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Steel relighting is a welcome beacon of good news

I have already commented at some length on a similar article on the potential of this works being successful, so I will not repeat them here. There are many detailed inaccuracies in this article, but they merely serve to illustrate the lack of understanding in those who are responsible for the recording of these events, important though they are. I wish I could join in the celebrations, but prefer to take a more realistic view of the situation concerning the Redcar works. It is routine for blast furnaces to be rebuilt at the end of campaigns. What makes this a little more interesting is that it MAY not have been blown down properly when it was “mothballed” by Tata, and that the ancillary supporting facilities have to be re-commissioned as well, and some of these are major pieces of equipment in their own right. I refer to the burden preparation, power station, oxygen plant, steel making and casting and a host of other supporting services of which little has been heard, but are equally important. The main reason for there being less people employed is less to do with automation, but more to do with the contracting out of services to external contractors, continuing the trend started by Corus/Tata, The statement that the relining of a blast furnace can take years is frankly ridiculous. It is a routine operation carried out regularly. Whole new works, with much more facilities, are started up from scratch in areas where there is no history of steelmaking at all, and in less time, with inexperienced labour.

18 Apr 2012

10:33 am