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BlueScope Steel is the leading steel company in Australia and New Zealand, supplying a large percentage of all flat steel products sold in these markets. The company’s products play a large part in people’s everyday lives, being vital components in suburban houses, landmark buildings and structures, popular makes of cars, and containers for food and beverages. In the financial period of 2003 BlueScope Steel had revenues of $5.3 billion.
Approximately nine years ago BlueScope Steel began using Beamex products: calibrators and calibration software. “We found out that the cost of that Beamex package could be almost offset by the money we would save in not having to write out calibration sheets for one year”, Tony Trollope (Equipment Team Leader, Instruments, BlueScope Steel, Port Kembla Steelworks) recalls.
“We use our calibration maintenance management system to schedule when calibrations need to be done”, Tony states. “This fits in well with our plant scheduling system and makes sure our work is included with the other work that is being done. But for everything else to do with the calibration of instrumentation we use Beamex”, Tony adds. The calibration maintenance management system contains all the details for each instrument, tag, name, location, calibration details and includes any special instructions or special requirements (e.g. isolation details). The option to include the special requirements in the calibration system, such as isolation details, came with the upgrade to the QM6 calibration management software.
“We also purchased the Report Generator software that comes with QM6, which allowed us to include these notes with the route list that is printed out every time instrument details are downloaded to a calibrator”, Tony says. The mechanic then takes the route list with him when he is doing the calibrations.
BlueScope Steel is utilizing a complete calibration system by Beamex with products such as portable MC5 multifunction calibrators and QM6 calibration management software. BlueScope Steel has also had good experience with support services provided by AMS Technical Services Pty Ltd (Beamex representative in Australia) and Beamex. “We have had good support from AMS and we have even had our database emailed to Beamex Finland twice to correct problems we have encountered, had it fixed and returned the next day”, Tony recollects.
The mechanics are familiar with Beamex calibration equipment and are able to upload and download instruments to and from the calibrators without any help. They now bring a calibrator back to the office, upload all the saved data, print out the calibration reports and sign them before dropping them on Tony’s desk for checking. “We still print out a calibration report because this allows the mechanic to see how some calibrations came out as well as places some responsibility onto them because they have to sign the sheet as the calibrating person”, Tony comments.
The grouping of instruments into sets that can be downloaded as such has allowed BlueScope Steel to organise work much better: one set per week for one person and one work order for the set instead of one work order per instrument. This has reduced considerably the number of work orders BlueScope Steel needs to have. Another benefit of the calibration software is that all instrument and calibration data and history are recorded in one place. “In general, the Beamex calibration system is a major part of the instrument maintenance we do, and we have had other groups from this plant come and see how we have it running”, Tony summarizes.
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