TPT January 2011

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6 January 2011 ›
Industry News
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
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.
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
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
Fax: +49 2103 54 028
Website:
Beta LaserMike appoints new
directors to executive team
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,
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
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.
Beta LaserMike – USA
Fax: +1 937 233 7284
Email:
Website:
Dan Norris, director of engineering Rahul Shah, director of operations