The Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (HSRTC) met in Auburn, Ind., on Oct. 15–17. Doug Finkbeiner welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked Bob Bly for his efforts in making the meeting and tour arrangements. The next morning, the committee met at the Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) plant, where Glenn Pushis welcomed the group and provided a brief history and overview of the plant. John Rolison then gave an overview of SDI’s safety program and their participation in the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program, for which they were awarded Merit Status. In their previous meeting, the HSRTC had decided this meeting would focus on finish mill stack mechanical maintenance, and the committee members came prepared to discuss items that affect this. Each presentation began with discussions on safety items. The committee then toured the SDI Butler facility, where they had the opportunity to see the caster, hot mill, pickler, cold mills and the paint line. SDI hosted a reception and dinner at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg (ACD) Museum. Dick Teets, executive vice president and president and COO of steel operations at SDI, addressed the group after dinner and was available for further discussion or to answer any questions. The next morning began with discussion and an update on the committee’s Hot Flat Rolling Fundamentals Training Seminar, which will be offered March 29–April 3, 2009, in Ypsilanti, Mich. Following this, an update on the HSRTC sessions for AISTech 2009 was provided, and session chairs were identified. Open discussion followed to solicit input on the current meeting format, and the general consensus was that this format provided value for the participants.

The Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (HSRTC) met June 11–13 in Burns Harbor, Ind., at the Deerfield Training Center. The meeting began with a Producer Only discussion on safety and three reliability issues affecting the members’ plants. Presentations were made on these topics by Steel Dynamics Inc., North Star BlueScope, Severstal, Nucor Steel–Indiana, California Steel and AK Steel. A representative from ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor also gave presentations on these topics, including an overview of the plant. The entire committee met for lunch, which was then followed by a tour of ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, in which a general tour of the plant layout was followed by a more in-depth tour of the hot mill. During the group discussions that followed, it was decided by the HSRTC that, for the time being, all committee members would be included in all discussions and the Producer Only discussions would not be held unless some future need was determined. A discussion on the status of the AIST and AISI committee integration was also held, including a focus on ensuring that all past participants are aware of this program. A review of past participants was held, and committee members volunteered to contact their associates from specific companies to guarantee their future involvement and participation. They also brainstormed on various ideas to ensure that participation in the meetings provided value for those attending, including round table discussions, technical presentations, meeting themes and plant tours. The current committee chair, Doug Finkbeiner, thanked Dwight Simon on behalf of the committee for all his efforts in organizing this meeting. The following day, a review of the Hot Rolling Fundamentals Training Seminar was held. Since this conference sold out again this year, the HSRTC decided to offer it again in 2009. A recommendation was made to hold it in Ypsilanti, Mich., in March 2009, and some minor changes were suggested for the program. Since this was the first HSRTC meeting, methods to handle other committee activities — such as future training programs and AISTech sessions — were also implemented. The committee had been planning a visit of European hot mills but decided to postpone this meeting until 2010. Several locations were suggested for future meetings, and the next HSRTC meeting will be held Oct. 15–17 in Butler, Ind., with a tour of Steel Dynamics Inc. It was also decided this meeting will focus on finishing mill stack mechanical maintenance, including discussion on problems and possible solutions.

The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee (SROC) met on May 7 in Pittsburgh, Pa., at AISTech 2008. Through the integration process with the AISI committees, this committee will break into a Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (HSRTC) and a Cold Sheet Rolling Technology Committee (CSRTC). The leadership of the AISI and AIST committees involved with this integration met in April to begin planning so a proposal could be made to the members at this meeting. The discussion on this plan was the lead topic for the meeting. From this meeting, a slate of officers for the new committees was proposed and approved. Doug Finkbeiner was elected as chair, Eric Thokar as vice chair and Brendan Brophy as papers chair for the HSRTC. Scott Starr was elected as chair, David Paton as vice chair, and Homero Ortiz and Brian Nelson as papers co-chairs for the CSRTC. Members of the predecessor SROC could select one of these new committees or could participate in both. The mission statement for the new committees was then reviewed and approved as: “Promote safety and advancement in sheet and strip rolling technologies and operating practices through information exchange and training,” but the two committees will review it at the individual meetings. The HSRTC discussed plans for a June meeting, which included a tour of ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, and potential plans for a fall meeting in Europe. The AISI Sheet Mill Practices Manufacturing Committee had a meeting already planned for May 7 and invited anyone who had an interest. The CSRTC fall meeting date and location was still to be determined. The upcoming Specialty Training Conference, Cold Rolling Fundamentals — A Practical Training Seminar, was also discussed. This seminar will be sponsored by the CSRTC and will take place in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 22–26, 2009. The new committee was encouraged to continue to make this program meet the high standards that have been accomplished with the Hot Rolling Training Seminar.

