Steel Matters Issue 8

ISSUE 8 SteelMatters February 2021 Your community magazine WHAT’S INSIDE SAFE WORKING Mass Covid-19 testing at 3 Port Talbot site CLEAN-up at MORFA Beach 5 Steel Heroes to beach heroes Ca ‘I lOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER’ FAMILY POVERTY The focus on ‘first events’, such as despatches out of each UK site, passed the test The Cold Truth appeal is back with a 2021 twist 7 Director Strategic Business the UK and mainland Europe would be What’s more, we kept all our promises to separation is just as relevant to the Development Deirdre Fox may not significantly less. our customers.” inwards supply of materials and services see herself as John “Hannibal” Smith, “However, until the deal was done Deirdre added: “The teams have also that allow us to operate.” but she may well see all those people at the end of December, the issue of been dealing with external factors such as Of course, the Brexit separation is who worked so hard to prepare for and trading measures was still one that availability of transport and the efficiency far from over, as Deirdre explained: execute Tata Steel’s Brexit plans, to be could make a massive difference to our of third party systems and so on. “There will continue to be issues to akin to the A-Team. customers and their supply chains. “There remain challenges on these resolve across the water in the next 12 While it may not be accurate to “Our own focus in the first week of fronts, especially following the pre- to 24 months as industries align their describe the transition between 2020 January was on testing ‘first events’, Christmas Covid-19-related blockages product qualifications and so on, but and 2021 as totally seamless, for Tata such as the first despatch out of each of and now availability of transport as I’m delighted that the team’s hard work, Steel and its customers it went as well as our UK sites and the first transfers from volumes start to ramp up in all sectors of professionalism and attention-to-detail is anyone might have expected. mainland Europe sites to the UK. trade, but our Logistics team is all over paying off. Deirdre said: “Once we knew we had “Despite some issues that were those issues like a rash. “The objective now is to embed the agreement on tariff-rate quotas for steel addressed quickly, these events all “I should also make mention of the new processes into business-as-usual. It CELEBRatiONS in early December, we knew the issues passed the test and demonstrated that amazing work the Procurement teams will take time, but we are making really Steel family Runtech 8 for moving our own products between our systems were working correctly. have been doing – the impact of the good progress.“ – 25 years in business ISSUE 8 | February 2021 SteelMatters SteelMatters ISSUE 8 | February 2021 NEWS DEAR IN BRIEF COVID-19 TESTING NEIGHBOUR AdaPT AND Severfield strong despite REFLECT ON Covid-19 Severfield, the UK’s largest structural WHAT WORKS steel specialist, has reported a 40% BEST FOR US ALL increase in its revenue to £186m PROCESS EXTENDED and a 3% rise in underlying profit for Tata Steel is discussing with the UK The pandemic has made many of us the six-month period to September. Government’s Department of Health look at our day-to-day practices and The company said it had performed and Social Care plans to extend its Port has forced many of us to slow down, strongly despite Covid-19, with an Talbot-based serial testing process to reflect on what works in our lives increased UK and Europe order also include Llanwern employees and and those things that do not. book. contractor partners at both sites. We’ve been no different as a Having successfully completed the business. JFE makes new electrical daily Covid-19 testing of around 600 We’ve leaned in to the practices maintenance contractors during the Mills that will drive us forward and have steel and Energy stops before Christmas, the been diligently preparing for the Japanese steelmaker JFE has Covid-19 testing facility outside the main challenges that are to come. launched a new silicon-gradient canteen at Port Talbot quickly moved on We have ensured the business is steel sheet for use in high-speed to become a serial testing facility. prepared for Brexit (page 1). motors, which it is producing using Dean Magill, Head of Central We introduced mass testing for its proprietary chemical vapor Operations, said: “Serial testing is the contractor colleagues working on deposition (CVD) technology. The process whereby anyone who has been maintenance at our mills, and are new material helps to increase asked to self-isolate, having been in now working on rapid flow testing motor torque and significantly close contact with a confirmed positive for colleagues at business-critical improve efficiency for energy Covid-19 case, can instead opt to have a areas (page 3). A major job, but one conservation, which it says will test for up to 10 consecutive days. that will ensure the continuation of enable its customers to develop “If tested negative on site, the our operations safely. higher-quality products. individual effectively has a daily passport The community events we to work, or to go about their outside work support also adapted and most Nestlé launches reusable A new extraction hood at Morfa Coke Ovens will improve the plant’s environmental performance activity. went virtual in light of local “The few who test positive are advised lockdowns. steel packaging to go to an NHS facility for a confirmatory You can read more about our Nestlé is to offer reusable stainless test and, if confirmed, will then be We are seeking to extend our testing programme to include colleagues in Llanwern and contractor partners at both sites latest award nominations (page steel containers for some of its required to self-isolate for the statutory 7), how lockdown couldn’t stop cereals, cocoa powder and coffee 10 days.” our people safe, but also in keeping the enthusiasm of the running via French retailer Carrefour. The Dean said that, so far, the scheme has our assets stable and keeping cash in community to ensure the Tata scheme has been developed in MAKING BIG DIFFERENCE been an unparalleled success. the business, as well as maintaining our Steel Richard Burton 10k was a partnership with Loop, a global “We volunteered to pilot the scheme service to customers. Enabling these success (page 5), how our steel circular company, and is the latest ahead of any other company in the UK,” healthy people to continue their roles has heroes stepped up, yet again, to step in Nestlé’s efforts to reduce he added. saved around 10,500 hours of work that help families in need in our local packaging. Consumers can access “In Port Talbot, 163 people have would otherwise have had to be covered community across Christmas (page the products through Carrefour’s completed the 10-day programme by others.” 6) and what’s in store this spring online service. AT MORFA COKE OVENS without contracting the virus and Mark added: “I’m hopeful we might with the reimagining of the popular A £4m investment in a new extraction explained: “The hood operates at the Coke is a refined form of coal with coating, which also reduces the risk of another 83 are currently going through it. imminently gain approval to extend the Cold Truth appeal with our friends Post-Brexit trade deal hood for Port Talbot’s coke ovens is back of the coke battery and sits over few impurities that is used as a corrosion.” We have also identified 31 asymptomatic scheme to Llanwern and for our on-site at The Wave radio. about to be commissioned, improving the full 28m length of the coke car that source of carbon and to provide Dean Vincent, Works Manager Morfa positive cases.” contractor partners. It means that even As you can see, 2020 changed so welcomed the environmental performance of the catches around 30 tonnes of hot coke as structure in the blast furnace burden. Coke Ovens, added: “People should Manufacturing Director Mark Davies more people will be allowed to work who much about how we each live and The British car industry has unit that produces 800,000Mt of coke it is pushed out of each oven. not forget that this whole project has said: “This testing facility has made a don’t have the virus, and those that have work. welcomed the trade deal agreed for the blast furnaces each year. “The coke car and the hood move up its Port Talbot workshop, the structural been undertaken while the ovens huge difference not only in keeping contracted it can be isolated early.” But there is always one certainty I between the UK and the European The project team scoured the world and down the battery as different ovens bridges and ducting have been re-made have been operating. The project have come to rely upon, and that is Union which should allow for the for the best available technology before are pushed approximately every 12 or refurbished on site or by Skelton team has worked brilliantly with the that my colleagues and I are ready tariff-free trade of cars and car working with the original equipment minutes, before taking the hot coke to Thomas in Baglan. operational crews, the design office for the challenges. parts. The head of Eurometal, the manufacturer, JM Henderson, on a be water-quenched.

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