An extensive amount of work has been completed to Improve reliability and decrease variability within the casting operation at No.7 Blast Furnace through the use of the CIP process. The CIP process allowed us to breakdown the interdependence of Issues into components that could be attacked systematically in-route to continuous improvement. Quality control and refinements to taphole clay, preventative maintenance and modifications to existing equipment and a common goal supported by all casthouse personnel have been the avenue with which the improvements have been driven. A side bar to a discussion on improvements would be incomplete without mention of the improvement that has been experienced in safety within the casthouse (fig. 8). Attitude, awareness, housekeeping, inspections, proactive repairs, and work done by safety committees (continuous improvement) have all been key contributors to the success. Due to current furnace conditions a substantial amount of time and effort is spent maintaining the improvements already in place. Without the CIP process and improvements already made furnace productivity would have suffered.
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