Maintenance Guild 49th meeting minutes

Meeting minutes of the November 6th, – 8th 2024 meeting in Orlando, Florida.

 The members of the guild arrived on Monday November 6, 2024, for breakfast at 7:00am.              

 Mark Kropf reviewed the details of the week’s schedule. Mark then covered the status of the Maintenance Guild and ask what the future should look like. With our industry running lean in the skilled labor sector, the ability for attendees to get to meetings has become very difficult. The new president and vice-president elected from our last meeting were introduced Nate Hotson President from ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Mike Osteen as our first vice-president and Chris Long from Metallus (Timken Steel) as our Second vice President.

 The following companies were represented; CMC Alabama, CMC Texas, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Nucor Jewett, Metallus, Vallorec Star & IVACO.

 Nate started the round table session at 8:15 by having the introduce themselves and then started with questions from the floor.

 Is anyone using remote vibration monitoring? Similar to Daniele system, there was some of the members discuss the Allen Bradley system, Bentley Nevada system on there baghouse fans, Profix integration system, from waste Motion industries has a system as well. The group discussed the history of these systems and how it has changed to what we are using today. The group discussed companies that do onsite monitoring and generate reports for them.

 What type of carbon injection hoses are other group use? Any experience with ceramic lined hoses?

 Anyone using the INTECHO PTI Slag door? Do you have issues with it sticking and or being welded shut? Production loves them but maintenance wise it’s hard to maintain. The group discussed the issues they are facing and compared the other designs in the industry that are being used. Sarrallie upper shells will have there version of door pushers and they look like they will be a maintenance headache. Uni-gate, Tail gate were discussed as well.

 The group moved to discuss tap hole sanding devises and the different issues they have.

 The group discussed the slag hauler and slag pit cleaning services and the issues on the equipment safety with fire suppression system for the cabs and operator safety.

 How many mills have fire departments on site only one did and most said it’s the maintenance department that acts as this group.

 What are other shops doing to maintain and/or inspect the furnace foundations? Some mills do core sampling of the piers with mixed results.

 Who is using slag pots under there furnace? And how do you kill the slag foam ups? There were a couple of mills and they all use water spays controlled by the operators. The group discussed the different types of slag handling styles and their pros and cons.

 The group had a long discussion on the challenges the industry is facing in find and retaining skilled trades in their shop. They discussed some of the different programs and places they are using to get the skilled trades in their shop along with the economic challenges they are facing.

 We took a break at 10:20 and started back at 10:35

 What are other shops handling power failure on the crane magnets in the loading bays. Some shops utilize battery back ups to prevent sudden load drops? They discussed the different types of systems utilized in different shops as well as the problem of material band breakage from multiple material movements creating band stretching.

 What are other shops doing for crane festoon change outs along the contacts and other controls systems. The group discussed different maintenance schedules as well as what cranes have more frequent inspections. Most inspections are based on time in use particularly on cable wear.

 What are other shops doing with crane maintenance downturn schedules? The group discussed their different schedules utilized for different cranes.

 What are other shops doing with the handling of baghouse dust? And where is it classified as KO61 hazardous waste? There was a large variability from state-to-state EPA and the group discussed the differences in those regulations.

 Does anyone have a baghouse fan rotation lock system to prevent fan rotation during maintenance on the fans and motors? One mill mentioned their system supplied by Robinson Fan. The conversation continued with the problems with the baghouse fan maintenance plans from cleaning schedule and types of cleaning processes used. The group talked about bag styles and types that lead into a long conversation on baghouse operations, maintenance and design functionality.

 Has anyone had issues with baghouse dust that fell on the ground spontaneously combust? No one had seen that type of scenario. The group then discussed duct temperature control and different gas cooling systems and there pros and cons. Temperature set points for the cooling systems was discussed as well.

   The group broke for Lunch at 12:00

We started back at 1:00

 Who does Duct work inspections for material build up and structural inspections? Some use drones, but nor able to do thickness. Geco?, has a magnetic robot that can crawl up a steel duct and scan the duct for thickness and surface defects.

 How often are duct inspections made? Some shops are doing annual inspections and some use IR thermal scans to see build up. One shop found that if you vac part of the pile out the turbulence created caused it to self-clean. AUMA and Beck actuators were the two manufacturers that were referenced in the conversations on damper control, one shop used a hydraulic cylinder with tempo Sonic position measurement. The conversation continued for a while but ultimately, the group came to conclusion that a Process engineer should be reviewing all data points as a rule rather than one data point at a time AKA electrode consumption vs delta life, duct life, water-cooled panel life, shop environment emissions.

 One mill ask if any shop would be willing to allow there young maintenance guys to be on site to observe day to day activity to better understand maintenance activity.

 What is other shops doing with AI? Are you getting staff to utilize these technologies? There have been some basic utilization of it in fire detection utilizing cameras, and some shops are starting to look at it for early warning systems. Some would like to see more utilization of the technology in the process side of steel making. Scrap mix, melt optimization, run out and roll optimization were some of those topics discussed. Water panel leak detection utilizing flow differential with wireless hubs will utilize the AI technologies. Another type of leak detection was based around sound variations, early testing as been promising

 The group migrated into a detailed safety conversation on effective safety policies. They all had examples of safety procedures that have been followed and the workers are in a mindset that they are safe when there was outside influences that caused a near miss or accidents. The group feels that the safety training needs to include information to the worker and needs to aware that they are responsible for there safety and not rely on a procedure with verification. Bottom line is there is no reason not to follow LOTO procedures or circumvent those procedures.

 We took a break at 3:30

We started back at 3:55

 What do the other mills present think of starting a student chapter of the maintenance guild? The group discussed the potential of this but logistically getting students involved from multiple locations would be extremely difficult. There are a number of mills running high school co-op programs to develop a skilled labor base and there are a number of challenges with these programs set aside the cost to get them to a guild meeting on a ROI basis.

   Has anyone seen clamp head water hose failures on the electrode arms? Some suggested that it may be an isolation issue, water quality potential with high acid content, or even a fatigue failure mode. The group discussed different styles of connections on the spray rings, also thinking there may be some impact on this hose.

 Do any shop re-torque the bolts on a power cable change after the first heat change? Everyone said it was a one and done.

 Is anyone using mobile maintenance apps on tablets or phones? Some of the shops in attendance are using various systems on tablets and it seems to be working out.

 Are any shops testing dioximat? Levels? (by products of burnt plastics) no one knew about it. They discussed mercury and Nox levels monitoring coming.

 Anyone using other caster materials in the caster spray chamber? Stainless steel is now becoming the standard for this application. The conversation moved to mold oscillators and some of the new designs coming out of Concast.

 The hydraulic oscillator cylinder is experiencing corrosion, and we are now using a 316L sst to correct this issue.

 The group discussed the recent event of the caster turret failure in Mexico and the little information that was released.

 What are other shops using for roof swing positioning? Encoders and transducers were discussed.

 What are other shops doing with heat stress for maintenance on cranes. The group discussed cooling vest but most have opted for cooling stations and more frequent breaks

 The round table finished at 5:15 pm.

 This meeting the members will be on their own for dinner and return to the hotel for the Hospitality room activities from 7 till 11 provided by the supplier sponsors.

 The group started off Thursday with breakfast from 7:00 to 8:00. Mark opened the technical session with updates for the day and reminded everyone that was in attendance to provide their business cards for the attendee list. This will be emailed to the attendees later in the week.

 Nate made the introduction for our first presentation at 8:05.

 PRESENTATION:

BUCK STONE OF SYSTEMS SPRAY-COOLED

PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “NO MAN ON THE FLOOR”

 Buck finished the presentation at 8:35 and took questions from the floor.

After a short break Chris introduced our second paper at 9:00. 

 MARK KOENIG OF EXO PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, “ELECTRODE ADDERS, UP ENDERS, & SAMPLING MACHINES, KEEPING TEAMMATES OFF THE FLOOR”

  Mark finished the presentation at 9:30 and took questions from the floor.

 After a short break Nate introduced our third paper at 9:50

 GREG ODENTHAL OF INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL CERAMICS PRESENTING A PAPER “TEST RESULTS OF ELECTRODE COATING TRIAL AT CLEVELAND CLIFF TO REDUCE CONSUMPTION”

 Greg finished the presentation at 10:20 and took questions from the floor.

 Chris made the introduction for our fourth presentation at 10:40

 DYLAN McGILL OF KALINBORN ABRISIST PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “WEAR SOLUTIONS FOR MELT SHOP APPLICATIONS”

 Dylan finished the presentation at 11:10 and took questions from the floor.

 After a short Break Nate introduced our fifth paper at 11:20

 TIM FOX OF VEOLIA PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF BAD WATER QUALITY”

 Tim finished the presentation at 11:50 and took questions from the floor

 12:00 Members went to lunch

 1:00   Members boarded bus and departed at 1:15 for the tour of the NUCOR FROSTPROOF facility.

 5:30     The group returned to the hotel.

 At 6:00 the members gathered in the Ballroom for a hospitality mixer.

 At 7:00 dinner was served.

 At 8:00 we were able to hear our guest speaker.

 DJ OWENS AND LEE PERRY MAINTENANCE SUPERVISORS NUCOR FROSTPROOF

 From 8:30 - 11:00 the group finished with a mixer to discuss the day’s events and information.

   Friday November 8, 2024      

 MEMBERS ENJOYED A GOLF OUTING AT Celebration Golf Club

                               TEE OFF 9:54AM

 MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OUN FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK

Meeting Agenda for the 49th meeting in Orlando, Fl

WEDNESDAY, November 6, 2024

 7:00                   HOTEL BREAKFAST BUFFET

                            SIGN IN WITH YOUR BUSINESS CARD

 8:00 - 8:10.        INTRODUCTIONS & MEETING KICK OFF BY Vice president Mike Osteen and Secretary/Treasurer Mark Kropf

 8:10 - 12:00      ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS.