The leadership of the AISI Hot Strip Mills and Sheet Mill Practices Manufacturing Committees and the AIST Sheet Rolling Operating Committee met at North Star Blue Scope Steel LLC in Delta, Ohio, on April 10. The main purpose of this meeting was for the current leadership of these committees to meet and discuss the new committee structure after the integration of the AISI committees into the AIST committees. Proposed new leadership for the new committees was discussed, and a slate of officers was recommended for the new AIST Hot Sheet Rolling and Cold Sheet Rolling Technology Committees that would be put forth to the committee memberships for approval. Also to maintain continuity through this transition, the Hot Sheet Rolling Technology Committee planned the date and location for their next meeting. Brendan Brophy made a safety presentation and discussion followed. Also for those attending, the manuals from the Hot Rolling and Cold Rolling Fundamentals Training Seminars were reviewed.

February 25 , 2008 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee (SROC) met during their Specialty Conference, “Hot Rolling Fundamentals — A Practical Training Seminar,” on Feb. 25 in Orlando, Fla. The first order of business was the SROC sessions for AISTech 2008. This involved filling a couple open time slots and finalizing the session chairs. The committee also reviewed and approved the SROC topics for the Call for Papers for AISTech 2009, which will be held in St. Louis, Mo. This was followed by a review of the first day of the Training Seminar. The general consensus was that the first day was very successful, with lots of interaction between the presenters and the attendees. This conference was a joint effort between the SROC and representatives from the AISI Hot Strip Mills Manufacturing Committee. With the upcoming integration of the AISI committees into AIST, there was some discussion about how these training seminars will be handled after the integration, since there will be a Hot Sheet Rolling committee and a Cold Sheet Rolling committee. Since contracts have already been signed for the 2009 Training Seminar, this group will work with the new Cold Sheet Rolling committee to ensure this training program continues. The AISI Hot Strip Mill Committee met on Feb. 14 in Columbus, Miss., and an update on the integration discussion from that meeting was provided by Tom Weiler and Bill Albaugh, who both attended. There was also additional discussion on the status of the integration. To maintain the momentum of these committees, it was also decided that the AISI Hot Strip Mills committee will proceed with its meeting already scheduled for June. In addition, representatives from each organization’s committee may meet in the future to assist in the transition to the new structure.

October 10-12 , 2007 - The Cranes Operating Committee (COC) and Sheet Rolling Operating Committee (SROC) held a joint meeting in Concord, Calif., on Oct. 10–12. The meeting kicked off with a tour of the rolling facilities at USS-POSCO. The tour began with the pickle line, progressed through the galvanizing and tinplating lines, and ended at the USS-POSCO Learning Center for technical presentations. The technical presentations were as follows: “Double Cold Reduction Mill Conversion Project at USS-POSCO” by Dean Broglie, USS-POSCO; “Pickle Line Improvements at USS-POSCO” by Jesus Partida, USS-POSCO; “Controlled Area Network for EOT Cranes” by Jeremy Pearson, Cattron-Thiemeg; “Crane Bumpers and End Stops for EOT Cranes” by Charlie Bowers, Cavotec; “Crane Rail Size Availability” by Chip Miller, L.B. Foster; and “U. S. Steel–Gary Works Westside EOT Crane Inspection Program” by Andrew Montalbano, U. S. Steel–Gary Works. Following the technical presentations, the COC adjourned for the day. The SROC remained to review and organize abstracts into four technical sessions for AISTech 2008, focusing on hot and cold rolling and surface inspection. Volunteers were also identified as chairs for these sessions.

On Oct. 12, the COC held a business meeting, beginning with a review of the outline created for a Maintenance, Inspection and Repair Guide for EOT Cranes Users. This guide will examine inspection practices and repair criteria for crane- and runway-associated components, in an effort to develop consistent guidelines on maintenance and when to repair and/or replace these components to enhance crane operation and safety, and to minimize unplanned downtime through improved reliability. Each section of the guide will be reviewed by individual working groups, who will organize and write an outline for that section. Also discussed was the 2008 AIST Crane Symposium, scheduled for June 1–3, in Pittsburgh, Pa. A survey of the 2007 Crane Symposium attendees led to the development of a list of presentation topics for the 2008 symposium. Potential presenters were indentified and will be contacted in the coming months to confirm their participation. Also discussed was the viability of an International Crane Symposium, which would be held in Košice, Slovakia, in 2008. It was determined that, to provide adequate planning for such an event, the event should be scheduled for the fall of 2008. Finally, volunteers were taken to present at the COC technical session at AISTech 2008. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 16–17, 2008, in Memphis, Tenn., with a tour of Nucor-Yamato Steel.

