The steelmakers, the Plantbuilders and the Virus

It feels a lot longer, but COVID-19 has ruled our lives for less than one year, so far. In the months since the outbreak in China, and the consequent spread to all corners of the globe, industrial companies have continuously reassessed and updated their attitude and the measures to take amidst the pandemic. Let’s hear some recent views on the challenges and measures taken.

Tata Steel develops Swab Collection Unit to minimise contamination risk

Nest-In, Tata Steel’s construction solutions business venture, has developed a COVID-19 testing booth for a swab collection procedure that is hassle-free and safe for both healthcare professionals and patients.

The Nest-In design & development team spent days interacting with medical professionals and studying the existing units in the market to identify pain points and derive insights. They developed an innovative unit which enables a contactless exchange of test tubes and is equipped with a two-way mic and speaker system that facilitates clear communication between the healthcare professional and the patient. The unit is spacious and constructed with insulated sandwich panels to provide a pleasant and comfortable environment inside the unit.

The unit is also equipped with a builtin disinfectant spray that eliminates the need for an additional resource to sanitise the unit after each sample collection, further reducing the risk of infection. The hardened glass ensures clear visibility and safety for healthcare professionals and patients.

Tata adjusts working hours to avoid heavy traffic

The 12-hour work shift trialled at Tata Steel Jamshedpur’s new bar mill, sinter plant and the Industrial By-product Management Division (IBMD) to contain the spread of COVID-19, has been successful. “The trial’s success gives us the confidence to roll out the 12-hour work shift in other departments in Jamshedpur works as per the business requirement and assessing the COVID-19 situation,” a press communiqué issued by the steel giant stated. The primary objective of the re

Tata’s swab collection unit can be also used by hospitals, testing labs and industrial firms

quest was to reduce employee traffic on the shop floor and reduce employees’ exposure to an out-of-home environment.

The Jharkhand Government exempted the company from various provisions relating to weekly hours, daily hours, intervals for rest, etc. for adult workers, and allowed the workforce at Tata Steel Jamshedpur to work up to twelve hours a day.

Midrex: Learning from the Buffalo

“What we considered normal a few months ago might seem appealing right now, but the status quo is overrated. Change happens when it becomes dissatisfying enough and unacceptable to stay where we are, so we try something new,” says Stephen Montague, president and CEO of Midrex Technologies. “Change produces innovation, and innovation drives progress. We certainly did not choose this path for change, but we can control how we respond. Now is not the time to wish everything would go back to the way it was. It is time to acknowledge that we have the opportunity to create something better. My Midrex teammates have Stephen heard the story Montague, about how buffalo president and and cattle react CEO of Midrex when a storm ap Technologies. proaches. Cattle try to escape by turning away from the storm and heading in the opposite direction. But cows cannot outrun storms; instead of running away, buffalo turn into the storm and meet it headon. Both of them will have to endure the storm’s fury, but the buffalo will spend less time in the storm, thereby reducing the pain and suffering. At Midrex, we choose to address our challenges like the buffalo.” Among other things, Montague highlights that no one has the answers; it is vital to understand the general trends of change and get moving. “It is easy to become paralysed by the lack of information needed to make accurate forecasts. It is better to be nimble and frequently adjust the course than to put faith and time into pinpoint forecasting,” he says.

Tenova Shares Information in Digital Space

“It goes without saying that safeguarding people’s health and safety remains our number one priority. Business continuity has been the other major priority since day one: with all means at our disposal, we strive to guarantee proximity to our customers,” Tenova says in a statement sent to MPT International. “Our digitals solutions already in place, specifically

We Need to Share Experiences

No matter where in the world you are located: your voice matters. If you have anything to say about measures to limit the impact of COVID-19 on our industry that you feel other steel professionals should know about, please write to mpt-international@maenken.com

Tenova adVISOR and Tenova EDGE, played an important role in supporting our customers despite the imposed distancing and the impossibility to travel.

Additionally, we opened a direct, interactive channel to communicate with our external stakeholders: between July and August, we launched Tenova WebArena, a virtual space where our experts shared their knowledge and hands-on experience through webinars. The initiative was highly appreciated, so we have decided to continue with a new series of events.”

… and observes renewed interest in Green Technologies

“This tsunami has heavily affected the metals sector. However, we have recently noticed a strong, renewed attention to advanced technologies that enable the implementation of a virtuous circular economy along the entire value chain, together with continuous efforts towards the decarbonisation of the production process. Over the last few months, we have opened the discussion and, in some cases, signed new contracts for green technologies, in steelmaking plants in general, and, more specifically, regarding DRI – Direct Iron Reduction.

This crisis will widen the gap between those who have invested in innovative and sustainable technologies and those who have not, favouring the former in a market outlook that promises to be incredibly competitive.”

The pandemic hit Tenova’s operations right at the start, when it spread in China, as the company has offices in Beijing and Tianjin—around 700 miles from Wuhan—and customers all around the country. “The experience gained from the Chinese crisis helped us appreciate the gravity of the events and move proactively when the unforeseen health emergency arose in Lombardy, Italy, where Tenova’s headquarters are located,” Matteo Colombo, Tenova QHSE Manager, stated earlier this summer. “I can say that we reacted promptly from day one, adopting drastic preventive measures, much stricter than the governmental ones.”

Precaution while carrying out a reline - ArcelorMittal Belgium

The relining of blast furnace B at ArcelorMittal Ghent will take around four months, with many employees working at the same time on the construction site. The company stresses the prevention measures taken on site. Three ground rules must be strictly adhered to: good hand hygiene, adherence to a social distance of 1.5 metres and the obligation to wear a face mask. In collaboration with an external prevention agency, a test module has been set up to make on-site coronavirus sampling easily accessible. Accredited test laboratories carry out the sample analysis. This is all executed in consultation with the Care and Health Agency, the Province of East Flanders, the City of Ghent, the Ghent hospital network and the General Practitioners Association Ghent. The temperature of all employees is monitored and recorded daily at the entrance of the ArcelorMittal Ghent site and the construction site. The company also carries out random checks during the working hours. “Thanks to effective internal contact tracing, we can quickly identify with whom, for how long and at how close a distance an infected employee in the workplace has been in contact with,” it says.

Latin America concerned about the redirection of steel trade flows

The WHO said it is particularly concerned about Central and South America, where “many countries are experiencing accelerating epidemics”, while the steel industry in Latin America has had one of the greatest impacts on declining production worldwide. The forecasted drop in the region’s GDP is more than 7%, the worst since reliable data emerged in 1901, according to the South American steel association Alacero. Regional steel production registered a 19% drop in the first semester, and the region is receiving imports that represent 39% of the consumption, with roughly a third of that percentage coming from China. The country is generating an indirect impact on local industries by “diverting” its products to Latin American countries covered by incentives and subsidies that help them achieve lower prices. In this context, Alacero has renewed its request to regional governments to defend local industries from highly unequal competition.

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