Peoria Polishes Up

In 2023, LIBERTY Peoria focused on making significant improvements throughout the property. Not only were they focused on safety, but the teams also made significant mechanical and aesthetic improvements.

“We’ve done a lot behind the scenes,” said VP of Steelworks Operations Aaron Williams. “Some of the investments are very visible, while others aren’t. I think it’s important for our employees to see how much we improved in 2023 and know that we have plans for additional improvements in 2024.”

So, what updates did Peoria see in 2023? A few examples include:

• Installation of lime injection in the melt shop which results in a cleaner environment and less overall usage.

• Purchase of a FLIR hand-held camera for the melt shop to help visually inspect ladles for bad spots, which provides earlier detection for refractory issues like we had with the breakout in April 2023.

• Installed a new mill control system in the rod mill to enable faster troubleshooting while helping reduce delay and cobbles.

• Installed a new mill stand in the rod mill for Stand 1 and purchased three new mill stands, which are used to reduce the billet into the rod.

• Daily management is now in place, including white boards showing progress, allowing teams to know how they are doing, providing feedback on what needs to be fixed and allowing for needed adjustments to be made.

• Several 5S events were held, providing employees the opportunity to reorganize how tools and machines are arranged as well as fix problems that may have been overlooked. This creates a cleaner and friendlier environment for our teams, and the organization enables efficiency improvements.

• Mechanical descaling began in the mid mill, with the intent to get away from chemical cleaning of wire rods. As a result, employees will be dealing with fewer chemicals, minimizing hazards in the mill.

• Moved from blue high visibility clothing to orange to improve safety.

• As a result of a review of foot-related injuries, metatarsal boots were introduced and mandated for all people in the facility to better protect the top (tarsal) part of the foot.

• Outdoor signage was updated and landscape was cleaned up.

• Began refurbishing break rooms and made needed roof repairs to address potential safety issues.

And while we can’t list every improvement individually, one thing is clear: None of these updates would’ve been possible without the cooperation and involvement of our valued employees.

Thank you for helping us continue to work toward making LIBERTY Peoria one of the best places to work. We can’t wait to see what we accomplish together in 2024!