Olympic Steel – Minneapolis, MN (Plate): Michael Scales

When running the beveller, steel chips build up in the wheels and gears of the machine, causing downtime and added expense for maintenance and replacement parts. Michael Scales, Mechanical Beveller Operator, recognized this problem and wanted to find a solution. He worked with the maintenance and continuous improvement departments to test a few ideas before …

When running the beveller, steel chips build up in the wheels and gears of the machine, causing downtime and added expense for maintenance and replacement parts. Michael Scales, Mechanical Beveller Operator, recognized this problem and wanted to find a solution. He worked with the maintenance and continuous improvement departments to test a few ideas before choosing the most workable, cost-efficient solution: using air to blow the steel chips away from the wheels. After a test proved its effectiveness, Mike worked with maintenance to add magnetic air nozzles to the machine so the chips would be cleared automatically. After about 6 weeks, it’s estimated that adding the air hose will more than double the life of the wheels, saving at least $25,000 annually.

Lesson Learned:

It might take some trial and error before getting it right, but when you stay the course you’re bound to succeed.