                           (CLOSED TO SUPPLIERS)

 12:00 - 1:00       LUNCH BUFFET

 1:00 - 4:30         ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS

                           (CLOSED TO SUPPLIERS)

 5:00 – 6:00        MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OWN FOR DINNER

 7:00 – 11:00      HOSPITALITY SUITE WITH HOURSDORVES

                           PROVIDED BY THE SUPPLIER GROUP

                           (ALL INVITED)

 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2024

 7:00 – 8:00        HOTEL BREAKFAST BUFFET

 8:00                   INTRODUCTION: President Nate Hotson

                           & Vice President Chris Long

 8:05                   PRESENTATION:

                           Buck Stone OF SYSTEMS SPRAY-COOLED PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “NO MAN ON THE FLOOR”

 8:35 – 8:45        QUESTIONS

 8:45 – 9:00        BREAK

 9:00– 9:30         PRESENTATION: 

                           MARK KOENIG of EXO PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, “electrode adders, up enders, & sampling machines, keeping teammates off the floor”

 9:30 – 9:40        QUESTIONS

 9:40 - 9:50         BREAK

 9:50 – 10:20         PRESENTATION:

Greg Odenthal OF International Technical Ceramics PRESENTING A PAPER “TEST RESULTS OF ELECTRODE COATING TRIAL AT CLEVELAND CLIFF TO REDUCE CONSUMPTION”

 10:20 – 10:30       QUESTIONS

 10:30 – 10:40       BREAK

10:40 - 11:10       PRESENTATION:  BRIAN HILK of KALINBORN ABRISIST PRESENTING a paper titled “WEAR SOLUTIONS FOR MELTSHOP APPLICATIONS”

 11:10 – 11:20       QUESTIONS

 11:20 – 11:50       TIM FOX OF VEOLIA PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF BAD WATER QUALITY”

 11:50 – 12:00       QUESTIONS

 12:00                    LUNCH BUFFET

 1:00 - 1:15            BOARD BUS OUTSIDE HOTEL PROMPTLY FOR THE TOUR OF NUCOR FROSTPROOF FACILITY

 4:00 – 4:30           RETURN TO THE HOTEL

 6:00 -7:00             GATHER IN THE BALL ROOM FOR HAPPY HOUR

 7:00 - 8:00            DINNER

 8:00 – 8:30           GUEST SPEAKERS:        

                              DJ Owens and Lee Perry Maintenance

                              Supervisors NUCOR FROSTPROOF

 8:30 - 11:00          HOSPITALITY MIXER WITH BEVERAGES

 FRIDAY NONVEMBER 8, 2024 

 9:00 - 2:00            MEMBERS WILL ENJOY A GOLF OUTING AT Dubsdread Golf Course

                               TEE OFF 8:34AM

              MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OWN FOR THE WEEKEND

Announcement for the 49th Maintenance Guild meeting

The Maintenance Guild will hold their Forty-Nineth meeting on November 6, 7, and 8, 2024.

The forty-nineth meeting of the Maintenance Guild will be held in Orlando, Florida with our host Plant being Nucor Steel Frostproof. All attendees should plan to be in an all-day round table session on Wednesday with an evening hospitality mixer. The technical presentations and tour will be on Thursday and our Golf outing Friday morning. Transportation for the Plant tour will be provided for the group.

We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Resort Orlando-Lake Buena Vista - Disney located at 13351 State Road 535, Orlando, FL 32821. You can fly into Orlando (MCO) which is 17 miles from the hotel. The room rate for the Guild members will be $104.00 dollars per night. To make your reservations, individuals should Call (407) 239-4500 reference meeting code MG1 or use this link Maintenance Guild Conference . PLEASE NOTE! No rooms are being held, so make your reservations as early as possible. All reservations must be accompanied by a first night room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card. If a guest does not cancel a reservation one week before the guest’s check-in date, then the Hotel may charge the credit card one night’s room fee plus any applicable taxes.

You need to make the meeting fee payments in advance. The cost for this meeting will be $500.00 (American). Registration and payment can now be made on our website www.maintguild.com You can Email me  at kropfm@maintguild.com and I will invoice you for the fees as long as we receive the funds prior to the meeting. This fee will cover the cost of meals, bus transportation, meeting rooms, and equipment.  PLEASE NOTE! No rooms are being held, so make your reservations as early as possible. Rooms are on a first come first served basis. There are few hotels close to this location so please make your travel arrangements as soon as possible.

Thursday evening, we will have dinner with a guest speaker from Nucor Steel.

For those individuals that are interested there will be a group gathering on Friday for a round of golf.  If you are interested in playing please contact Mark Kropf at kropfm@maintguild.com or call him at (330) 479-5060. I need to know by no later than October 20th if you plan on golfing so tee times can be secured.  We plan to Tee off by 9:00 and finish at 2:00. After the outing all members will be on their own for the rest of the week.

We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you in Orlando, Florida

The 49th Maintenance Guild meeting hosted by Nucor Frostproof November 6, 7, and 8th in Florida

Meeting plans are in process for the 49th meeting of the Maintenance Guild. We will be touring the Nucor Frostproof facility in Florida. We are currently working on the hotel details and will have them set in the near future. We look forward to seeing all of our members and past attendees in Florida. feel free to reach out to Mark with any questions you may have or if you are interested in sponsorship opportunities.

The 48th meeting minutes October 2023

Meeting minutes of the October 23rd, – 25th 2023 meeting in Beaumont, Tx

The members of the guild arrived on Monday October 23, 2023, for breakfast at 7:00am.                     

Mark Kropf reviewed the details of the week’s schedule along with the current officer status since the missing 2 years of no meetings due to COVID. Mark then covered the status of the Maintenance Guild and ask what the future should look like. With our industry running lean in the skilled labor sector, the ability for attendees to get to meetings has become very difficult. The new president and vice-president  needs to be established. This would make Jonathan Putman the president. Jonathan has taken a new position with Nucor and will not be able to fulfill his commitment. Nate Hotson from ArcelorMittal Dofasco who volunteered to fill this void as our vice-president will check with management for approval to fill this void. Mike Osteen from CMC Texas also stepped-up and will fill an opening as an officer. Mark will be following up with them on there status. Mark is also working with Chris Long from Timken for training on meeting planning. The next meeting, we will need to have election of the next Vice-president.

 The following companies were represented; Optimus steel, CMC Texas, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Nucor Jewett, & IVACO.

 Mark started the round table session at 8:15 with questions from the floor.

 The group had a long discussion on the challenges the industry is facing in find and retaining skilled trades in their shop. They discussed some of the different programs and places they are using to get the skilled trades in their shop along with the economic challenges they are facing.

 Took a break at 9:45

We started back at 10:00

 The charge crane in the melt shop is the dirtiest crane and the maintenance group said they need to vac the crane off before they can do maintenance. What are other shops doing for they charging crane maintenance? One shop has a permanent pipe set up to minimize set up time to clean, but they clean the crane on every down day. Also, they have a maintenance crane for the down days so the charge crane can be parked for cleaning and maintenance. One shop has a second charge crane along with a maintenance crane.

 What are other shops doing for charging alignment for the charging process. Arrows verses limit switch application with the pros and cons was discussed but because of the process environment the arrows were the most widely used. The Symeo RF positioning system was discussed as well and TIMKANTECH was a company mentioned.

 We are having trouble with grease hardening in the line at our caster cooling bed. We currently have to change the tubing regularly; we have high temp grease and it still is getting hard and plugging off.

 What are other shops using for the caster cooling bed operators. Ours have two hydraulic cylinders and they are very hard to keep synchronized. One shop used gear box drives and thought they were the best. They are cooling beds that only use one cylinder and they do not have any issues.

 What are other shops using for crane movement restrictions and or poisoning and what are the pros and cons of your systems The group discussed Symeo RF systems for crane positioning versus the limit switch or laser systems. Along with the issues each shopped faced.

 What are other shops doing with shutdown schedules? Weekly monthly how long?

There was a large variation from shop to shop, some are weekly 8 to 10 hours some are at 10 to 12 every 2 weeks. There was a long discussion on the different schedules from shop to shop along with the causes for missing the start-up times. The group also discussed maintenance group structures from planners, leader’s coaches and maintainers.

 How many burners are other shops using in their furnace? The group discussed each of their configuration and who was being used. Carbon, Lime and burner positions, and angles were discussed. There

 The group broke for Lunch at 12:00

We started back at 1:00

 Central Maintenance reliability does planning but get little more from them, how do other shops utilize their time more efficiently? A conversation was held about the structure of using planners versus the maintenance guy planning his own job. But the general feeling within the group was to have planners but to have them more active in not only planning the job but closing it as well. Material, parts and time tracking for the repair jobs are critical information that needs to be retained in the system.

 The group discussed the reliability of the “Terminator” for making furnace bottom and sidewall repairs. Then discussed how often they need to drain the furnace for the tap hole repairs and maintenance.

 How do other shops keep the area clear from scrap around the tilt cylinders? One shop use an outside contractor that used magnets and other equipment once a month. But some do daily cleaning. The no man on the floor has had a negative impact on the ability to clean these areas, so now there needs to be innovative ideas on preventing the build up of scrap around the cylinder.

 Does anyone have problems with steel splash on the contact pads? They are changing them almost a weekly event. They discussed baghouse drafting to delta port size as part of the problem. Spray ring performance also plays into the build up on the pads and heads. One shop does a clean and inspection on the vault wall secondary every month as well. The conversation moved to the “beer can” power cable connectors that enable them to do a power cable change in les than 30 min. This technology has made it very easy yo do a power cable change with minimal impact to productivity.

 The group had a discussion on tilt platform rocker bases and pier life and most OEM would say 10 to 15 years and most shops have seen life in the 20-year range but have had issues with wear.

 Turret bearing and hydraulic cylinder storage was also discussed from shop to shop.

 What kind of schedule to other shop have for hydraulic cylinder change outs, are they on a calendar or wear type schedule. Most shops use a calendar schedule from an annual to 2-year schedule depending on cycle life.

 Who uses EMF systems on the casters. Some did and they discussed the maintenance and upkeep of these systems.

 Took a break at 2:50

We started back at 3:10

 Does anybody know any companies for used motors or obsolete motors? The group had a couple of names they shared. Eerlet was mentioned for control box repairs.

 What companies are out there that provides crane services and possible parts supply. Simmers was one and a couple of others were discussed.