On Oct. 12, the Sheet Rolling Operating Committee (SROC) held a business meeting, first discussing plans for their AISTech 2008 technical sessions. They reviewed the status of the Hot Rolling Training Seminar, which will be held Feb. 24–28, 2008, in Orlando, Fla. They also discussed preplanning for a 2009 AIST Cold Rolling Training Seminar. The SROC began organizing members to complete a North American Hot Strip Mill Roundup to benchmark these facilities for publication in Iron & Steel Technology. They discussed several options for future meetings and started to develop a plan to get more participation from producer members. A review of the presentations for the Hot Rolling Training Seminar was to be held in November to ensure elimination of any overlap between presentations. The SROC also planned to hold a meeting during the Hot Rolling Training Seminar in February.

July 11-12, 2007 - The Hot Rolling Training Seminar Task Force of the Sheet Rolling Operating Committee met July 11–12 in Toledo, Ohio, along with representatives from AISI, to continue planning the Hot Rolling Training Seminar, which will be offered Feb. 24–29, 2008, in Orlando, Fla. An update on the status of tasks assigned during the previous meeting was provided, followed by a review of comments from members of either association. The attendees then reviewed the individual sections of the previous course to ensure complete coverage of pertinent topics and to eliminate redundancy. There was also discussion on whether roll bite lubrication should be covered in the upcoming conference. It was decided that the workbook would also be provided on a CD-ROM this year. Brendan Brophy was selected as the committee representative who, beginning with the second morning of the course, would tie in presentations from the previous day with the upcoming presentations to provide continuity in the course. The presenter guidelines were modified to include a timeline that permits the Task Force to review the presentations prior to the conference. To ensure that the attendees have the opportunity to get specific questions answered, cards will be available for them to submit their questions. A letter was also drafted that will be sent out to past presenters to thank them for their participation.

May 8, 2007 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee (SROC) met on May 8 in Indianapolis, Ind., in conjunction with AISTech 2007. The first item of business was a review of the SROC mission statement: “Promote advancement in sheet and strip rolling technologies and operating practices through information exchange and training.” The members agreed that this still served the purposes of the committee. This was followed by the election of officers for the upcoming year. Brendan Brophy was elected chair; Eric Thokar, vice chair; and Charles Varga, papers chair. Plans for the committee’s future Specialty Conferences were discussed, and Mr. Brophy updated the members on the status of the upcoming Hot Rolling Training Seminar, to be held Feb. 24–29, 2008, in Orlando, Fla. This is a collaborative effort with the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). The groups improved the quality of this course by eliminating areas of duplication and ensuring complete coverage in other areas. The SROC also discussed the reviews of their most recent Cold Rolling Training Seminar (held in February 2007) and the plans for the next offering. Mr. Thokar recommended that the committee prepare hot mill and cold mill roundups that could be included in Iron & Steel Technology, and he agreed to chair the subcommittee to initiate this effort, beginning with the hot mill roundup. The need for training on process lines was then covered, and the committee planned to meet with the Coating and Process Lines Operating Committee (CPLOC) to advance this training. Mr. Brophy then updated the group on his participation in the 2006 AIST Leadership Conference, referencing the report generated for this meeting, which provided helpful tips for running committee meetings and recruiting new members. Locations for upcoming SROC meetings were discussed, and all members were asked to give thought to topics for technical discussions at these meetings.

April 4-5, 2007 - The Hot Rolling Training Seminar Task Force of the Sheet Rolling Operating Committee met on April 4–5 at Severstal NA in Detroit, Mich., to work on the upcoming conference that will be held in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 24–28, 2008. This task force is comprised of members of the AIST Sheet Rolling Operating Committee and the AISI Hot Rolling Committee as a collaborative effort. Members from both organizations reviewed the material from the last time this conference was offered, with an eye toward minimizing overlap in presentations and ensuring that all main areas are adequately covered. Workbooks and presentations from both the AIST course and the AISI course were reviewed to try to meld the best of both offerings. After a general review of the evaluations and outlines from past conferences, the members went through each presentation. Presenters for the conference were identified, and task force members were assigned to communicate with the presenters.

