Background
Following on from the previous Aleris case study, this one focuses on another iteration of our well-known Aluminium Rolling Technology Course; the four-day Operator Workshops.
Aleris is a global leader in the manufacture and sale of aluminium rolled products. It serves a variety of end-use industries which include aerospace, automotive, building and construction, transportation, packaging, and consumer goods.
We developed a version of our rolling course specifically for Aleris Rolled Products North America to train their shop floor operators. The course takes theoretical concepts and then applies them in a workshop environment to solve a current production issue. To date, we’ve run this course at several Aleris sites including The Clayton Rolling Mill.
How we were involved
Our Operator Workshops always start with an objective. At Aleris Clayton this was to increase the speed and productivity of their cold mill and foil mill.
Dan Miller and Vicente Martin taught a group of around 15 mill operators, supervisors and engineers the fundamentals of rolling. This included which parameters are critical to monitor and control. The aim was to provide the team with the explanations behind their standard operating practices, so they fully understand why tasks must be done in a certain way. Furthermore, it gives the operators the understanding and confidence to deal with any non-standard situations.
Following the classroom sessions, Vicente and Dan demonstrated techniques, including the thermal management of rolls and the optimisation of rolling loads, on the mills.
Outcome
The feedback from the course, from both operators and management alike, was very positive. In fact, the mills recorded their most productive month ever immediately after the course.
Services Involved
- Aluminium rolling
- Aluminium Rolling Technology Course
This case study appears as an article in the 2019 edition of ‘innform’; the newsletter of Innoval Technology.
We have experienced a significant increase in sustained productivity performance on both mills. For the month of October both mills exceeded their shift average finish pounds performance goals. The workshop also increased the knowledge and experiences of my current rolling mill teams. Your assistance in our collective efforts is greatly appreciated and cannot be overstated. Thank you.
Member of the Senior Management Team, Aleris Clayton
I was impressed how engaged my team was during the training session considering they do not spend a lot of time in a classroom. I don’t think this would have been the case if the presentation and training material was not relevant to what they experience on a day to day basis. Directly after the training session, a fairly new operator utilized what he had learned in the class to improve his ability to start up on a cold set up. He was amazed at the outcome and I am sure he will be sharing his experience with fellow co-workers!
Kris Baum, Operations Manager, Aleris Richmond