 What methods do other shops use to make sure hoses are connected correctly. There were a couple ideas discussed and lettering on the hose for directional identification was discussed.

 Do other shops have issues with scrap magnet over heating? Yes, one shop built installed a current draw meter so the operator would know the magnets were getting hot. So they built a water tank that they can set the magnets in and use a spare set to keep loading

 What type of baghouse bags are other shops using? Gore was the primary bag supplier mentioned and their low drag bag was discussed. The Fiberglass and Kevlar both are good performers.

 What brand of crane brakes are other shops using? Cutler Hammer was the one discussed in detail for their reliability.

 How do other shops handle the material in the bag house? Screws, pneumatic, air slides were discussed.

 What type of swing cylinder mounts are used in other shop. Most are ridged mounts but do not have issues with off center loading.

 Drop box design conversation was held in regard to the size, temperature drop and the need for peak shavers.

 What are other shops using to flush the electrode arms? Some chemical flush was discussed but caution when doing it on aluminum arms.

 How do other shops measure temperature on the ladle preheater? Pyrometers, thermal couples and infrared sensors were mentioned.

  How do other shops remove the breakout skulls from a cast break out? Most will pull them out from above the mold, and sometimes you will put it from the bottom past the straightener and from the mold area.

 How do other shops handle being “on call” for maintenance breakdowns, is there compensation? Some shops do not compensate for on call duty and others will provide 3 hours of pay for on call, but if they are called in then overtime pays is made.

 Different shift schedules were discussed from the 10 hour days to the Depont schedules.

 How do other shops manage outside contractor jobs on down days? Company maintenance personnel and or supervisors will monitor those assigned jobs.

 Do any shops use “cool vests” when in hot environments? Some have but they need refilled often so it isn’t the most convenient. When the environment is over 100F then you work a 45 min in 15 min cool. So on the same topic what it the maximum hours that an employee can work? The range was 13, 14 and 16 was the max.

 The round table finished at 5:15 pm.

 This meeting the members will be on their own for dinner and return to the hotel for the Hospitality room activities from 7 till 11 provided by the supplier sponsors.

 The group started off Tuesday with breakfast from 7:00 to 8:00. Mark opened the technical session with updates for the day and reminded everyone that was in attendance to provide their business cards for the attendee list. This will be emailed to the attendees later in the week.

  Mark made the introduction for our first presentation at 8:05.

 PRESENTATION:

DAVID BROUSSARD OF AMERICAN HOFMANN PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “AB9000 ACTIVE BALANCING SYSTEM”

David finished the presentation at 8:35 and took questions from the floor.

 After a short break Mark introduced our second paper at 9:00. 

ALDO LONGO OF A. LONGO CONSULTING PRESENTING A PAPER “EAF HEALTH AND SAFETY WITH NO MAN ON THE FLOOR”

Aldo finished the presentation at 10:20 and took questions from the floor.

 Mark made the introduction for our fourth presentation at 10:40

 BRIAN HILK OF KALINBORN ABRISIST PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “WEAR SOLUTIONS FOR THE STEEL INDUSTRY”

Brian finished the presentation at 11:10 and took questions from the floor.

 After a short Break Mark introduced our fifth paper at 11:20

ROB STRAIN OF NU-CORE PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “ELECTRODE ARM REFURBISHMENT PRACTICES”

Rob finished the presentation at 11:50 and took questions from the floor

 12:00 Members went to lunch

 1:00   Members boarded bus and departed at 1:15 for the tour of the OPTIMUS STEEL facility.

 4:30                 RETURN TO THE HOTEL

 At 6:00 the members gathered in the Ballroom for a hospitality mixer.

 At 7:00 dinner was served.

 At 8:00 we were able to hear our guest speaker.

 SCOTT ANDREWS, MILL GENERAL MANAGER OPTIMUS STEEL

 From 8:30 - 11:00 the group finished with a mixer to discuss the day’s events and information.

       WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 25, 2023            

 MEMBERS WILL ENJOY A GOLF OUTING AT BRENTWOOD ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX

                               TEE OFF 8:04AM

 MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OUR FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK

Maintenance Guild 28th meeting agenda for Beaumont Texas

Monday, October 23, 2023

 7:00                       HOTEL BREAKFAST BUFFET

                               SIGN IN WITH YOUR BUSINESS CARD

 8:00 - 8:10.           INTRODUCTIONS & MEETING KICK OFF BY

Secretary/Treasurer MARK KROPF

 8:10 - 12:00          ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS.

                              (CLOSED TO SUPPLIERS)

 12:00 - 1:00          LUNCH BUFFET

 1:00 - 4:30            ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS

                              (CLOSED TO SUPPLIERS)

 5:00 – 6:00           MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OWN FOR DINNER

 7:00 – 11:00         HOSPITALITY SUITE WITH HOURSDORVES

                              PROVIDED BY THE SUPPLIER GROUP SPONSORS

(ALL INVITED)

 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2023

 7:00 – 8:00           HOTEL BREAKFAST BUFFET

 8:00                       INTRODUCTION: SECRETARY/TREASURER MARK KROPF

 8:05                       PRESENTATION:

DAVID BROUSSARD OF AMERICAN H0FMANN PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “AB9000 Active Balancing System”

 8:35 – 8:45           QUESTIONS

 8:45 – 9:00           BREAK

 9:00– 9:30            PRESENTATION: 

RAY TEDFORD of SCHUST PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, “Usage of Machine Vision at the EAF “

 9:30 – 9:40           QUESTIONS

 9:40—9:50           BREAK

  9:50 – 10:20         PRESENTATION:

ALDO LONGO OF A. LONGO CONSULTING PRESENTING A PAPER “EAF HEALTH AND SAFETY WITH NO MAN ON THE FLOOR”

 10:20 – 10:30       QUESTIONS

 10:30 – 10:40       BREAK

 10:40 - 11:10       PRESENTATION: 

BRIAN HILK of KALENBORN ABRESIST PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “WEAR SOLUTIONS FOR THE STEEL INDUSTRY”.

 11:10 – 11:20       QUESTIONS

 11:20 – 11:50       PRESENTATION:

ROB STRAIN OF NU-CORE PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “ELECTRODE ARM REFURBISHMENT PRACTICES”

 11:50 – 12:00       QUESTIONS

 12:00                    LUNCH BUFFET

 1:00 - 1:15            BOARD BUS OUTSIDE HOTEL PROMPTLY FOR THE TOUR OF OPTIMUS STEEL FACILITY

 4:00 – 4:30           RETURN TO THE HOTEL

 6:00 -7:00             GATHER IN THE BALL ROOM FOR HAPPY HOUR

 7:00 - 8:00            DINNER

 8:00 – 8:30           GUEST SPEAKER:          

                                              SCOTT ANDREWS, MILL General Manager

                                              OPTIMUS STEEL

 8:30 - 11:00          HOSPITALITY MIXER WITH BEVERAGES

 Wednesday OCTOBER 25, 2023         

 9:00 - 2:00            MEMBERS WILL ENJOY A GOLF OUTING AT

BRENTWOOD ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX

                               TEE OFF 8:04AM

  MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OWN FOR THE WEEK

Meeting Notice

Meeting Notice

The Maintenance Guild will hold their Forty-Eighth meeting on October 23, 24, and 25, 2023.

The forty-eighth meeting of the Maintenance Guild will be held in Beaumont, Texas with our host Plant being Optimus Steel. All attendees should plan to be in an all-day round table session on Monday with an evening hospitality mixer. The technical presentations and tour will be on Tuesday and our Golf outing Wednesday morning. Transportation for the Plant tour will be provided for the group.

We will be staying at the Holiday Inn & Suites Beaumont-Plaza (I-10 & Walden) located at 3950 I-10 South & Walden Rd, Beaumont, Texas 77705. You can fly into Houston (IAH) which is 75 miles from the hotel. The room rate for the Guild members will be $95.00 dollars per night. To make your reservations click on this link Maintenance Guild or individuals should Call (409) 842-7808 ask for a room out of the "Maintenance Guild Meeting" block. All reservations must be accompanied by a first night room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card. If a guest does not cancel a reservation one week before the guest’s check-in date, then the Hotel may charge the credit card one night’s room fee plus any applicable taxes.

You need to make the meeting fee payments in advance. The cost for this meeting will be $450.00 (American). Registration and payment can now be made on our website www.maintguild.com You can Email me  at kropfm@maintguild.com and I will invoice you for the fees as long as we receive the funds prior to the meeting. This fee will cover the cost of meals, bus transportation, meeting rooms, and equipment.  The cutoff date for the block of rooms we have on hold is October 12, 2023, so make your reservations soon. After this date the rooms will go on a first come first served basis. There are few hotels close to this location so please make your travel arrangements as soon as possible.

Tuesday evening, we will have dinner with a guest speaker from Optimus Steel.

For those individuals that are interested there will be a group gathering on Wednesday for a round of golf.  If you are interested in playing please contact Mark Kropf at kropfm@maintguild.com or call him at (330) 479-5060. I need to know by no later than October 20th if you plan on golfing so tee times can be secured.  We plan to Tee off by 9:00 and finish at 2:00. After the outing all members will be on their own for the rest of the week.

We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you in Beaumont, TX

2023 Meeting will be held at Optimus Steel in Beaumont, Texas

Meeting plans are in process for the October 23, 24, & 25th with Optimus Steel hosting, We are currently waiting on hotel contracts with the Holiday Inn & Suites Beaumont-Plaza (I-10 & Walden) so meeting notices will be sent soon. Please plan to attend our annual meeting.

September Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes of the September 21st, – 23rd 2022 meeting in Denison, Tx

The members of the guild arrived on Wednesday September 21, 2022, for breakfast at 7:00am.                

Mark Kropf reviewed the details of the week’s schedule along with the current officer status since the last 2 years of no meetings due to COVID. Mark then covered the status of the Maintenance Guild and ask what the future should look like. With our industry running lean in the skilled labor sector, the ability for attendees to get to meetings has become very difficult. The new president and vice-president  needs to be established. This would make Jonathan Putman the president. Jonathan has taken a new position with Nucor and could not attend. Nate Hotson from ArcelorMittal Dofasco who volunteered to fill this void as our vice-president was not able to attend to to a shop outage and needs approval from plant management to fill this void. Mark will be following up with them on there status. The next meeting we will need to have election of the next Vice-president.

