Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 18

15 HOW TO ISSUE Contact: JEFF KELLER jeff.keller@mmei-inc.com Lo Barato Sale Caro As this magazine is distributed in both English and Spanish, we’ll borrow a saying from our Mexican foundry friends. In English, it would be, “What you buy cheap ends up costing you dearly.” All of us are driven to reduce costs and buy wisely, and that is a good practice. When we choose instead to compromise quality for price, we generally suffer. One of the areas this has a big impact in our furnace operations is with refractory materials. In our business of supplying pumps to the market, we see firsthand what can happen when installs or re-linings are not done to a high- quality standard. In all cases it leads to diminished performance and a domino effect of negative outcomes, and in some cases it can be catastrophic. I mentioned this in my last article, and I know it runs counter to the way we often look at our operations but addressing refractory issues before they fail is going to yield a much better outcome than waiting until it is too late. Your furnace is your most important profit generating asset, and it is a system that requires all its elements to be functioning at the expected level of performance to deliver. Here again, you can measure and keep records that will better allow you to maximize what you can generate. Coupling this with a preventative maintenance program focusing on the system and the interrelationships between the elements is the key to seeing improved performance. “Why to” drives “How to” Starting with the “why to” is fundamental to then determining “how to” best drive outcomes for your operation. We know that in general, circulating a furnace will generate a 25 - 35% reduction in energy cost, and so there is a strong rationale for why to do this. To get the maximum benefit from circulation, you have to maintain the system so that it can deliver these savings 24/7/365. Starting with the investment in your team and what they will need to do this consistently (training and tools) pays huge dividends. Following some of the suggested steps we’ve shared and making cleaning a core part of your operation will allow you to develop this into a core competency that can differentiate you in the marketplace and significantly improve your bottom line.