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ROUNDUP POINT COMFORT OPERATIONS JULY-AUGUST. 1972 His family can help him avoid an accident on the job. See pages 4 and 5. APC 005003 Operations manager urges: 'Let's take time to do it right' We as Alcoans have approached a crossroad along the pathway of daily operating and maintaining Point Com fort Operations. One of the roads, should we take it, will continue to lead us along a pathway marred by personal injury at the plant. This is the same route we have been traveling for far too many months. This route is literally a dead end street. The other route we can take is a painless and pleasant one. It is a well beaten pathway free of the suffering of injuries. We have been on this road be fore. However, we must now make a drastic course change in order to move along this route. We must inspect our entire outlook on our daily activities. We must aban don all of our attitudes of over confi dence that make some of us think "an accident just can't happen to me." This kind of reckless abandon can only lead to disaster. We must approach each job in a more cautious manner. We've got to take that extra minute or so to see that we are wearing all the proper personal pro tective equipment necessary on each job. We must take a moment to review in our own minds all of the safety regula tions and standard procedures associated with each task we undertake. If we are at all uncertain about how to properly handle each and every phase of each and every job, we need to ask our su pervisors for guidance. We must school ourselves to be on the lookout for and report oil spills, mis placed gratings, hoses across walkways, and any other hazards that may cause injury. These are some of the steps we must take in order get back on the right track and make Point Comfort Opera tions a safe place to work. There is certainly no single button to push that will suddenly eliminate in juries at the plant. Rather, accident prevention is tied to every phase of our activities here at the plant, as well as to many of our activi ties at home, as you will read about on pages four and five of this issue of the ROUNDUP. Nevertheless, injury elimination at the plant will begin when each and every one of us takes this solemn pledge: I'll do it right. Let's change our course and leave pain and suffering in our wake. Let's do it now. 4- 2 APC 005004 Alcoans in the news Mechanical Engineering superintendent Bob Walker has transferred to the Paranam Operations of Suriname Alum inum Co'mpany and taken on duties as Engineering and Maintenance manager. The Tennessee native earned a me chanical engineering degree from the University of Tennessee in 1943, spent three years in the U. S. Army, and joined Alcoa at the Tennessee plant in 1946. During his 23 years as a Point Com fort Alcoan, Walker held numerous engi neering and supervisory posts and be came Mechanical Engineering superin tendent in 1968. Gene Hohlfelder, Mechanical Mainten ance superintendent at Point Comfort since transferring from Suralco in 1968, has become Mechanical Engineering su perintendent. Hohlfelder is a 1951 mechanical engi neering graduate of the Missouri School of Mines who joined Alcoa at Arkansas Operations in 1951. Succeeding Hohlfelder as Mechanical Maintenance superintendent is former Point Comfort Alcoan George Stephens who will return about September 1, after completing foreign assignments in Brazil and Australia. Stephens graduated in 1956 -'n Lou isiana State University with degree in mechanical engineering. He joined Alcoa here in 1957 and began his foreign assignments in 1967. Engineering supervisor Jim Griffith has transferred to Alcoa's Central Me chanical Engineering Division in Pitts burgh. The ten-year Alcoan joined Point Com fort Operations in 1962 following gradu ation from Texas A&M University and a three year stint in the U. S. Air Force. Bob Peterschmidt, a former Machine Shop foreman at Davenport Works has been promoted and transferred to Point Comfort as Shop Maintenance supervisor. Peterschmidt joined Alcoa at Daven port in 1952. He completed the machinist apprentice program there and was named foreman in 1962. Senior mechanical engineer Bobby Grant has transferred to Alcoa's Pitts burgh headquarters to become a senior environmental engineer in the com pany's Environmental Engineering Divi sion. The University of Texas mechanical engineering graduate joined Point Com fort Operations following graduation in 1966. Mechanical Engineer Terry Elmy has transferred to the Mechanical Engineer ing department at Alcoa's Massena (New York) Operations. He joined Alcoa here in 1970 after graduation from the University of Ten nessee with a bachelor's degree in me chanical engineering. POINT COMFORT ROUNDUP BILL FOX, Editor WANDA HARVEY, Assistant The ROUNDUP is published for Point Comfort Alcoans, their families, and our friends along the Gulf Coast and elsewhere. Its aim is to promote the well being of Alcoans and Point Comfort Operations. Volume 21 Number 4 July-August, 1972 Engineering manager Bob McCormack (center) was inducted into Alcoa's 25 Year Club on July 14 and became this plant's 70th member. Ben Sloane (right), Alcoa vice president-primary products (retired) and former Point Comfort Operations manager, was on hand to present the 25 Year Club pin 1 to McCormack. Looking on at left is Roland Cain, chief chemist, who is 25 Year Club president. McCormack joined Alcoa in 1947 at the Massena, N.Y., plant after graduation from Tufts College with a chemical engineering degree. In 1949 he transferred to Point Comfort Operations and held various engineering and su pervisory posts. In 1959 he headed for Pittsburgh to manage several company construction projects. He returned to Point Comfort Operations in 1969 as engineering manager. APC 005005 3 DRINK IT ALL, DAD. You need to drink lots of water before you go to work, while you're there, and when you are home, too. If you don't you may get tired and feel weak and you just might hurt yourself. So, drink it all Dad. Then I'll get you another glassful. MY DADDY is tht in the whole world need him to teach read, and build wear your face plugs, and gloves sary equipment v, tanks in the Clari Accident | Is a fam When an Alt gets adequate of anxiety, his an injury whi greatly enhan ALL RIGHT BOYS, your Daddy is sleep ing now and you are going outside to play. Remember, we've got to help him get his rest so he won't be sleepy or tired on the job. If the neighbor kids come over to play with you, remind them to keep the noise down, too. WHEN DAD'S ASI lots of fun playing from the back be wake him up. We rest. APC 005006 most important man I'm only three and I me how to fish, and hings. Please, Dad, shield, goggles, ear rnd any other neces,en you scale those ication Department. 