The following companies were represented; CMC Ok, CMC Texas, Charter Steel Cleveland, Charter Steel Saukville, , ArcelorMittal Dofasco, WINOA, Nucor Jewett, Nucor Kankakee, Nucor Longview, & IVACO.

 Mark started the round table session at 8:15 with questions from the floor.

 How do you isolate and depressurize hydraulic systems to do maintenance?

Ball valve is bleeding through, some shops did not see the bleed through. A suggestion would be to add a vent pipe between the valves to vent bypass fluid and pressure back to tank.

 What nonflammable fluids are other shop using other than water glycol? We are getting pump and valve failures due to jelling of the water glycol. There is mineral based fluids out there but expensive to use. Everyone in attendance used water-Glycol fluids. One topic was the possibility of the carbon steel pipe corroding causing a reaction. One shop switched to stainless steel piping to prevent this scenario. The conversation moved to disposal and most reclaimed and shipped of site for recycling. The group then continued to discuss fluid testing issues with system design that creates low fluid movement allowing stagnate flow and gelling.

 Who is conveying lime pneumatically to the furnace. some shop do some are injecting to the furnace some use conveyors thru a 5th hole in the roof. But everyone has issues with the lime dust in the shop.

 Spray water nozzles plugging off from main supply line carbon pipe scale flaking off? What type of filter system are those shops using. Some shops used rotary strainers Adams, Kenny were two strainers mentioned.  Carbon steel line corrosion was also an issue discussed. Cooling tower maintenance was discussed as well.

 Who is using Mintec scan system on their furnace?

Took a break at 9:30

We started back at 9:45

 What type of stopper rod controls are other shops using on the casters. Our actuators are outdated. Servo control hydraulics are mostly used. One shop had electric type actuators, other shop use slide gates on there tundish to feed the strands.

 Ladle slide gate cylinder fed from the caster turret hydraulic system has problems with hose and debris plugging up the hydraulic system. What are other shops doing with these systems. One shop us a robot grip system to open close the gates and stays with the turret and not the ladle. There was one shop that use rotary gates.

 What type of hydraulic hoses are other shops using in high heat applications? Armor guard (armadillo) by GSM was one mentioned. Isa hydraulic hose wrapped with Kevlar and steel braid. The group continued to discuss the different applications that apply to the electrode cooling hose supply.

 With the initiative to get men off the sumps and tilt platforms, what are other shops using to clean tap holes after tap? Grand tap hole insert machines were discussed along with other type robotic equipment. There have been multiple accidents and near misses that have increased the attention to this initiative.

 What type of cameras are other shops using on the temp taking machine to detect leaks and refractory wear. Conners and logical cameras are being used at other shops.

 The conversation came back to lime injection systems and lime handling system. For plugging to transfer to hydration issues.

 What type of rolling mill scrap handling conveyors are other shops using and what issues do you have. SMS conveyor has issues with the plate opening up as it goes around the roll along with impact damage make it hard to keep running.

 What are other shops doing to get and retain skilled labor. The group discussed different initiatives they use from intern and co-op opportunities. The group discussed the different programs from high schools, local tech schools to Nucor Academy and AIST scholarship with internship programs were discussed. How each of the program’s function and there requirements with pay rates was discussed with the Pro’s and Cons with impact on retention.

 What are other shops doing with the legalization of cannabis? Some shops still do random testing with a 0 tolerance to only testing if there is an accident or issue of suspicion.

 Who does Crane wheel inspections and what do you measure in your plans? Bearing wear and wheel profile to rail tolerance profiles are typical inspections.

 What are other shops using for spray ring systems? All present are using homemade systems.

What type of debur systems are being used at other caster shops?  Knives, rotary and torch systems were discussed, along with the maintenance of those systems.

 What are the burner systems being used in other shops, MORE’, PTI-INTECO, Praxair were a few mentioned.

 What electrode addition machines are other shop using? XO was mentioned the most, they do have issues with connectivity but mechanically they work well. Technical support in the US is not the best.

 What are other shops doing to clean equipment for inspection and maintenance? Blow off equipment, Vacuum, manual sweeping, all is used. Schedules for cleaning was discussed from crane cleaning to shop floor. But all there agreed that cleanliness is important to proper equipment maintenance.

 The group broke for Lunch at 12:00

We started back at 1:00

 What shops attending Are DC furnaces. None in attendance.

 Does anyone have information on a slag line moisture monitoring system? There was a trial at a mill, and they did not work

 Does anyone have trouble with the copper burner box wearing off and having to reweld the copper? Most shops did not have that issue. The group discussed the removable face design burner blocks and there performance.

 Caster spray water pump performance and maintenance was discussed

 What do other shops do to clean the caster sump pit? Most shop use clam’s one pumped the pit down and pit a bob cat in it to scoop the scale up into a bucket.

 Anyone using ABB Furnace Breakers? Some shops did and they discussed the differences in the models

 What are other shops using for door pushers? Tail gate pusher works well, moe tanks was another. Uni gate designs was mentioned and they discussed the mobile door pushers but with the initiative to get men off the floor these units are getting removed.

 What companies are being used to do electrode arm repairs? Nu-core, Hammers, Primetals, and precision components were a few mentioned and discussed.

 Anyone using water softeners on cooling water. Some used them on mold water at the caster.

 What companies are being used to rebuild the oscillator cylinders. Dover Hydraulics was mentioned. The conversation moved to accelerometers on the oscillators.

 On gunning lances, we still manual gun and every now and then the lance fails. This was not an issue those shops are experiencing. Pre failure maintenance would be needed.

 Are other companies still having their furnace operators walk the rim of the furnace or do they have platforms? Those shops that still manually gun the furnace are either gunning in the front do, on platforms, or the sump panel.

 On charge bucket control, most of our guys cannot open the bucket without it swinging it. Is this unique to us? There was no one that has that type of problems, it was suggested to review the scrap loading to make sure there was light and fine type of scrap on the bottom to make sure the clams did not hang up or drag hard on scrap.

 What are other shops doing if the temp and sample lance system goes down. Some shop would go back to manual sampling, other shops shut down until it is repaired.

 What are other shops doing with the down day schedules, weekly every two week ect?

Most shops would take an 8-to-10-hour weekly outage.

 How are other shops accessing there roofs for roof changes. Most from platforms and or ladders.

 What type of air dryers are being used in the shops? CTI was one of the suppliers discussed.

 We are having issues with high temperatures in electrical rooms and are looking at putting the electronics outside the area being monitored, does anyone else do this or how do you control the temps? The group discussed different ideas and solutions that have been tried.

 What controls are other shops using to control their remote cranes. Magnatech drives was one type mentioned. The group discussed different units and the pros and cons of them.

 Took a break at 3:00

We started back at 3:15

 What are other shops hearing on the red line initiative in the rolling mills not being sufficient, that physical barriers will be needed? Most mills are still in the planning and evaluation phase of this initiative. The group discussed a lot of scenarios and ideas but most determined them to extremely difficult to meet.

 Does anyone have an idea on how to keep the retaining nut on the rolling mill roll bearing retainer ring from backing off. There is not a lot of room to use a socket so we have been welding the nut but this add a lot of time when it needs changed. One suggestion was to use a hydraulic torque driver.

 Does anyone have issues with the large overhead cranes e house supports failing and finding cracks in the support beams? No one has seen issues. It was pointed out that more detailed inspections should be done to make sure other shops do not have similar failures. The group discussed crane inspection process using outside services along with internal inspections.

 What do other shop do to verify that all the sidewall panel water is turned on? The group discussed the different procedures used to verify. So go as far as have a check list that is performed by both maintenance and production. There are also flow meter applications used on larger water-cooled equipment.

 How long do other shop Gantry slew bearings last? Ours only went 5 years and was associated to baked grease on one side from heat. Most shops shoot for 10 years.

 How often do you clean off the electrode arms? Most shops do it weekly.

 How many shops do a safety assessment on a job prior to work starting? A couple of shops have procedures established

 Who is using electronic job assignments to the work force. Most shops use paper and supervisor, or lead have the electronic tablets. But paper is still the primary medium.

 The round table finished at 4:00 pm.

 This meeting the members will be on their own for dinner and return to the hotel for the Hospitality room activities from 7 till 11 provided by the supplier sponsors.

 The group started off Tuesday with breakfast from 7:00 to 8:00. Mark opened the technical session with updates for the day and reminded everyone that was in attendance to provide their business cards for the attendee list. This will be emailed to the attendees later in the week.

Mark made the introduction for our first presentation at 8:05.

 PRESENTATION:

ROY ALEMAN OF MELTER PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “SCRAP PREHEATING SYSTEMS”

Roy finished the presentation at 8:15 and took questions from the floor.

 After a short break Mark introduced our second paper at 8:30. 

PEDRO QUIROGA OF EAFAB PRESENTING A PAPER  “CERAMIC COATING ELECTRODES FOR REDUCED CARBON ELECTRODE CONSUMPTION”

Pedro finished the presentation at 9:10 and took questions from the floor.

 After a short break Mark introduced our third paper at 9:35

JOSE HERNANDEZ OF AMI PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, “USAGE OF MACHINE VISION AT THE EAF “

Jose finished the presentation at 10:10 and took questions from the floor.

 Mark made the introduction for our fourth presentation at 10:20

 JOHN LEWIS OF CONNORS INDUSTRIALS PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “REMOTE EAF INSPECTION & INFRARED PRIMARY STEEL CAMERA APPLICATIONS”

 John finished the presentation at 11:00 and took questions from the floor.

 After a short Break Mark introduced our fifth paper at 11:20

Bill Bennett of EAFab presenting a paper on Maintaining your area, “Spares inspecting, audits and housekeeping”

 Bill finished the presentation at 11:35 and took questions from the floor

 12:00 Members went to lunch

 1:00   Members boarded bus and departed at 1:15 for the tour of the CMC Durant Steel plant

 4:30                 RETURN TO THE HOTEL

 At 6:00 the members gathered in the Ballroom for a hospitality mixer.

