Teamworks
The Next Dimension - Spring 1990 - I/N Tek"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
This maxim may hold true at other companies, but at I/N Tek, the rule is: Fix it before it breaks. And in no place is this more evident than around Equipment Control Manager Joe Santini and his Equipment Control Team. Composed of 63 highly-trained and motivated members, the Team has created what could be deemed a steel plant owner's manual.
This article was featured in The Next Dimension. The "manual" provides the Team with a checklist of items that enables its members to continually monitor the pulse of I/N Tek's vast network of equipment. Electrical, mechanical and instrumental experts take readings, check gauges and plot charts, all in an effort to keep the I/N Tek continuous cold mill system running smoothly, efficiently. This maintenance program anticipates problems so I/N Tek can meet the product specifications and expectations of each customer.
"The Equipment Control Team's focus is completely different from that found in other plants," says Orvie Ward, an electrical equipment control resource. "Instead of fixing something once it is broken, we focus on maintenance. We want to know about a potential problem ahead of time, before something breaks down."
According to Phil Butler, mechanical equipment control resource, I/N Tek's inspection and maintenance system is driven by a focus on both the entire scope of the plant's operations, and the individual needs of customers. Equipment Control Team members work hand in hand with operators and technical team members to understand the equipment's operation and its relationship to the customer's product as it progresses through the continuous cold mill process. Such attention to detail is a major contributor to the superior quality of the end product.
Fifty-seven of the Team's members are of the "core" maintenance group which provides loving care to the I/N Tek equipment. The remaining six Equipment Control Team members work as maintenance support, taking responsibility for maintenance computer work orders and the inventory of spare parts.
Electrical Inspector Eric Roper and Auxiliary Equipment Control Resource John "Tiny" Franiak say the Equipment Control Team's pride in its work is directly related to the responsibilities each member is given.
"We've never had the ability to make hands-on decisions," explains Roper. "Now we have the ability to work together on an equal basis, respecting each other and the decisions that we make collectively."
Adds Franiak, "We all feel a sense of 'ownership' in the plant. I/N Tek is much like our homes, something we take pride in. Because we care about the plant, how it looks and how it runs are important."
Santini says the Equipment Control Team's initial target, following I/N Tek's commissioning, is to obtain the plant "steady state" working ratio of 90% or above. But customer satisfaction will never be sacrificed to reach this goal.
"Our first priority is to make sure all our product is the best available. Through our high performance, high commitment, self-directed work force, and our inspection method of maintenance focus, we will live up to our claims about how good our steel product is going to be."
