TPT January 2011

I ndustry N ews

Order for three-roll reducing and sizing block well as the roll shop equipment with quick roll change and CAPAS, the computer aided system for accurate adjustment of rolls and roller guides of three-roll stands.

XUANHUA Iron & Steel has placed an order for the supply of a three-roll reducing and sizing block (RSB) with Friedrich Kocks GmbH & Co KG, Germany. Xuanhua is a division of the state-owned Hebei Iron & Steel Group, ranking among the top five Chinese steel producers. The RSB is designated for the small bar mill, one of Xuanhua’s five new rolling mills currently under construction. The three- roll block will be implemented in this new rolling mill behind the two-high roughing and intermediate mill, which will consist of 18 HV stands. The scope of supply includes the three- roll reducing and sizing block with automatic quick stand changing system, pass and guide remotely controlled adjustment, as BETA LaserMike, a provider of precision measurement and control solutions, has appointed Dan Norris as director of engineering and Rahul Shah as director of operations. “Both of these appointments will provide excellent direction to our growing solutions portfolio and global strategic operational business initiatives as they bring a variety of skills, leadership, and experience to the organisation,” said Ken Wright, president of Beta LaserMike. Mr Norris draws from over 20 years of management experience with global organisations within the manufacturing industry to lead all aspects of Beta LaserMike’s product design and development. His diverse background in lean manufacturing, operations, sales,

reduces the number of the required pre- sections. Any desired finished dimension of the complete dimensional range can be produced in any sequence with a minimum number of roll sets and just a few stand changes. The optimum adjustment values for motor speed, rolls and guides as well as gear steps are calculated by the bar mill configuration system BAMICON, depending on the final product. Commissioning of the new three-roll reducing and sizing block is scheduled for the end of 2011. Friedrich Kocks GmbH & Co KG – Germany functions of Beta LaserMike’s global organisation. He will direct the company’s day-to- day operations, control production costs, oversee manufacturing and supply chain processes as well as the quality function. Mr Shah will also play a key role in the strategic planning process. “Rahul’s strong technical background and extensive experience in leading cross- functional teams and meeting bottom-line objectives, as well as his proficiency in strategic planning and project management, means he will be of great value to our organisation as he assumes the role of director of operations,” commented Ken Wright. “We are confident that his skills and abilities will help us continue to improve and broaden Beta LaserMike’s products and services to our valued customers.” Mr Shah brings more than 10 years’ experience and expertise in leadership, business acumen, and technical competency to the position. Prior to this position, Mr Shah served as Beta LaserMike’s manager of mechanical and specials engineering, where he led a technical team to design, develop and commission a broad range of customised solutions. He has held management positions in sales, marketing and engineering with Scherdel GmbH’s North American subsidiaries. Mr Shah holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Wright State University and a Masters in Engineering Management from Michigan University. Fax: +49 2103 54 028 Website: www.kocks.de

In addition to the supervision of erection and commissioning Kocks will, for the first time, be responsible for the process and the equipment of thermo-mechanical rolling, which is also part of the scope of supply. The RSB in ‘heavy duty’ design is dimensioned for the operation with four three-roll stands and a nominal roll diameter of 370mm. It is designed to produce straight bars within a range of 14 to 90mm Ø at a rolling speed of 18m/s. The new three-roll block allows rolling out of one pass series in the roughing and intermediate mill and thus significantly

Beta LaserMike appoints new directors to executive team

quality, programme management and strategic planning make him uniquely qualified for the position. Mr Norris will take over responsibilities from Ken Wright, president, who has been serving as the organisation’s director of engineering. For the past 14 years Mr Norris has held senior management roles in manufacturing, procurement, services, and sales with Beta LaserMike, where he most recently served as director of operations. Prior to Beta LaserMike, he worked as a programme manager with EG&G Mound Applied Technologies for four years. He also worked at Amoco Corporation as a purchasing professional. Mr Norris received his BS in Business Administrationwithemphasisinprocurement/ materials management and production/

o p e r a t i o n s m a n a g e m e n t . He also holds numerous industrial c e r t i f i c a t i o n s including Six Sigma Green Belt, ISO 9000 auditor and APICS CPIM. Mr Shah will be responsible for driving operational efficiency and p e r f o r m a n c e across all key

Dan Norris, director of engineering

Rahul Shah, director of operations

Beta LaserMike – USA Fax: +1 937 233 7284

Email: sales@betalasermike.com Website: www.betalasermike.com

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J anuary 2011

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