Document a1EeMYmm39edeXJ1wZMwdMrkb

) CONFIDENTIAL July 20, 1973 Minutes of Meeting Update of Progress on Non-Asbestos Program Wednesday, July 18, 1973 Present: H. D. Shephard H. D. Wright G. H. FitzGerald A. Santighian G. Fenton W. C. Fletcher Auzenbergs T. Callahan N. Porter Hocevar C. Mohr This meeting was called to discuss and communicate the current situation of asbestos-free PROFAX and PROFLEX production. Problem areas appeared to be: the urgent demand by customers; the slow ness of the program-- caused mainly by the strike period; the forming problems and low productivity on the machine, and the poor quality of the product and the high green and dry scrap. The agenda, is indicated by the headings shown: 1. OSHA and Customer *Requirements, and FOSECO Commitments HDS: The problem with our present asbestos-bearing board is in the steel mill stripping and mold cleaning areas where particles blow into the air, due to OSHA regulations on the particle count. We are committed to be asbestos-free in the following plants: USS Fairless: #699 Seal-On rings and boards. (Spec, says entire unit is free of asbestos.) Armco Middletown: #341, #342, #343, #344, #345, #346, #797 must all be asbestos-free. Copperweld Steel: #685 4-pc. top. Has been inspected by OSHA several times, and PMP and Thermex have both been thrown out here by OSHA because their products contained asbestos. YS&T, Indiana Harbor: No orders here because we have no asbestosfree products for them. If we have to use Wollastonite, there are 800 tons per month available, which.is about what we would need. HDS suggests tjiat. , F. Bilton be invited to future meetings concerning this project, since he knows available supplies of RM's and their costs. [Note: At USS Fairless, we are supplying asbestos-free boards but we do not have an asbestos-free Seal-On ring. 1 At Armco-Middletown, we have supplied asbestos-free boards, but problems with soft and very rough surface boards necessitated a return to FROFAX 31. (One pallet of asbestos-free +RM267 is in the mill for test.) 1621 Progress on Non-Asbestos Program Meeting 7/18/73 July 20, 1973 Page 2 [Note (continued): At Copperweld, we are supplying an asbestos-free product, but, as with all the products, there could be some asbestos-containing boards due to accidental contamination or deliberate "dilution" with PROFAX 31 to solve forming problems. PROFLEX recipes have so far been unsuccessful in all machines.] , 2. Sales Experience in Customer Accounts HDW: Copperweld is our most adamant customer. Armco Middletown using their present inventory up and will not replenish with P-31. Our present return to P-31 must be only temporary. Republic Cantov: #669 - Tried this earlier in the year and failed. So far they are not insisting. Quality of non-asbestos product (#685 hot top) in the field is reasonably O.K. Major complaint is dust conditions; small complaints of itching and rashes have disappeared. . Friability of recent boards causes breakage in setting the hot top. 3. Tooling Problems RTC: K-4 boards have a hollow soft middle which will not resist breakage like a corrugated board. Dustiness appears more evident in #685's than others because of packaging, where dust tends to accumulate at bottom of the package. 4. Production Difficulties JCM: Production is down 20-407. on EP5290 recipe. Averaging 1500# green scrap per shift. Dry scrap in 15-207. range for EP 5290. Worst month he has seen on the job. Sewers blocked up. Complaints of Wollastonite rash-- 3 pulpers lost because of it. Paper: XS 1531 or EP5289, green strength not much better than EP5290. Increased pulping times, burning problems in the oven. When it sets for any length of time, balls up and whole holding tank has to be dumped. Pond is full after recent dredging. 5. Product Quality and Quality Control ' T ' ' WCF: Poorly formed shapes, even with K-4 machine. Extremely high breakage due to poor green strength. Scrap losses are high. Quality standards have had to be lowered, boards have been passed that would h^ve been rejected in standard recipes. However, responsibility rests also with Manufacturing to avoid pulper errors and contamination, and put more supervision on special recipes. GHF: Overall scrap rate is- high, with Middletown boards the worst. (Detailed results were tabled.) 1622 Progress on Non-Asbestos Program Meeting 7/18/73 July 20, 1973 Page 3 6. Technical Department Comments AS: There is a new recipe, XS 1534, which is 30Z Wollastonite. Looks promising comparing density, green strength and settling rate. Suggests: -Using prebatch station with supervision. -Start flushing machines, every Saturday morning to clear all systems for clean start an Monday. -Bulk handling system for silica should be more accurate. -Make careful selection of pulping people. -Technical Department must follow production very closely to watch results. -Engineering: Create a weigh station using a multi-hand scale. -Use some tote bins to load the pulpers. -Central pulping station. -Machine will run smoothly if slurry is made properly. Other Comments That prebatching station should be considered was agreed by all present, And E.A. 'advised that the Prebatch Committee (EA, WCF, GMC, RNP, JCM, CNB, AS) would resume on an urgent basis. HDS: Previous agreed that 5290 was not a final recipe but to be used until a better one was found. We cannot switch recipes back to P-31 just because we have problems. JCM stated if we still have trouble with EP5290, will have to go back to P-31 to meet sales commitments. WCF said this action was not Q.C. approved except for the first "start up" batch on a special machine trial. HDS approved an immediate change for the #699 boards: Wednesday, 7/18, 2nd shift will run #699 in paper recipe XS1531 (now EP5297). GF says Q/C should watch size carefully; if it does not fit the jig, put on HOLD until tested in the mill. #685's to be run on K-4 Thursday, 7/19, in XS 1531 (one pallet only). Sales will test in the mill. 7. Summing Up and Actions Agreed EA We. have numerous commitments and numerous problems, not to b^.solved in a few days. We may need to live with a higher than normal scrap rate until a good recipe is found. See how paper recipe works as the next immediate stap. Working on 4 accounts: USS Fairless, Copperweld, Republic Warren, Armco Middletown. 1 Continue the Prebatch Committee with the objective of getting uniform slurry. Labor and costs of experimental recipe production should be charged to a special account set up for this purpose-- agreed by HDS. 7/20/73/mlr cc: R. C. Phoenix, P. A. Partington, W. C. Sutherland 1623 0 1 8 9 7 .0 0 0