 At 7:00 dinner was served.

 At 8:00 we were able to hear our guest speaker.

 COLE WALKER DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS CMC STEEL DURANT.

 From 9:00 - 11:00 the group finished with a mixer to discuss the day’s events and information.

 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2022   

 THERE WAS NO GOLF OUTING AND MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OUR FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK

September Meeting Agenda

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022

 7:00                     HOTEL BREAKFAST BUFFET

                            SIGN IN WITH YOUR BUSINESS CARD

 8:00 - 8:10.          INTRODUCTIONS & MEETING KICK OFF BY SECRETARY/TREASURER MARK KROPF

 8:10 - 12:00        ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS.

                           (CLOSED TO SUPPLIERS)

 12:00 - 1:00         LUNCH BUFFET

 1:00 - 4:30           ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS

                           (CLOSED TO SUPPLIERS)

 5:00 – 6:00          MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OWN FOR DINNER

 7:00 – 11:00        HOSPITALITY SUITE WITH HOURSDORVES

                           PROVIDED BY THE SUPPLIER GROUP (ALL INVITED)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

 7:00 – 8:00          HOTEL BREAKFAST BUFFET

 8:00                     INTRODUCTION: SECRETARY/TREASURER MARK KROPF

 8:05                    PRESENTATION:

ROY ALEMAN OF MELTER PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “SCRAP PREHEATING SYSTEMS”

 8:35 – 8:45          QUESTIONS

 8:45 – 9:00          BREAK

 9:00– 9:30           PRESENTATION: 

JOSE HERNANDEZ OF AMI PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, “USAGE OF MACHINE VISION AT THE EAF “

 9:30 – 9:40          QUESTIONS

 9:40—9:55          BREAK

  9:55 – 10:30        PRESENTATION:

PEDRO QUIROGA OF EAFAB PRESENTING A PAPER  “CERAMIC COATING ELECTRODES FOR REDUCED CARBON ELECTRODE CONSUMPTION”

 10:30 – 10:45      QUESTIONS

 10:45 - 11:00      BREAK

 11:00 - 11:30      PRESENTATION: 

JOHN LEWIS OF CONNORS INDUSTRIALS PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “REMOTE EAF INSPECTION & INFRARED PRIMARY STEEL CAMERA APPLICATIONS”

 11:30 – 11:45      QUESTIONS

 12:00                  LUNCH BUFFET

 1:00 - 1:15          BOARD BUS OUTSIDE HOTEL PROMPTLY FOR THE TOUR OF CMC STEEL DURANT FACILITY

 4:00 – 4:30          RETURN TO THE HOTEL

 6:00 -7:00           GATHER IN THE BALL ROOM FOR HAPPY HOUR

 7:00 - 8:00          DINNER

 8:00 – 8:30          GUEST SPEAKER:         

                                          COLE WALKER DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

                                           CMC STEEL DURANT

 8:30 - 11:00         HOSPITALITY MIXER WITH BEVERAGES

 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2022  

 9:00 - 2:00           MEMBERS WILL ENJOY A GOLF OUTING AT STONE CREEK GOLF COURSE

                            TEE OFF 8:40AM

 MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OWN FOR THE WEEKEND

Meeting Announcement

Meeting Notice

The Maintenance Guild will hold their Forty-seventh meeting on September 21, 22, and 23, 2022.

    The forty-seventh meeting of the Maintenance Guild will be held in Denison/Sherman, Texas with our host Plant being CMC Steel Durant. All attendees should plan to be in an all-day round table session on Wednesday with an evening hospitality mixer. The technical presentations and tour will be on Thursday and our Golf outing Friday morning. Transportation for the Plant tour will be provided for the group.

We will be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Denison/Sherman/At Texoma Event Center located at 5015 US-75, Denison, TX 75020. You can fly into Dallas (DFW) which is 71 miles from the hotel. The room rate for the Guild members will be $129.00 dollars per night. To make your reservations, individuals should Call 903-463-3331 ask for a room out of the "Maintenance Guild Meeting" block. Or go to https:www.denisonshermanattexomaeventcenter.com. All reservations must be accompanied by a first night room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card. If a guest does not cancel a reservation within 48 hours before Tuesday, September 20, 2022, of the guest’s check-in date, then Hotel may charge the credit card one night’s room fee plus any applicable taxes.

You need to make the meeting fee payments in advance. The cost for this meeting will be $450.00 (American). Registration and payment can now be made on our website www.maintguild.com You can Email me  at kropfm@maintguild.com and I will invoice you for the fees as long as we receive the funds prior to the meeting. This fee will cover the cost of meals, bus transportation, meeting rooms, and equipment.  The cutoff date for the block of room we have on hold is September 6, 2022, so make your reservations soon. After this date the rooms will go on a first come first served basis. There are few hotels close to this location so please make your travel arrangements as soon as possible.

Thursday evening, we will have a dinner with a guest speaker from CMC Steel Durant

For those individuals that are interested there will be a group gathering Friday for a round of golf.  If you are interested in playing please contact Mark Kropf at kropfm@maintguild.com or call him at (330) 479-5060. I need to know by no later than September 19th if you plan on golfing so tee times can be secured.  We plan to Tee off by 9:00 and finish at 2:00. After the outing all members will be on their own for the weekend.

We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you in Denison, TX

Maintenance Guild meeting is going to be held on September 21 -23, 2022 in Denison, Texas

The forty-seventh meeting of the Maintenance Guild will be held in Denison/Sherman, Texas with our host Plant being CMC Steel Durant. All attendees should plan to be in an all-day round table session on Wednesday with an evening hospitality mixer. The technical presentations and tour will be on Thursday and our Golf outing Friday morning. Transportation for the Plant tour will be provided for the group.

We will be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Denison/Sherman/At Texoma Event Center located at 5015 US-75, Denison, TX 75020. You can fly into Dallas (DFW) which is 71 miles from the hotel.

Meeting notices and details will be posted soon.

Annual meeting will now be in 2022

The 2021 Annual meeting of the Maintenance Guild unfortunately will not take place as originally hoped. The resurgence of COVID has a number of mills continuing there restrictions on travel. As we all look to get back to our meeting schedule it is not feasible to attempt to plan a meeting at this time. Our hope is that with the release of vaccines and reduced spread of the virus we will be able to resume our meeting schedule in the fall of 2022.

Fall Meeting CANCELED!

To the Maintenance Guild Community,

After extensive consultation and review and with due regard to the safety and health of our members, presenters, and attendees, the Maintenance Guild has canceled the fall meeting in 2020.

Though disheartened by this difficult decision, the rationale for canceling the event just makes sense in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As an industry, we always strive for Safety First, with all else following this.

We want to thank our many attendees, presenters, and sponsors for their support over the years and during this unprecedented situation in time. Your encouragement and support of the Maintenance Guild and the steel industry is genuinely appreciated.

We will now start to plan our annual meeting for 2021 and will communicate details as they develop by email and on our web site. Though COVID-19 has impacted all of us, our shops, our families, and friends, we can rest assured that we will get through this and continue to serve the industry we all work in.

The Maintenance Guild remains committed to providing our steel community with valuable networking and educational experiences. The opportunities for steel to succeed are endless, and we look forward to your continued participation.

October Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes of the October 28th, – 30th 2019 meeting in Knoxville, TN

The members of the guild arrived on Monday October 28, 2019 for breakfast at 7:00am.                     

Mark Kropf reviewed the details of the week’s schedule along with the voting guidelines. Mark then covered the status of the Maintenance Guild and ask what the future should look like. With our industry running lean in the skilled labor sector, the ability for attendees to get to multiple meetings has become very difficult. After a detailed discussion the group decided to go to a once a year format holding our meeting in the fall. With doing this our board member obligations will change as well. The group decided to have a president and one vice-president and the permanent Secretary/Treasurer. This would make Bill Hosmer our new president for one more year and Jonathan Putman the Vice-president. Jonathan informed the group that he has accepted a new position in the production at his mill and has been encouraged to participate in production type organizations. Nate Hotson from ArcelorMittal Dofasco volunteered to fill this void as our vice-president and is working on his approval from plant management.

The following companies were represented; Electralloy, CMC Alabama, CMC Texas, CMC Tennessee, Charter Steel Cleveland, Charter Steel Saukville, North American Höganäs, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, WINOA, Electralloy, Timken Steel, Valbruna ASW & IPSCO Koppel Steel.

 Jon started the round table session at 8:15 with questions from the floor.

 What materials are other shops using on the 4th hole elbows? Ameri-bronze was one item discussed another item discussed was the Inconel over-laid tube but has not had the time to determine if it will be an option. Repair of the different materials was then discussed as a possible limiting factor.

 Does anyone have any experience with the spray coatings in the duct work or alternative materials? The group discussed some of the different coatings used some had success some did not. They discussed the Inconel overlay and it defiantly works well but the cost makes it cost prohibitive. They discussed the Ameri-bronze material and the place that it worked and at others that it didn’t.

 Caster run out Heat shields are failing rapidly they are flat plat baffled design and fill up with calcium and heat check

 Crane control cabinet temperatures was discussed, and they group discussed AC units to control over-temp.

 We have men under the furnace to open plugged tap hole, does anyone have information on mechanical tap hole opener equipment to keep men from under the furnace. One mill has a BSE Designed unit but is a high maintenance equipment.

Conveyor belt system operation issues when we go from summer to winter operations. The group discussed some of the issues with wet lime and coal on conveyors. Heaters cleaners and different methods were discussed.

Does anyone have issues with Type”K” thermocouples failing after 30 days in a flame-less reheat furnace? Possibilities discussed were lack of oxygen in the thermal well. Ceramic tubes were another option

 Does anyone have a cutter on there wire feeders at is automated and does not require a man go out and use a wire cutter.

 We have had a lot of dirt in the eye lately and have used the foam sealed type glasses which has a different problem from Fogging to dirt build up in the seal area. Most shops use the foam sealed glasses.

 Ejectors for degas what systems are others using. We want to get away from Steam and go to Mechanical. Different systems were discussed and the cost of the equipment and install.