February 19, 2007 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee (SROC) met in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 19 in conjunction with their Specialty Conference, “Cold Rolling Fundamentals — A Practical Training Seminar.” During this meeting, the status of the Sheet Rolling technical sessions for AISTech 2007 in Indianapolis, Ind., was reviewed, and last-minute items such as papers and session chairs were finalized. This meeting was held at the conclusion of the first day of the training seminar, so a review of the conference’s opening day was held. The feedback regarding the opening sessions was very positive. The next agenda item was a discussion on future training seminars. Since there remains in the industry a need for this type of training, the committee will continue with a plan of alternating cold rolling and hot rolling training seminars. The Hot Rolling Training Seminar is currently being refined, to be offered in 2008. The refinement of this conference is a collaborative effort between this committee and the AISI Hot Strip Mills Committee. The SROC also discussed upcoming meeting plans to ensure that each meeting offers something of value to those attending. This can be along the lines of a plant tour, a technical presentation at the meeting or other opportunities for exchange of information.

January 22-23, 2007 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee (SROC) met in Toledo, Ohio, on Jan. 22–23. Jeff Jackson welcomed everyone to the meeting on Jan. 22. This was followed by a review of the SROC sessions for AISTech 2007, including session titles and chairs. After this was finalized, an update was provided on the upcoming Cold Rolling Training Seminar. Since several presenters were new to the course, the committee planned to review the presentation material. Several representatives from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) were also at the meeting as part of a collaborative effort between the two committees on another seminar, the Hot Rolling Training Seminar, last offered in 2006. These groups plan to jointly review the course material and the feedback, and then work to refine the course and avoid any overlap for the next offering in 2008. A task force with members from both organizations was identified to accomplish this. Ian Ward, senior operations engineer for North Star BlueScope Steel, gave a technical presentation on sideguide calibration. This was followed by an update from the attendees on activities within their companies. The following morning, Ray Peters, vice president — operations for North Star BlueScope Steel, gave a presentation on BlueScope’s role in North Star BlueScope and an overview of steel activities in Australia and Asia. The meeting concluded with a tour of the meltshop and hot mill at North Star BlueScope Steel.

May 3, 2006 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee met on May 3 in Cleveland, Ohio, during AISTech 2006. The committee began the meeting by electing officers for the upcoming year. It was then decided that a subcommittee will plan technical sessions for AISTech 2007, and volunteers stepped up to spearhead this effort. Volunteers also came forth to participate in improving the committee’s training seminars on hot and cold rolling, which are held biennially on alternating years. A general comment was made that Brendan Brophy had made a well-received safety presentation at a recent meeting. Other ideas that will spark interest would be appreciated. Skinpass and temper mill operations are still of interest and should be included in one of the committee’s upcoming meetings. They also planned to review the status of a Process Lines Training Seminar and to determine, along with the Coating and Process Lines Operating Committee, if this training will be offered in the future.

February 20, 2006 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee met in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 20, 2006, in conjunction with the Hot Rolling Training Seminar, which they sponsored. The meeting was held at the conclusion of the first day of the Specialty Conference. The discussion began with a review of the first day of the training seminar and an outlook on the balance of the week. One of the goals was to have two committee members review the course and make recommendations to minimize overlap of the topics the next time the course is offered. Ideas for fine-tuning the Cold Rolling Training Seminar, scheduled for February 2007, were also discussed. The sheet rolling sessions for AISTech 2006 were reviewed, and several members of the committee were identified as session chairs. Also discussed was the need for a process lines training seminar, based on a course developed previously. The general consensus was that this course should be a product of the Coating and Process Lines Operating Committee, but it was uncertain whether that committee is interested in refining the course. If the CPLOC does not make plans to offer this course after discussing it at their next meeting, the SROC would be interested in refining it. The SROC’s upcoming meeting schedule was also reviewed, and topics for technical discussion at these meetings were identified.             

October 12-13, 2005 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee met Oct. 12–13 in Ontario, Calif. An update on the status of the committee’s technical sessions for AISTech 2006 was provided, and it was agreed to pursue joint sessions with other Operating Committees. An update on the status of the Hot Rolling Training Seminar followed. Some minor modifications were made to the schedule, and replacement presenters were identified where necessary. Chairs and reviewers were also identified for this conference, which will be held Feb. 20–23 in Orlando, Fla. A discussion on the format for future meetings was held, with plans made to handle program planning in smaller groups and to hold a round table each year. A tour of California Steel followed, and the attendees visited the temper mill, annealing, hot mill, roll shops and the 5-stand cold mill. The next day, an overview presentation of North Star BlueScope was provided, with an emphasis on safety drivers, followed by an open discussion.

