Team News Riveting
Raipur, January 17
Sunday, 16th of January 2022 was a red letter day for SAIL-Bhilai Steel Plant’s Steel Melting Shop-II. While people were enjoying their Sundays at home in cold overcast weather, SMS-II collective was quietly scripting history by keeping its convertors and casters red hot.
It was not until very recently that Slab Casters were of SMS-II were ailing because of multiple problems. SMS-II team under the guidance of Shri Anjani Kumar, ED (Works) and Shri Sushil Kumar, CGM (SMS-II) put in concerted efforts to bring the Slab Casters back on track. Be it preparation of Spare Pinch Roll sets, or enhancing the overall effectiveness of Maintenance, SMS-II collective tightened its belts and worked in teams to ensure that the entire Hot Metal sent to SMS-II is consumed.
By monitoring the various parameters, SMS-II collective started pushing boundaries in all domains – the best example of which is casting 40 heats at a single stretch in one Tundish in Caster # 6 on 16th Jan 2022 surpassing the record 38 heats made just 10 days earlier. Longer sequence in Caster # 6 would mean higher productivity of the most modern Caster at SMS-II. Enhanced reliability of Caster # 6 and disciplined operation led SMS-II in scaling this new peak.
In line with ED (Work)’s call for ‘Consuming the hot metal’ produced by Blast Furnaces, SMS-II also geared itself up for the challenging duration when CV-I of the Plant’s SMS-III was planned for shutdown. During the entire shutdown period from 10th January to 17th January 2022, SMS-II stood up to the task, clocking an average of 60 heats per day. On 10th Jan 22, the first day of shutdown of CV 1 of SMS III, as many as 68 heats were produced by SMS-II and on the next day, SMS II produced 71 heats surpassing a three year old milestone.
Demonstrating its prowess even when enough Hot Metal was not available for Bloom production, SMS-II produced 67 heats – all slab heats on 16th Jan 2022 surpassing the previous best of 60 slab heats. This quantum leap was only possible because of excellent leadership and focused and synergized team efforts – not only by Team SMS-II, but by the supporting departments as well. With completion of massive Capital Repair of Caster # 1, SMS-II is keeping the scoreboard of BSP ticking.
Director I/c Bhilai Steel Plant and other senior officers have congratulated the collective of SMS 2 and supporting shops for the record performances.
