13 COMMUNICATION ISSUE Continued on next page The ladle is the workhorse of the foundry and, it is my experience, that as long as it does what is expected, especially as a tool for production, it is often not really thought about. STEVEN HARKER Technical Director Acetarc Engineering Co. Ltd ARTICLE TAKEAWAYS: • Effective communications on a global scale has never been easier • Don’t assume that everybody understands everybody else’s requirements Integrated Foundry Ladles for Higher Performance Yet, I’d argue that not only it is worth thinking about but that it ought to be considered in the wider context— of how the ladle is fully integrated into the foundry. Not just with regard to the pouring of the metal but also other aspects as well. The full life cycle of the ladle needs to be taken into account, especially when evaluating the cost/ performance balance of the ladle to understand what it is worth to the foundry. Longer lasting, cost effective higher performing ladles comes from ladles designed with the entire foundry operation and operator in mind. However, none of this is possible without good communication between all those involved. I’ve listed five important factors, that are all linked together to form a successful ladle: •Communication •Safety •Performance •Value • Integration Apart from safety which has to be the primary concern, the other points are listed in no particular order. They all form some aspect of what goes together to make the best ladle for a particular foundry. An important point being that each foundry is different and “one size does not fit all.” However, in order to properly link all of those factors, you must have solid communication. Not just between the foundry and the ladle manufacturer but also including any other relevant party such as the refractory supplier/installer. COMMUNICATION We’ve probably all seen a variation of the swing design cartoon. While funny, It does highlight that there are several stages that a product goes through, from initial consultation with a customer, to the product being delivered and installed. Each step in the process has the possibility of a misintereptation of what is actually required. Especially if everybody assumes that everbody else fully understands what is required, which is seldom the case. All of this seems very dated as fortunately, communication between all parties is much easier than it used to be. Back when I started, drawing were done to scale on the board (on tracing paper) and if you wanted to send a drawing to a customer, you either had to post a copy or had to print it in A1 size (23.4” X 33.1”) and then cut it up into smaller fax size pieces, with marks to show how it should be reassembled. Today you can either send a PDF or even a “live” CAD file. Thanks to video conferencing, it is possible to have an in depth “virtually face to face” meeting, with all relevant people, while we are still in different countries and on different time zones. The visual aspect adds an important layer to the communication. A lot of communication is done
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