 What systems are other shops using to record work used and completed. Maximo was one system used with the worker doing the entry. Carl was another system discussed. It was agreed that data entry is the most important and how to make sure it is entered accurately. Along with monitoring systems that captures the information ahead of the failure repair is completed and entered. Tablets for the floor personnel to use in data entry and interfacing with Oracle. 

 What clams are other shops using on lance pipes? Beta was one discussed. Want a quick disconnect and currently making our own.

 Anyone using Flow metering on sidewall panel water flow. One company used mag flow meters but they are hard to keep operational. Conversation moved to wireless RTD’s from Emmerson with the cost of batteries vs the maintenance cost of wired type systems.

 Who is using Spray-cooled equipment? Some shops used this on the roofs with different issues but generally they have been positive.

 Does anyone use the “u-e” ultrasonic leak testing systems? One shop talked about using the technologies as well as “ultra probe” and Fuchs system were discussed.

 What are other shops doing with Magnet maintenance. Is it a process change with training or a change out program? The discussion focused on rotation to prevent failures along with a current measurement test to change out magnets prior to failure. Magnet cords were also discussed.

 Is anyone using grapples instead of magnets? One company trialed but it couldn’t keep up. The other issue is the grapples will pick non magnetic that would make it into the scrap stream causing issues at the furnace.

 Took a break at 9:45

We started back at 10:00

 We recently switch to from Big Bill to Carhartt FR clothing and we are having many complaints about the Carhartt clothing allowing for more frequent burns.  What clothing brands do other mills use and has anyone had a similar experience? Big Bill is used for cold weather. Bull werk and quantum were two others used. One shop moved to allow mechanical maintenance to wear cotton clothing and only electrical to wear FR.

 What type and level of filtration do mills use for the caster spray water system? Sand filter prior to the cooling tower and cone strainer after the cooling tower. 150 mesh was a plug issue for one mill and they went tot 100 mess and still have issues but not as many.

The group then discussed temperatures on the inlet water.

 What is other shop using to get lime into the furnace? Pneumatic systems was the most popular but some did do bulk additions. Using a blower in place of compressed air which improved the plugging issues, bin heaters to minimize condensation.

 Does anyone have service elevators in there shops? Some did and they all have regular maintenance to keep them operational. Other shops use man lifts cranes.

 What are other shops doing to recruit skilled labor into the mills. All the mills present are experiencing similar issues. The group talked about programs focused on the high school level student to grow interest in skilled crafts. Other problems are the higher pay companies pulling all the existing labor out of the area.

 What Tap hole sander units are other companies using? Longo units were discussed and the issues of Plugging and cylinder reliability were part of the issues. But most shops agree that currently they are a necessary evil. Camera focus issues are also a problem with the amount of time it takes.

 What are other shops doing to improve delta refractory life? One idea was presented about putting multiple 2” holes in the deltas allowing spray water to fill the holes after they slag over and they seen almost double the life improvement. Another shop increased the electrode spray rings from 4 gpm to 7 gpm that helped the delta life. The group discussed different ideas from thicker deltas, water-less deltas, spray rings and others.

 Anyone wireless transmitters for vibration sensors? The group discussed different systems out there along with “I alert” data recorders that stores the data that can be downloaded by Bluetooth for analysis.

 Does anyone monitor smoking in the cabs and pulpits? Most shops have moved to no smoking policy which is hard to monitor.

 How do other companies handle the lack of skilled labor on site during operations if they have call offs? Some companies have lists of contractors that provide that service. Some shops are counting on apprentices to fill gaps but it not the best solution.

 The discussion moved to arc flash protection and hot panel work with how to make sure they are safe.

 Who is using the clamp style lead with barrel connectors? One shop has ordered them but has not installed yet. They discussed if they will modify the arm and delta closure or use the adapter. Another shop has been using them with a positive experience.

 Does any check bolt torque after a lead change? Some do, but most have issues on getting to the vault wall during operation.

 What are other shops using to clean the breast, Grant was one discussed, EXO, moe tank, fork trucks, bobcats were other units mentioned and a shell mounted door cleaner unit was discussed. Uni-gate door unit was discussed as well

 What are other shops doing to get PM’s completed during operation and how do you determine if it can be done during operations. Most of those determinations are made based on time required to complete the PM in an operational area.

 Is anyone using auto tap systems? There are shops (not present) that do this but there is a lot of conversation on what technologies that needs to be in place to be repeatable and reliable.

 Does anyone know of a measurement system sensing vibration or location for low frequency vibration on a bronze bushing? There is some technologies out there but most is expensive and not proven.

 What are other shops doing to improve the clean time for the ejector systems? Most shops run on a scheduled cleaning.

 What are other shops doing for gear box repair or replacements do to damage from plugging. Most have spare gear boxes and some had both gearing and gear boxes.

 What do other shops do in the event of a transfer car failure?  Some have cable pull mounts so a crane can pull the cars out, some have brackets for front end loaders to push or pull.

 Broke for Lunch at 12:00

We started back at 1:00

 What suppliers to mills use to rebuild hydraulic oscillator cylinders (with on-board electronics)?  Does anyone have a north American supplier for rebuilds? OHT was one that was mentioned but it is not a north American supplier. Long lead times is a problem.

We are having reliability issues with our proportional valves on the caster.  What is the predominant brand of proportional valves at most mills and have others experienced issues with Vickers valves? Applied Technologies was mention but other shop seemed to use Vickers with no issues, Bosch Rexroth was another with no issues. Most of the comments dealt with oil issues more so than the valves. One comment was it’s better to replace than to rebuild, because they never seem to come back as new and is never cost effective.

 What is the frequency at which other mills rebuild straighteners on their caster?  One company does rebuilds every 6 months. Another mill runs every 2 years.

 Do any mills perform periodic chemical flushing of their cooling water systems? No one does. But there are some that would do arms, columns and shells but always offline. Most use CLR or citric acid.

 Does anyone know any company that can do a grounding study on a furnace? AMI does something like that as part of the regulation service. There was mention of one other, but they were not sure if it was ABB or something similar to them.

 What are shops with door burners have any issues and what spares do you keep? A spare burner but the door was not any problem.

 Does anyone have arcing issues with the LMF electrode shoes? We started having arc issues after we installed spray rings. Most shop do regular cleaning things to check are clamp pressures and electrode diameter. Another item would be to use an air purge the water out of the contact area during heat change outs.

 What are other shops doing to minimize emissions from tap lime and synthetic slag additions. Most do bulk additions with addition system of super sacks.

 How do other shop determine spares to keep on stock? Lead time is the main driver along with times needed to change out the part.

 Automatic grease systems, who is using them and what do you get with this service? Some shop use the trabon type systems and other actually contracted it out

 What are other shops doing to control concrete in the scrap yard? We replace a lot of concrete damaged from scrap handling. Some shops use polymers but most drop on dirt and not concrete but most agree it a continuous repair.

 Ladle ring repair? Do shops do it in house or contract it out. It was done both ways, some shops do it in house and others contract it out. Also trunnion UT inspection are done on a yearly basis.

What do the northern shop do for winter protection. Heat trace, space heaters, insulation, and conveyors run continuously during cold months, infrared heaters used in hydraulic rooms tarps on cooling towers and similar types of protections are put into place.

 How much time do other shop spend unplugging burners? One system has an alarm system that predicts plugging based on back pressure readings.

 Electrode slipping, anyone using a soft lift type electrode hooks? One company uses the soft lift and is now moving to a auto connect system. Most of the issues are operator errors.

What burner angles do shop use and how often do you verify the angles are as required.? Most shops check during shell change outs but not during operational campaigns.

 Cooling bed alignment issues. What are shops doing to keep cooling bed in align after its adjusted at shutdown and then changes after it heats up? The group discussed different techniques from hydraulic adjustments to shimming.

 Took a break at 2:45

We started back at 3:00

 Crane breaks reliability Air over Hydraulic design. How do you keep them tamper proof after adjustments are made? Super nut was one solution a shop used. One shop switched to magnetech brakes and now do not have any more issues.

 What are other shops doing to monitor slew bearing life and wear. Grease test twice a year, measurements on wear, bolt torque.

 What groups are out there that can handle melt shop repair work, Superior, 3D, Pierce Machine National Mill Maintenance

 Who can do cooling tower and pump-house work? AECom, Berg cooling water system, Dan Allied,

 Charge crane what types AC was most popular but there was a few DC out there.  

 The round table finished at 3:45 pm.

 This meeting the members will be on their own for dinner and return to the hotel for the Hospitality room activities from 7 till 11 provided by the supplier sponsors.

 The group started off Tuesday with breakfast from 7:00 to 8:00. Jon opened the Technical session with updates for the day and reminded everyone that was in attendance to provide their business cards for the attendee list. This will be emailed to the attendees later in the week.

 Jonathon made the introduction for our first presentation at 8:05.

TIM FITZGERALD OF APO PUMPS & COMPRESSORS. LLC PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, "INNOVATIONS IN LIQUID – SOLID SEPARATION & WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY”

Tim finished the presentation at 8:25 and took questions from the floor.

 After a short break Jonathon introduced our second paper at 8:40. 

J.C. RAIES OF DOVER HYDRAULICS PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, "OSCILLATION CYLINDER MAINTENANCE”

J.C. finished the presentation at 9:20 and took questions from the floor.

 After a short break Jonathon introduced our third paper at 9:35

RUSS BAUER OF KALENBORN ABRESIST PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED "ABRASION RESISTANT MATERIALS IN THE STEEL INDUSTRY"

 Russ finished the presentation at 10:10 and took questions from the floor.

 JON made the introduction for our fourth presentation at 11:00

 JEFF BLANKENSHIP OF MRSI PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, "BEARING SOLUTIONS & PROBLEM-SOLVING ALTERNATIVES FOR STEEL MILLS”

 Jeff finished the presentation at 11:30 and took questions from the floor.

 12:00 Members went to lunch

 1:00   Members boarded bus and departed at 1:15 for the tour of the CMC Knoxville Steel plant

 4:30                 RETURN TO THE HOTEL

 At 6:00 the members gathered in the Ballroom for a hospitality mixer.