3revention ily affair oan eats right, rest, and is free ability to avoid le on the job is ced. MY HUSBAND NEEDS a well-balanced diet just as much as my children do. We know that when we eat right we all feel better, keep healthy, and stay alert. JSEP, we still have We just stay away droom so we won't know he needs his HONEY, DON'T WORRY about the boys or me today, we'll be just fine. I won't scratch the car backing out of the garage, I'll drive carefully to do the shopping, and I'll keep the checking ac count out of the red. We're not going to do anything that might upset you and cause you to have an accident at work. APC 005007 5 LEROY BARNETT operate* the air driven pot digger which loo*enj the worn out lining in o pot shell. Lining removal must be done before any repair or relining work can begin. style! Down in South Texas, some folks pass the time catfishin', bronc bustin', coon huntin', snuff dippin', and potlinin'. Potlining! What's that? Die other pastimes are well known, but what's potlining? We'll get right into that, but one thing's for sure, potlinin' in Bldg. 54E at Point Comfort Operations is no kin of snuff dippin' or catfishin'; Fact of business is, potlining plays a vital part in the continuous operation of t^ie plant's 175,000 ton-per-year aluminum smelter. In the smelter, or Potrooms, alum inum is electrolytically separated from its tightly locked compound (alumina, or aluminum oxide) in over 900 carbon lined, steel shells that are better known as pots. Even though average pot life may be around three years, there comes a day in the life of every pot when it literally wears out, or is taken out of operation (cut out) purposely in advance of an:* impending failure. Once a pot fails or is cut out, it is. soon disconnected and snatched from its . stall in the Potrooms and turned over , to 30 veteran "potliners" for a complete repair and relining job. But, before repair work can begin,', the old lining must be removed. First, it's softened by an overnight soaking in' water. Then, the lining is broken up by a pot digger operator. After the loosened lining is dumped out, the pot shell is moved to the shell; , press where it is properly straightened. ! From the shell press, the pot shell may receive further attention in the form of patching and seam or spot welding. Once all corrective work is ' done on the pot shell, previously straight ened and repaired cradles are attached. (continued on next page) STEVE PEOPLES (left) and Primo Cavazoi pack lining material around collector bars in bot* tom blocks that will soon be nestled in the bottom of a pot shell. APC 005008 6 1 THIS POT SHELL is being straightened by John Morns left,' and Charlie Rickard. a'Ho s oper ating the shell press. When properly straighten ed. the shell is ready tor any other needed maintenance. At that point the pot shell is ready for relining. As each Point Comfort potliner will agree, proper lining installation is cru cial to maximizing pot life, which is a major objective of the Pot Repair de partment. The first step in relining a pot is re ferred to as the "set up," which includes the spreading and tamning of a iaver of alumina on the bottom of the pot shell for heat insulation. Next, bottom blocks containing the collector bars (steel bars which convey electrical current from the pot) are set in position. Then the side blocks are installed. When all blocks are in place, a paste mix Lcomposedof pitch and anthracite coal) is thoroughly tamped between and around all side and bottom blocks. In a nutshell (or potshell), that's potlining . . . Texas style. In Bldg. 54E, Point Comfort's 30 potliners "turn around" an average of six pots a week. It's a tight schedule in a very busy comer of the plant. But, it's going to take tight schedules and very busy Alcoans to keep the Point Comfort smelter at full production. 5IPE BLOCK INSTALLATION In this pot shell is being handled by Ronnie Gates (left) and Arthur Summers (right). Proper placement is a key factor in lining life. Henry Guillen (center) welds a damaged pot shell. Welding may be needed on almost any part of the pot shell. APC 005009 7 Baseball: Alcoa style *' * When Alcoans make aluminum, they go at it whole hog. When they play slopitch, well, they just go hog wild! Word was passed in June that an Alcoa double-elimination slo-pitch tour nament was in the making. Response? 300 Alcoans said "aye", aligned them selves on 20 teams, and dug in for a 38-game tournament that took two hot n' humid July weekends to complete, thanks to a soggy downpour that wash ed out both playing fields Saturday afternoon, July 22. Maintaining their 4-0 winning streak, the Machine Shop team sheared the Engineering team 9 to 8 in the final game. The slo-pitch spectacular, witnessed by cheering wives, community friends, and kids covered with chocolate candy and mustard, was organized by Skip Clark and Wayne Genter. ROUNDUP ALUMINUM CO. OF AMERICA POINT COMFORT, TEXAS 7797S AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED BULK RAH U. S. POSTAGE PAID POINT COMFORT, TEXAS PERMIT NO. ONE APcooso10