Process development and manufacturing

Location:  Port Talbot Works

Metal is our business and we need technologists to look at the metal we produce and develop ways to make it better, stronger and more malleable.

Successful candidates for Process Development will have skills in IT, communication (written and spoken) and presentation. For Continuous Improvement roles, they should also be able to organise and prioritise their work.

Steel & Slab

Preferred ‘A’ levels or equivalent:  Maths, Science, Chemistry
Required GCSEs or equivalent Grade C or above: Maths, Science and English Language

Trainees in Steel & Slab will learn how to inspect slabs and diagnose quality defects. They will also learn about continuous casting, how to use the information systems associated with it, and about material flow between casting and the re-heat furnace. This will include how to maintain and understand key process measures for slab quality.

Other responsibilities will be to support investigations of customer issues and to support projects that generally improve concast operations, improve quality and reduce costs.

Mills Areas

Preferred ‘A’ levels or equivalent:  Maths, Science, Chemistry
Required GCSEs or equivalent Grade C or above:  Maths, Science and English Language

Trainees in the Mills areas will carry out quality audits, assist with the collection and processing of data, inspect coils and slabs for defects, analyse slab processing and speed of work and record mill camera outputs to DVD. This data can be used if complaints are received.

Laboratories

Preferred ‘A’ levels or equivalent:  Maths, Science, Chemistry
Required GCSEs or equivalent Grade C or above:  Maths, Science and English Language    

Chemical Labs

Trainees in the Chemical labs will provide a Chemical Analysis service to customers at each stage of the steelmaking process–raw material and final product analysis. They will provide an analytical service to the Energy & Environment department, a sampling service for Process Control and Product, a maintenance support service for on-site analysers and calibrate and run monitor samples to ensure instruments are in compliance.

Test House

Trainees in the Test House will conduct mechanical testing of the strip steel produced by the hot mill, cold mill and continuous annealing process line (CAPL), measure the hardness, ductility, strength and brittleness of the steel and use computer systems to report information and release material so that it can be dispatched to our customers. They will provide a physical testing service for product assessment, ensure material meets customer specification, minimise the material held ‘met’, sample and collect the relevant samples and carry out basic front-line instrument maintenance.

Continuous Improvement Operation Support

Preferred ‘A’ levels or Equivalent:  Business Administration, Business Studies, IT

Trainees in this area will gain exposure to general business management processes. They will be involved in various Continuous Improvement projects and assist with administration.  There will be opportunities to be involved in People Development, IT systems and Communications processes within the department. Other responsibilities will include use of IT programmes for ordering, budgeting and time keeping, health and safety–reporting near misses, unsafe behaviours and conditions, supporting the development and communication of the Safety Annual Plan. In addition, trainees will facilitate meetings when required, create presentations for the technical department, correlate information and present findings.

The successful candidate will be numerate with IT skills.

Coke Sinter & Iron

Preferred ‘A’ levels or equivalent:  Maths, Science, Chemistry
Required GCSEs or equivalent Grade C or above:  Maths, Science and English Language

Responsibilities include creating presentations for the technical department, correlating information and presenting findings to PDG management, continuously improving all Blast Furnace raw materials knowledge on a daily basis. Trainees will learn about raw materials, coals and cokes, pellets, fine ores, lump ores, etc. and gain experience on stockyard capacities and analysing information to improve current capabilities. Other opportunities include involvement in projects, looking at environmental issues–fugitive emissions/spillages, data analysis and representation to senior management. They will also facilitate meetings when required, supervise sampling trials, collate results and populate relevant databases. Other responsibilities include health and safety–reporting near misses, unsafe behaviours and conditions and using, maintaining and creating filing systems

Trainees will gain an understanding of and learn to compare standards, BS and ISO for trials and analytical procedures, with respect to raw materials. 

Traines should be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project and Lotus Notes and in setting up and maintaining Excel databases and spreadsheets. They will also use in-house computer systems to retrieve technical data. (Serk,dbs)

PD Primary Processes

Preferred ‘A’ levels or equivalent:  Maths, Science and IT
Required GCSEs or equivalent Grade C or above:  Maths, Science and English Language

Trainees in this area will gain experience in data handling systems and subsequent processing using data mining packages. Other responsibilities include correlating information and presenting findings of specific development trials and supporting development trials in the areas of Energy Optimisation, Coke, sinter, Iron, Steel and Slab and Operational Research.

Trainees will be involved in the evaluation of raw materials from ore, coals and coke through to alloys. They will also have the opportunity to carry out investigative research on key topics using internet and library information services.

The successful candidates will have good communication and IT skills.

Manufacturing

Preferred ‘A’ levels or equivalent:  Maths, Science, Chemistry
Required GCSEs or equivalent Grade C or above:  Maths, Science and English Language

Two trainees will be recruited for Process Development with a view to eventually joining Manufacturing. They will be placed initially in the Mills and in the Steel & Slab areas, where their development will be largely the same as trainees placed in these areas for Process Development, but the project work they do will be more aligned to manufacturing work.