May 12, 2005 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee held a meeting in Charlotte, N.C., on May 12 and identified preferences for future AISTech locations. Future plans for Specialty Conferences, which take the form of fundamental training seminars, and feedback from the recent Cold Rolling Training Seminar, were discussed, as well as plans for offering a Hot Rolling Training Seminar in the fall of 2005. A decision was made that the timing of this conference would not work because some of the presenters in this training seminar would also be participating in MS&T ’05 two weeks later. It was then resolved to switch the date to early February 2006 and offer it in Orlando, Fla., where the Cold Rolling conference was held. The committee also discussed a stainless processing seminar that was being proposed by the Specialty Steelmaking Operating Committee and decided that this would not overlap with their training. Two subcommittees were proposed to allow more time in their meetings to focus on items that provide value to attendees. Officers were elected for the upcoming year.

February 21, 2005 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee held a meeting on Feb. 21 in Orlando, Fla., in conjunction with the Cold Rolling Training Seminar. The meeting was held at the conclusion of the first day of the conference. Committee members reviewed these activities and agreed that the kickoff was very successful, with a great deal of interaction among the attendees. Sessions for AISTech 2005 were finalized, and a review of the status of the AIST awards program was provided. The need to develop an advanced cold rolling seminar was discussed, but it was decided that the committee currently has enough activities in progress along these lines. The meeting concluded with a discussion on topics for technical presentations and round table discussions in conjunction with their committee meetings to ensure that attendees will find more value in participating in the meetings.

November 8, 2004 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee had a tour of the ISG Cleveland hot strip mill on Nov. 8 and a business meeting the following day. They initiated discussion with an update on the status of membership for their committee. The committee reviewed their technical sessions from AISTech 2004 in Nashville, Tenn., and made plans for sessions at AISTech 2005 by reviewing abstracts and generating ideas for soliciting papers within the committee. Session chairs were identified to work with potential presenters. The status of the upcoming specialty conference, Cold Rolling Fundamentals, to be held in Orlando, Fla., from Feb. 20–24, 2005, was reviewed. Session chairs were identified for each day. The committee also discussed plans for future training seminars and the feasibility of working with the Coating and Process Lines Operating Committee to offer a Process Lines Training Seminar in the fall of 2005. The committee plans to schedule a Hot Rolling Training Seminar for the winter of 2006. A discussion on safety ensued, and plans and topics for future meetings were identified.

September 15, 2004 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee met at AISTech 2004 on Sept. 15. After a discussion on the status of their sessions for this conference, they reviewed their Hot Rolling Training Seminar, which was held in May. An update was also provided on the status of their Cold Rolling Training Seminar, which is planned for Feb. 20–24, 2005, in Orlando, Fla. After discussing how they might target an international audience by focusing on Central and South America, the committee began to develop sessions for AISTech 2005.

June 21, 2004 - On June 21, the Cold Rolling Training Seminar Subcommittee of the Sheet Rolling Operating Committee met at AIST headquarters in Warrendale, Pa. The purpose of this meeting was to develop the program for their Cold Rolling Training Seminar planned for Feb. 21–24, 2005, in Orlando, Fla. Committee members reviewed feedback from the previous seminar of this kind and decided who should be invited to present on the various topics. They also identified some modifications to the program that should provide additional value to the attendees.

May 3, 2004 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee met May 3 in Ypsilanti, Mich., in conjunction with their Hot Rolling Training Seminar. The committee meeting followed the first day of the seminar, and a review of the sessions was held. Committee members finalized their sessions and chairs for AISTech 2004. They also discussed future plans for the committee and updates on their efforts on membership contacts. The group decided to offer their Cold Rolling Training Seminar in 2005 and made plans to develop this program.

February 9, 2004 - The Sheet Rolling Operating Committee held their kick-off meeting on Feb. 9 at AIST headquarters in Warrendale, Pa. An overview of the status of the new organization was provided, followed by discussion on guidelines for being a member of a committee. The committee then worked on finalizing Hot Rolling Fundamentals - A Practical Training Seminar, which will be held May 2-7 in Ypsilanti, Mich. A final review of the complete presentations is planned for the next meeting. The next business item involved planning sessions for AISTech in Nashville, Tenn. All members were asked to solicit papers from their companies and contacts so that themes can be identified at the next meeting. The current membership list was reviewed, and committee members were assigned as contacts for broadening their membership base.