 At 7:00 dinner was served.

 At 8:00 we were able to hear our guest speaker ;

 BRIAN LYTTLE, PROJECT ENGINEER at CMC STEEL KNOXVILLE.

 From 9:00 - 11:00 the group finished with a mixer to discuss the day’s events and information.

 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2019            

 THERE WAS NO GOLF OUTING AND MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OUR FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK

October Meeting agenda

MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019

 7:00                       HOTEL BREAKFAST BUFFET

                               SIGN IN WITH YOUR BUSINESS CARD

 8:00 - 8:10.           INTRODUCTIONS & MEETING KICK OFF BY VICE PRESIDENT JONATHAN PUTMAN

 8:10 - 12:00          ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS.

                              (CLOSED TO SUPPLIERS)

 12:00 - 1:00          LUNCH BUFFET

 1:00 - 4:30            ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS

                              (CLOSED TO SUPPLIERS)

 5:00 – 6:00           MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OWN FOR DINNER

 7:00 – 11:00         HOSPITALITY SUITE WITH HOURSDORVES

                              PROVIDED BY THE SUPPLIER GROUP (ALL INVITED)

 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2019

 7:00 – 8:00           HOTEL BREAKFAST BUFFET

 8:00                       INTRODUCTION: VICE PRESIDENT JONATHAN PUTMAN

 8:05                       PRESENTATION:

TIM FITZGERALD OF APO PUMPS & COMPRESSORS, LLC PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, "INNOVATIONS IN LIQUID – SOLID SEPARATION & WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY”

 8:35 – 8:45           QUESTIONS

 8:45 – 9:00           BREAK

 9:00– 9:30            PRESENTATION: 

J.C. RAIES OF DOVER HYDRAULICS PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, "OSCILLATION CYLINDER                                                 MAINTENANCE” 

 9:30 – 9:40           QUESTIONS

 9:40—9:55           BREAK

  9:55 – 10:30         PRESENTATION:

RUSS BAUER OF KALENBORN ABRESIST PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED "ABRASION RESISTANT MATERIALS IN THE STEEL INDUSTRY"

 10:30 – 10:45       QUESTIONS

 10:45 - 11:00       BREAK

 11:00 - 11:30       PRESENTATION: 

JEFF BLANKENSHIP OF MRSI PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, "BEARING SOLUTIONS & PROBLEM SOLVING ALTERNATIVES FOR STEEL MILLS ”

11:30 – 11:45       QUESTIONS

 12:00                    LUNCH BUFFET

 1:00 - 1:15            BOARD BUS OUTSIDE HOTEL PROMPTLY FOR THE TOUR OF CMC STEEL KNOXVILLE FACILITY

 4:00 – 4:30           RETURN TO THE HOTEL

 6:00 -7:00             GATHER IN THE BALL ROOM FOR HAPPY HOUR

 7:00 - 8:00            DINNER

 8:00 – 8:30           GUEST SPEAKER:          

                                             BRIAN LYTTLE

                                             ENGINEERING

                                             CMC STEEL KNOXVILLE

 8:30 - 11:00          HOSPITALITY MIXER WITH BEVERAGES

 Wednesday OCTOBER 30, 2019            

 9:00 - 2:00            MEMBERS WILL ENJOY A GOLF OUTING

                               TEE OFF 9:00AM

 MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OUR FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK

Meeting Announcement for October 28, 29, & 30th in Knoxville

The Maintenance Guild will hold their Forty-sixth meeting on October 28, 29, and 30, 2019.

    The forty-sixth meeting of the Maintenance Guild will be held in Knoxville Tennessee with our host Plant being CMC Steel Knoxville. All attendees should plan to be in an all-day round table session on Monday with an evening hospitality mixer. The technical presentations and tour will be on Tuesday and our Golf outing Wednesday morning. Transportation for the Plant tour will be provided for the group. ALL ATTENDEES NEED TO BRING YOUR OWN PPE. Steel toe shoes are needed along with you safety glasses, hard hat and FR Coat.

We will be staying at the Crowne Plaza Knoxville Downtown University located at 401 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902. You can fly into McGee Tyson Airport (TYS) which is 13 miles from the hotel. The room rate for the Guild members will be $120.00 dollars per night. To make your reservations, individuals should Call (877) 227-6963 or (865) 522-2600 ask for a room out of the "Maintenance Guild Meeting" block.. You can also click on this link Maintenance Guild to make your hotel reservations. All reservations will be held after 6PM and guaranteed for late arrival only if accompanied by a first night room deposit or guaranteed to a major credit card.

You need to make the meeting fee payments in advance. The cost for this meeting will be $350.00 (American). Registration and payment can now be made on our website www.maintguild.com or you can Email me a PO number and I will invoice you for the fees as long as we receive the funds prior to the meeting. This fee will cover the cost of meals, bus transportation, meeting rooms, and equipment.  The cutoff date for the block of room we have on hold is October 14 2019 so make your reservations soon. After this date the rooms will go on a first come first served basis. There are few hotels close to this location so please make your travel arrangements as soon as possible.

 Tuesday evening, we will have a dinner with a guest speaker from CMC Steel Knoxville

For those individuals that are interested there will be a group gathering Wednesday for a round of golf.  If you are interested in playing please contact Mark Kropf at kropfm@maintguild.com or call him at (330) 479-5060. I need to know by no later than October 30th if you plan on golfing so tee times can be secured.  We plan to Tee off by 9:00 and finish at 2:00. After the outing all members will be on their own for the rest of the week.

We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you in Knoxville, TN

Meeting minutes of the October 8th, – 10th 2018 meeting in Boardman, Ohio

Meeting minutes of the October 8th, – 10th 2018 meeting in Boardman, Ohio

The members of the guild arrived on Monday October 8, 2018 for breakfast at 7:00am.                    

Mark Kropf reviewed the details of the meeting along with the voting guidelines and covered the week’s event schedule.

The following companies were represented; AK Steel Mansfield, Electralloy,  Algoma Steel, CMC Alabama, CMC Texas, Charter Steel Cleveland, Charter Steel  Saukville, North American Höganäs, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, WINOA, Electralloy, Ellwood quality steel & Vallorec Star.

 Sean started the round table session by review a new process in the round table development to organize the round table topics by grouping began at 8:10 with questions from the floor.

 What are other shops doing to handle the influx of new hires with safety training to minimize the accidents rate with new hires. Other shops or experiencing similar issues. Other shops are using mentors for them to go to for any issues, another shop pushes the near miss program to try and catch potential short fall in training. Another shop talked about the weekly walk through and discuss with the areas workers potential safety problems to highlight those items with the group. The conversation went on for quite a while and all in attendance shared their safety programs and the benefits and shortfalls in those programs.

 How often do you change out the Tilt Cylinders blocking valve and the tilt cylinders? The group shared the different schedules and plans that there shops use. They discussed the different hydraulic system functions and protection equipment.

 Are other shops going back to apprenticeship programs? And if so how are they set up. The group discussed the different training systems they use but most are going back to training internally using cooperative type plans with local tech schools supporting and setting training courses.

 Took a break at 9:15

We started back at 9:30

 What thoughts do other shop have on synthetic oils for side gate applications? Our suppliers is recommending glycol over the phosphate esters. Is there concerns on seal types? The group shared what issues they had with the different seal material with the different lubricants.

 We are going to install a new scrap crane, what do other shops recommend? Most shop have moved to Zenar cranes for this type of application. Morgan, Whitting, Kone & P&H where some of the other cranes discussed and there shortfalls.

 Does anyone have experience with Spray cooled roofs? One shop present did and they discussed the pros and cons of that type of cooling.

 Are other shops having Shell temp issues and what did you do to control them. We have high temperatures that causes the Lower shell to fail from stress cracking and warping. The group discussed the different things they did to help. Predominantly most shops improved air movement and cleaning. Majority of the shops used a 516 grade 70 plate for the high temp areas vs the A36 plate.

 Does anyone have automatic argon hook ups systems? A couple of shops have them and the group discussed there pros and cons. Worley-Parson and PTI were some of the systems mentioned.

 Who has coal additions through the roof? And how do you control the fire blow back. A couple shops used air curtains at the roof level some used a chimney design to prevent the fire from going up the chute. And some had flappers to close it off. The conversation moved into conveyor belt issues from repair types mechanical splice vs vulcanized.

 Does anyone change water flow during the heat based on water temperature? No one present had done this. One shop talked about pulling pumps back during idle time. The Empco temp adjusting valves were discussed as well.

 Took a break at 11:00

We started back at 11:10

 Does anyone have any experience with the spray coatings in the duct work or alternative materials? The group discussed some of the different coatings used some had success some did not. They discussed the Inconel overlay and it defiantly works well but the cost makes it cost prohibitive. They discussed the Ameri-bronze material and the place that it worked and at others that it didn’t.

 Does anyone have over temp problems with their caster straighteners and oscillator cylinder? We have a lot or radiant heat from the billets. The group have a long discussion on different ideas to shield and or cool these areas.

 Who does the group recommend for a new furnace designs. Intecho, Danieli, Primetals, Tenova, & BSE were a few discussed.

 Has any shops moved there Mobile equipment generators for the motor to cable drives.

 How do other shops qualify a person to do Lockout Tag out? And do you allow outside contractors do their own Lock out Tag out?  One shop designated the Electricians to perform Lock out tag out. The group discussed how they qualify there people on Lock out Tag out. Most shops do not qualify outside contractors to do Lock out Tag out. There was a long conversation on this topic including tryout after the Lock out is completed.

 Broke for Lunch at 12:10

We started back at 1:10

 Does anyone have any ideas on how to install a grease shield on a 20’ slew bearing in a standard downturn? The group did a little brainstorming to come up with ideas.

 Does anyone use in place vibration sensors on cranes? Some have wired and some had wireless. The paper from 2012 September meeting was sent to him for reference.

 What are other shops doing to control slag splatter from the billet burner? Sprays to the majority move it down the flume but other splatter have to remove manually every down turn.

 Does anyone use monolithic roofs there was a couple of shops that use them.

