October Meeting Postponed

This tour has been postponed. Please check back for the rescheduled date.

Smiths Machine – Thursday Dec. 02, 2010

Smiths Machine invites SME Birmingham Chapter 143 to tour their Cottondale, AL Plant #1.

Date:
December 02, 2010

Time:
4:45 p.m. - Social Time (Refreshments provided)
5:30 p.m. - Tour

Location:
Smiths Machine - Plant #1
14120 Highway 11 North
Cottondale, AL 35453


Smiths Machine provides State of the Art Manufacturing through applied integrated engineering, planning, and manufacturing processes. They use Multi-Axis Twin Spindle Turning that can complete all six sides of complex parts in one setting, resulting in higher accuracy in the shortest time. They handle parts up to 600mm diameter and 1.18 meters in length. Their high-tech 5 axis milling machines give the ability to produce the most demanding complex geometry of part sizes up to 1 cubic meter, utilizing multiple pallets and high capacity tool magazines. The Value Added Services include mechanical assembly, surface and heat treatments as well as kitting and customized packaging. A world class inspection department is synchronized with production to ensure the highest accuracy. Inspecting with the latest scanning technology by ZEISS, they can measure all parts they manufacture. Smiths Machine LLC is ISO 9001:2000 CERTIFIED for Quality Management Systems and is a majority female owned business.

PPE requirements not yet determined.


Please register for this event by sending an e-mail to MarkPartyka@yahoo.com or Blane.Vines@nucor.com.

We look forward to seeing you there.

October 29 Tour: TS Tech Alabama, Boaz

TS Tech Alabama LLC invites SME Birmingham members to tour their Boaz, Alabama facilities on Thursday, October 29, 2009, 5pm - 7pm.

TS Tech Co, LTD is a global supplier of automobile seats, automotive interiors, motorcycle seats, and motorcycle parts. The TS Tech Alabama plant manufactures automobile seats for Honda. Our host, Brian Cochran will show us what it takes for a Tier 1 Automotive Supplier to deliver large quantities of high-quality, custom interior seating components "just-in-time" to one of Japan's, Alabama's, and the world's leading auto manufacturer assembly plants.





TS Tech Alabama LLC
1685 North Main Street
Boaz, Alabama 35957
256-593-9399




Members should receive an email invitation confirming this tour. Please, RSVP to Blane Vines or to Mark Partyka. Please, remember to bring along your safety glasses and safety shoes.




If you are not a member of the Birmingham Chapter of the SME and you would like to meet with us to attend scheduled tours at some of the most advanced manufacturing plants in Alabama or to meet regularly to discuss topics of interest for manufacturers, please, take a moment to contact one of our sponsoring companies listed on this page.





Follow Up - Tour Synopsis



Mr. Brian Cochran, Plant Engineer for TS Tech Alabama welcomed our small group, including 4 regular members and 4 guests with a brief introduction to the Kaizen Manufacturing Principles. A word similar to improvement, "kaizen" is the japanese philosophy harmonizing the focus of continuous improvements in manufacturing processes, in business, and in life. During post World War II reconstruction, the Japanese immediatedly promoted LEAN manufacturing adaptations into their newly founded and revitalized manufacturing businesses. The kaizen adaptive model promotes from every individual participating in the business, from assembly line workers to team-leaders to management to the CEO to make suggestions to help refine every process until 100% efficiencies along with 100% non-defective products are achieved plantwide. Striving to refine and improve every process in the business, from office procedures to purchasing to production to delivery, each to the highest efficiency, the kaizen manufacturing principle seeks to eliminate the wasteful procedures and the non-productive business practices.

As we walked through the plant, we all noticed how well their teams worked together. The manufacturing lines appeared to achieve a balanced harmony between work and production. Approximately 300 workers per shift work together within extremely efficient and modern assembley areas, robotic welding centers, conveyor systems, workcell stations, inspection cells, and automated loading equipment. We were able to view how the kaizen manufacturing philosophy has helped the TS Tech Alabama team to produce and deliver from 400 - 800 sets of seats to the Honda, Lincoln plant, daily. Recent analysis indicates that their internal failure rate is less than 0.5%. Additionally, TS Tech Alabama maintains 100% quality product delivery to the Honda assembly plant with 0% failure. Most of us have probably not achieved such quality results in manufacturing at our own plants. SME Birmingham congratulates TS Tech on reaching the highest in delivering quality.


SME visitors included members from Ajax Tocco of Boaz, Bluewater Thermal Services from Athens, and Pneumatic Automation from Birmingham



We wish to extend our highest regards and thanks to our hosts, Brian Cochran and the whole TS Tech Alabama plant.

Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Plant Tour

Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa shut down the plant for our Thursday evening, end of the month tour. As a result, fifteen SME members and guests were allowed to "get close to the equipment" during our tour of the mill.

Our three hosts, Jon, Dave and Johnny welcomed us into their conference room for a brief history of this Tuscaloosa coil and discreet plate mill, along with some light refreshments.

We first climbed the stairs to the top of the mill to see where scrap steel is loaded into the Electric Arc Furnace. We saw the ladle metallurgy furnace that handles 150 tons of newly melted steel. Next in line, we stepped up to the mixing and testing portion of the mill where we were surprised to find that when adding Vanadium, steelworkers throw the whole can full of these precious rocks into the mix. Our tour guide, Jon Walton, let us know that temperatures get extremely hot along the way, beginning at 2300 degrees Farenheit before cooling toward 1000 degrees upon exiting as a finished product, prior to shearing. During production, most of the workers wear heavy, heat protection gear.

We followed the stairs down the path where the steel is poured into the slabcaster. As a rule, Nucor Tuscaloosa generates a standard-sized 5 1/4" slab in order to produce a uniform beginning size for all of their finished coil and discreet plate products. Again, SME members and guests were able to take a closer look at the cooling mechanics of the slabcaster while the mill was shut down. On the other side of the mezzanine, our guides showed us a "from-the-top view" of how the Steckel Mill works these slabs until the desired 5.26" thickness and flatness is achieved. As we made our way into the plate rolling, control room, we viewed monitors showing close-ups of various coil-rolling inspection points. Here, the slab is rolled to the desired coil thickness, then sheared, coiled to a rolled size. At this point, the desired thickness coil has been produced.

Additionally, we viewed the shear lines, the discreet plate lines, and we saw both, finished coils and finished 1/2" to 1 1/2" x 96" x 480" plates. At that time, all of these plates had metric measurements and specific heat and plate numbers written on their edges.

Both, during our introduction and the closing remarks, Dave Reinhold stressed the efforts made for adhering to the highest Safety Standards in the industry. Nucor prides itself on promoting Safety and Environmental Stewardship, while producing some of the highest quality steel products in the world. Dave took the time to answer several of our questions.

We finished our evening with a seafood dinner at Wintzell's. Al Hanhauser a member from the Mercedes Tuscaloosa plant shared one of the more interesting conversations when he introduced us to the new Mercedes SLS Series production vehicles that should rival the Ford Mustang AV-X10. Further, Nathan Cox, from COX MHP, an invited guest from the Mississippi SME chapter suggested that Alabama and Mississippi continue joint tours. Nathan suggested several upcoming Mississippi plant tours that would be of interest to our members.

SME Birmingham members and guests thank NUCOR STEEL for giving us this opportunity to see their Tuscaloosa coil and plate production facilities. We are also thankful for the invitation to come back when the mill is under heavy operation in order to see the steel produced live.