In response to more demanding delivery requirements, for the first time in its 97-year history, The Federal Metal Company is now running continuous operations, 7 days a week, on its coreless induction electric furnace lines. The electric furnaces are used to manufacture engineering alloys for applications ranging from bushings and gears to propellers and pumps.
“For the last several years we have seen increased demand for engineering alloys,” says Rik Kohn, Vice President of Sales. “This demand has sometimes pushed our production capacity to the limits, forcing weekend work and many six day weeks. By going twenty-four-seven, we want to be in a better position to stock the right inventory, gain on our backlog, and allow our sales force to offer shorter lead times, a key advantage in this competitive environment.”
“I was thrilled when I found out the workforce and management jointly developed a plan to properly staff the furnaces for continuous operations,” says Terri Kelsey, a company salesperson. “We work really hard to solve problems for our customers, and so many times those solutions have to do with our ability to respond quickly.”
Mike Buyarski, Vice President of Technical Services, credits the company’s emphasis on product quality and improved inert melting process for the need to expand the production workweek. He says it also helps that there is a focus on the need to keep operating costs competitive. “We can only sell product if we can produce it quickly and to exacting specifications. Our productivity is at historically high levels, and our scrap rate is at its lowest level in the company’s history,” he said.
“Moving to continuous operations is a real credit to our hourly workforce and front-line supervisors, who continue to play a key role in helping us meet customer requirements,” says Plant Manager Leo Pinkard.
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