 Does anyone have problems with the electrode clamp hydraulic hose? Ours are melting at the fittings on the arm side of the hose. There was a long conversation on the potential causes but everyone pointed to carbon fittings rather than the stainless steel they should be.

 Took a break at 2:15

We started back at 2:30

 What type of tunnel panels are other shop using? Some used cast iron, water with cast iron were some used.

 How do other shop update drawings after job or project. Some shops have internal engineers or co-op students do them. Then other contracted the task with an outside engineering firm.

 What type of pm’s are other shops doing on mast roll boxes. There were only a couple of shops with any type of pm’s mostly a grease and visual inspections were done.

 What are other shops using for water back up in the event of a power outage? Most shops have a backup pump systems. Some have electrical generators

 Does anyone use Melter for water cooled roofs? Some do but shipping cost is high and makes them less competitive.

 Has anyone done redesign on there “B” phase loop. Any one used the BSE loop study? One shop has had it done and they did provide an improvement in the power efficiency.

 Is anyone using solo gas analyzer? No one was at the time some had ESOP systems but accuracy has been questionable.

 What companies are other shops using for their electrode lead repair and what type of wear protection is being used? Watteredge and Nucore were 2 discussed. Swivel clamps were also discussed with some shops using them on their leads.

 Is anyone injecting lime in a burner panel? no

 Anyone have any experience with the Siemens PLC. We have them on our retort furnace and the PLS panels are running real hot? Everyone who has them, did not have heating issues.

 What are other shops doing for tie off point when working on mast arms? Some shops have tie off points for arm inspection and the covered how they were designed and installed.

 What type of filters are other shops using for caster water? Sand, Centrifugal force type filtering. We want to improve the quality water before it gets to the sand filter. The group discussed multiple ideas for them.

 Took a break at 3:55

We started back at 4:05

 Is anyone using graphite wheels? Most of those present used them in high temp application like on rotary furnaces. Others thought about using them in a caster application.

 What types of cable carriers are other shop using on their caster transfer car? The group discussed what they use as well as different types of carriers system.

 Are other shop using an alternative material for run out rolls like aluminum bronze or other materials? The group share the differ things that have been tried and used.

 Does anyone use air drive motors? Most used electric motor and seemed to be very reliable.

 What do other shops use to clean around the LMF? Grant or Gradall. Grant was the most widely used.

 What are other shops doing to keep the door clear? One shop actually has a burner right over the door and it works very well.

 Does anyone use BSE to evaluate baghouse performance? Bender was used and Hatch.

 Who is making the tap hole sander? Longo/More/Tenove were a few.

 The round table finished at 4:45 pm.

 This meeting the members will be on their own for dinner and return to the hotel for the Hospitality room activities from 7 till 11 provided by the supplier sponsors.

 The group started off Tuesday with breakfast from 7:00 to 8:00. Bill opened the Technical session with updates for the day and reminded everyone that was in attendance to provide their business cards for the attendee list. This will be emailed to the attendees later in the week.

 Bill made the introduction for our first presentation at 8:05.

LEE MONTGOMERY & STEVE HORNYAK OF CASTROL INDUSTRIAL PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “LUBRICATION CHALLENGES”

Lee finished the presentation at 8:35 and took questions from the floor.

 After a short break Jonathon introduced our second paper at 9:00. 

ROSS KOVANDA/TOM MILLS OF AMERICAN CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGIES & ROBERT MCKIMM FORM PROFESSIONAL LUBRICANT SOLUTIONS PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, "US STEEL GARY WORKS CASTER CASE STUDY”.

Ross & Tom finished the presentation at 9:30 and took questions from the floor.

 After a short break Jonathon introduced our third paper at 9:55

 DAVE ROBERTS OF AIRSTREAM PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED "ADVANCED SERVICES SOLUTIONS TO DRIVE OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE AT NUCOR JEWETT EAF EMISSION SYSTEM FANS UPGRADE”.

Dave finished the presentation at 10:30 and took questions from the floor.

 Bill made the introduction for our fourth presentation at 11:00

 ROBERT STRAIN OF PRIMETALS PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, "LADLE STIRING TECHNOLOGY”

 Robert finished the presentation at 11:30 and took questions from the floor.

 12:00 Members went to lunch

 1:00   Members boarded bus and departed at 1:15 for the tour of the Ellwood Quality Steel plant

 4:30                 RETURN TO THE HOTEL

 At 6:00 the members gathered in the Ballroom for a hospitality mixer.

 At 7:00 dinner was served.

 At 8:30 we were able to hear our guest speaker BJORN GABRIELSSON EGI VICE PRESIDENT STEELMAKING TECHNOLOGY ELLWOOD GROUP INC.

 From 9:00 - 11:00 the group finished with a mixer to discuss the day’s events and information.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 10, 2018            

 9:00 - 2:00           MEMBERS WILL ENJOY A GOLF OUTING AT THE MILL CREEK GOLF COURSE LOCATED AT      1 WEST GOLF DR., BOARDMAN, OH 44512. TEE OFF 9:00AM

MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OUR FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK

October 8, 9, & 10 Meeting Agenda

MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2018

 7:00                      HOTEL BREAKFAST BUFFET

                              SIGN IN WITH YOUR BUSINESS CARD

 8:00 - 8:10.          INTRODUCTIONS & MEETING KICK OFF BY PRESIDENT SEAN COLLINS

 8:10 - 12:00         ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS.

                             (CLOSED TO SUPPLIERS)

 12:00 - 1:00         LUNCH BUFFET

 1:00 - 4:30           ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS

                             (CLOSED TO SUPPLIERS)

 5:00 – 6:00          MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OWN FOR DINNER

 7:00 – 11:00        HOSPITALITY SUITE WITH HOURSDORVES

                             PROVIDED BY THE SUPPLIER GROUP (ALL INVITED)

 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2018

 7:00 – 8:00          HOTEL BREAKFAST BUFFET

 8:00                      INTRODUCTION: VICE PRESIDENTS BILL HOSMER & JONATHAN PUTMAN

 8:05                      PRESENTATION:

LEE MONTGOMERY & STEVE HORNYAK OF CASTROL INDUSTRIAL PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED “LUBRICATION CHALLENGES”

 8:35 – 8:45          QUESTIONS

 8:45 – 9:00          BREAK

 9:00– 9:30           PRESENTATION: 

ROSS KOVANDA/TOM MILLS OF American Chemical technologies  & Robert McKimm form Professional lubricant solutions PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, "US Steel Gary Works Caster Case Study ”

 9:30 – 9:40          QUESTIONS

 9:40—9:55          BREAK

  9:55 – 10:30        PRESENTATION:

DAVE ROBERTS OF AIRSTREAM PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED "Advanced Services Solutions to Drive Operational Excellence AT Nucor Jewett EAF Emission System Fans UPGRADE”

 10:30 – 10:45      QUESTIONS

 10:45 - 11:00       BREAK

 11:00 - 11:30       PRESENTATION: 

ROBERT STRAIN OF PRIMETALS PRESENTING A PAPER TITLED, "LADLE STIRING TECHNOLOGY”

 11:30 – 11:45      QUESTIONS

 12:00                 LUNCH BUFFET

 1:00 - 1:15           BOARD BUS OUTSIDE HOTEL PROMPTLY FOR THE TOUR OF ELLWOOD QUALITY STEELS NEW CASTLE FACILITY

 4:00 – 4:30          RETURN TO THE HOTEL

 6:00 -7:00            GATHER IN THE BALL ROOM FOR HAPPY HOUR

 7:00 - 8:30           DINNER

 GUEST SPEAKER:          

                             Bjorn Gabrielsson 

                             EGI Vice President

                             Steelmaking Technology

                             Ellwood group incorporated

 8:30 - 11:00         HOSPITALITY MIXER WITH BEVERAGES

 Wednesday OCTOBER 10, 2018            

 9:00 - 2:00           MEMBERS WILL ENJOY A GOLF OUTING AT THE

                              Mill Creek Golf Course

                             1 West Golf Dr.
                             Boardman, OH 44512

                              TEE OFF 9:00AM

 MEMBERS ARE ON THERE OUR FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK

Meeting Notice for the 45th meeting of the Maintenance Guild on October 8, 9, and 10, 2018.

The forty-fifth meeting of the Maintenance Guild will be held in Boardman, Ohio with our host Plant being Ellwood Quality Steels in New Castle.

All attendees should plan to be in an all-day round table session on Monday with an evening hospitality mixer. The technical presentations and tour will be on Tuesday and our Golf outing Wednesday morning. Transportation for the Plant tour will be provided for the group.

We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Hotel located at 7410 South Ave., Youngstown, Ohio 44512. You can fly into Akron/Canton Regional Airport (CAK) which is 47 miles from the hotel, Cleveland International Airport (CLE) which is approximately 61 miles from the hotel or into Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) which is approximately 58 miles from the airport to the Holiday Inn. The room rate for the Guild members will be $104.99 dollars per night. To make your reservations, individuals should Call (800) 439-4745 or (330) 726-1611) ask for a room out of the "Maintenance Guild Meeting" block. You can also click Maintenance Guild to book on line. All reservations will be held after 6PM and guaranteed for late arrival only if accompanied by a first night room deposit or guaranteed to a major credit card.

You need to make the meeting fee payments in advance. The cost for this meeting will be $350.00 (American). Registration and payment can now be made on our website www.maintguild.com or you can Email me a PO number and I will invoice you for the fees as long as we receive the funds prior to the meeting. This fee will cover the cost of meals, bus transportation, meeting rooms, and equipment.  The cutoff date for the block of room we have on hold is September 24 2018 so make your reservations soon. After this date the rooms will go on a first come first served basis. There are few hotels close to this location so please make your travel arrangements as soon as possible.

Tuesday evening we will have a dinner with a guest speaker from Ellwood Quality Steel, New Castle

For those individuals that are interested there will be a group gathering Wednesday for a round of golf.  If you are interested in playing please contact Mark Kropf at kropfm@maintguild.com or call him at (330) 479-5060. I need to know by no later than October 5th if you plan on golfing so tee times can be secured.  We plan to Tee off by 9:00 and finish at 2:00. After the outing all members will be on their own for the rest of the weekend.

We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you in Boardman. Ohio.