was a sizable advancement to the process.

Plew stated, “This outage was a testament to the dedication of all the teams involved putting in the energy and work to get this outage completed and the EAF started up.” On the second day of operation, the plant produced 2,000 tons of slabs, and the production output reached the business plan on day three. 

About NLMK Group

NLMK Group is a vertically integrated steelmaking company, the largest in Russia and one of the most efficient steel producers in the world.

NLMK Group’s steel products are used in various industries, from construction and machine building to the manufacturing of power-generation equipment and offshore wind turbines.

NLMK operates production facilities in Russia, Europe and the United States. The Company’s steel production capacity exceeds 14.5 million tonnes per year.

For more information on NLMK Group, please visit our website.

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