Tenaris-Hickman hosted a media tour of their mill Thursday morning. The event highlighted Tenaris' investment into its transformed facilities, its 580 employees and its local community.
Tenaris's U.S. Operations Director Hernan Brondino began the event with an overview of the mill, a presentation regarding major investments Tenaris has made locally since acquisition (such as a new $8.2 million dollar quality lab currently under construction), the transformation the plant has undergone since October 2006 and the company's involvement in the community. Brondino said that $260 million dollars has already been invested in the Tenaris-Hickman facility.
The new $8.2 million consolidated quality laboratory is scheduled for completion in December of this year. The plant's two existing labs will be consolidated into one location (the former Structural pipe line) for streamlined testing using entirely new advanced, automated machinery. The new equipment will raise quality using world class technology. Architecturally, the new facility will blend the old with new modern industrial design for a more pleasant work environment.
As a result of new quality control training, equipment, procedure and investment, internal rejection of Tenaris' products was between 9-10 percent in 2010, but has dropped to only 1.5 percent today. Brondino said that the perception is improving. Tenaris has also obtained certification by its customers, such as Shell, due primarily to improved testing equipment now in place, such as sonic testing.
Other large investments into the plant have been a $66.6 million new heat treatment line, completed in 2011, that tripled capacity for making heat treated pipe to 210,000 tons per year. A $33.6 million tubing line, completed in 2010, that houses cutting-edge equipment in the industry, that improves safety and quality. A $3 million truck entrance, completed in 2010 on the north end of the property that included a new scale for trucks, a road for yard access to the south end of the property and a 1,350 square foot building. A $2.8 million pipe yard expansion, completed in 2009, that added needed capacity growth while improving safety and organization. Additional lighting was also installed in the yard.
Other smaller investments in the facilities for the benefit for its employees include paving all the parking lots, building outside smoking sheds, new break rooms and locker rooms and opening up offices to the floor with large windows that present a feel of more openness and allows for more natural lighting. Additionally, a complete overhaul to the production lines improved safety, quality and efficiency.
The tour began in a large, state-of-the-art classroom located at Tenaris University (TU). TU is located in the building where the administrative offices were when the plant was Maverick Tube and is where training is conducted at the plant. The building has been extensively remodeled and now includes two large classrooms, one small classroom and a computer lab. Also included at TU are displays built by the company's maintenance department to demonstrate safety procedures (such as "lock out tag out", which is done when maintenance is required on a piece of machinery or equipment).
One of the primary skills taught at TU is that of improving health and safety. Five years ago, the plant experienced 35 injuries per million hours of work. Based upon the changes made in training, in facilities and in equipment, the rate has decreased significantly to only 3.3 injuries per million hours of work. Some of the changes include adding machine guards, changing traffic pathways and controlling how close non-operators can get to machinery they don't run, extensive training and a twice weekly "safe-hour" whereby management and hourly employees spend time openly communicating about hazards and needs. Brondino also said that Tenaris requires that managers be on the floor more than in years past, therefore managers see more of the problems with their own eyes.
TU has two tracks by which training is offered. The first track is the industrial school for hourly workers and the other track is for management. The industrial track has supplied 22,000 hours of training for Hickman employees and the management track has performed 10,300 hours of training for salaried personnel.
"The more prepared we are, the more efficient we are," Brondino said.
Quality is also taught at Tenaris University. In fact, Tenaris-Hickman was the first U.S. Tenaris facility to achieve both ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification. Efficiency, safety and improved quality has been the repeated mantra for the last nine years and that vision has transformed the entire operation.
"It is differentiation (through increased quality) what our customers get from us," Brondino said.
Tenaris is also catching the attention of the community's area students who may become the engineers and industrial workers of tomorrow through various community involvement projects. A company fact sheets states, "education is the cornerstone of our strategy, which is based upon the belief that knowledge is essential for growing, developing and enriching people's lives."
There are nearly a half dozen ways in with Tenaris invests into the community in an attempt to reach their goal. The first program is through an "Academic Excellence After-school Program". Tenaris began partnering with Blytheville Public Schools in 2010 to offer students in grades 1-5 a project-based science curriculum driven program, at no cost to parents. The program is from 3 pm. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday with transportation provided. More than 1,000 students have been impacted since the program launched and the company invests approximately $300,000 annually to the program.
Tenaris also partners with Arkansas Northeastern College and the Armorel, Blytheville and Gosnell School Districts to develop an internship program. Last year there were seven interns and this year there will be six more. These high school seniors are given a paid internship with exposure to various aspects of maintenance and tooling workshops under close supervision. Interns work Monday through Friday with transportation provided and costs covered by Tenaris.
The company has also been offering merit awards to Blytheville High School Juniors and Seniors annually. Ten merit awards of $750 were awarded to BHS juniors and fifteen merit awards of $1,500 were awarded to BHS seniors. These awards are given at a special recognition banquet as well as during the BHS Award's Day celebration.
Further, Tenaris encourages their employees to participate in local volunteerism. Last year, 30 employees volunteered over 400 hours to entities such as IGNITE, Bookin' with the Chamber, Main Street Blytheville, The Haven, Blytheville Public Schools, ST. Jude's Telethon, Great River Medical Clinic and the Elmcroft Retirement Community.
Tenaris has also invested into the local community though donations to organizations such as the ones listed above as well as to Lights of the Delta, Blytheville High School Scholarship Foundation, Arts Council of Mississippi County, the Blytheville-Gosnell Food Pantry, United Way of Greater Blytheville and the Mississippi County Relay for Life.
thenry@blythevillecourier.com