Safety & Health Technology Committee (SHTC), Galvanizing Technology Committee (GTC) and Digitalization Applications Technology Committee (DATC) joint meeting - 13–14 September 2023, Memphis, Tenn., USA
The joint meeting centered around two themes: safety enhancements in and around galvanizing lines and the transformative applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in operations, quality control, and product disposition, as well as preventive maintenance for galvanizing lines.
During the meeting, attendees were treated to presentations which provided a rich exchange of insights and knowledge, as experts delved into the intricacies of ensuring safety within galvanizing processes while exploring the possibilities of AI and ML.
On the second day of the meeting, participants had the opportunity to tour the galvanizing line at Nucor Steel–Arkansas.

Jerald Gaines, Nucor Steel–Arkansas (center), accepted a plaque of appreciation for hosting a tour during the joint meeting of the Safety & Health Technology Committee, Galvanizing Technology Committee and Digitalization Applications Technology Committee on 14 September 2023.

Mark Marietti (left) and Joe McDermid (right) presented Eric Almquist (center) with the GTC service plaque.

The GTC met 10 May 2023, Detroit, MI, USA.
The following officers were elected:

• Chair: Hossein Sayyar - ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P.

• Vice Chair: Brandon Adkins - Cleveland-Cliffs Weirton

• Papers Co-Chairs: Joe Schulp - Vail Rubber Works Inc., and Dean Benoy  »  DABen LLC

• Membership Chair: Shannon Clark - ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P.

• Digitalization Liaison: Eric Almquist - Star Tool and Die Works Inc.

• Decarbonization Liaison: Deni Bellai - Hugo MIEBACH GmbH

The GTC met 10 May 2023, Detroit, MI, USA.
The following officers were elected:

• Chair: Mark Marietti - Cleveland-Cliffs Dearborn Works

• Vice Chair: Makade Archibald - Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus Division

• Papers Co-Chairs: Joseph McDermid - McMaster University, and Dan Baker - General Motors

• Young Professional Chair: Dan Topham - Nucor Steel–Arkansas

• Digitalization Liaison: Thomas Daum - TMEIC Corp. Americas

• Decarbonization Liaisons: Stavros Fountoulakis - ArcelorMittal Global R&D – East Chicago, and Dennis Quinn - Fives North American Combustion

The GTC met 16–17 February 2023, Starkville, Miss., USA.
More than 55 GTC members gathered in Starkville, Miss., USA, for the committee’s spring 2023 meeting. After confirming their technical sessions for AISTech 2023, the floor was open for 2023–2024 committee leadership nominations. The new officers will be elected during the GTC’s AISTech 2023 meeting in Detroit, Mich., USA.
The committee next previewed the Materials Science & Technology (MS&T 2023) conference taking place 1–4 October 2023 in Columbus, Ohio, USA, and discussed the status of Galvatech 2023 scheduled for 15–19 October 2023 in Seoul, South Korea.
The group heard reports on the recent 2023 AIST North American Galvanizing Roundup published in the March 2023 issue of Iron & Steel Technology, and received updates on AIST’s Digital Transformation and Young Professionals initiatives.
The main focus of the meeting was recent galvanizing line CAPEX projects and aluminized (AlSi) coating line capabilities and issues. The group heard presentations on newly installed lines at Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus Division and ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P., as well as on technologies used for aluminized lines from equipment suppliers such as Clecim, Miebach, McDanel Advanced Ceramic Technologies, SMS group, Praxair Surface Technologies Inc., Atlas Machine and Supply Inc. and Fives Group. 
The next day, the committee traveled to Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus Division where they enjoyed an open and informative tour of the plant’s new #3 Continuous Galvanizing Line. 

GTC chair Eric Almquist (right) presented a plaque of appreciation to Jeff Roach (left) for hosting the committee’s plant tour of Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus Division on 17 February 2023.

The GTC and CSRTC held a joint meeting 31 August 2022, Quéretaro, Mexico.
The GTC and CSRTC held a joint meeting in conjunction with Expo Acero 2022. There were about 75 attendees comprising both international and domestic nationals from steel-producing and supplier companies. The presentations covered a variety of subjects, including: coil joining at cold mills and galvanizing lines; controlling/mastering strip shape; in-line monitoring and/or control systems; cold rolling solution maintenance/chemical cleaning at continuous galvanizing lines (CGLs); automated surface inspection systems and quality management systems; and an overview of Nucor-JFE’s CGL.
Special thanks go to Nucor-JFE for hosting a mill tour of their facility.

The GTC and CSRTC toured Nucor-JFE Mexico.

Nikhil Kulkarni was presented with the GTC service  plaque (left to right): Mark Marietti, Eric Almquist,  Kulkarni, Joe McDermid and Frank Goodwin.

The GTC met 16 May 2022, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
The following officers were elected:

• Chair: Eric Almquist  /  Star Tool and Die Works

• Vice Chair: Mark Marietti /  Cleveland-Cliffs Dearborn Works

• Papers Co-Chairs: Frank Goodwin  /  International Zinc Association, and Joseph McDermid  /  McMaster University

• Roundup Chair: Gary Dallin  /  International Zinc Association

• Digital Transformation Liaison: Daniel Baker  /  General Motors

• Young Professional Chair: Dan Topham  /  Nucor Steel–Arkansas

• Decarbonization Liaisons: Stavros Fountoulakis  /  ArcelorMittal Global R&D – East Chicago, and Dennis Quinn  /  Fives North American Combustion

The GTC met 2 February 2022, virtual meeting
The GTC held a virtual meeting with more than 22 of the 51 attendees being from a steel-producing company. Frank Goodwin reported on the galvanizing programming at AISTech 2022 and stated that there is currently one session scheduled for Monday morning, 16 May 2022. The GTC will again sponsor a session at MS&T22, which is scheduled for 9–13 October 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pa., USA. Goodwin also provided an update on future events, including the Galvanizers Association Annual Conference in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on 27–30 March 2022; the Galvatech Highlights Symposium in Vienna, Austria, on 13–14 June 2022; and the 13th International Conference on Zinc and Zinc Alloy Coated Steel Sheet (Galvatech 2023) in Seoul, South Korea, on 15–19 October 2023. 
Nominations were then taken for the 2022–2023 GTC officers. The elections for the officers will occur during the AISTech 2022 GTC meeting. 
Presentations:

• “Cameras for Downchute Applications,” by Russ Cote of Logika Technologies. 

• “Thermal Spray Coating Application at Galvanizing Lines,” by Tiago Schulz, Ronaldo Possato and Arthur Cantao of Mil-Spec Metal Finishing Inc. 

The GTC met 22–23 September 2021, virtual.
Nikhil Kulkarni, GTC chair, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. Frank Goodwin reported on the four galvanizing abstract submissions received to date for AISTech 2022. He also discussed the session at MS&T21 that was organized by the GTC. 
Other galvanizing events to be held are the Galvanizers Association meeting 27–30 March 2022 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., USA, and Galvatech in Vienna, Austria, 13–14 June 2022. 
Day One Presentations:

• “Safety and Plant Overview of Nucor Steel Gallatin,” by Chris Hudson, Nucor Steel Gallatin. 

• “Nucor Steel Gallatin Pickling/Galvanizing Line Overview,” by Paul Debski, SMS group, and Chris Hudson. 

• “Induction Heating for Heat and Coat Lines,” by Markus Langerjürgen, of Elotherm (SMS group).

• “Operations Around the Pot,” by Chris Hudson. 

Presentations on the second day were moderated by Stavros Fountoulakis of ArcelorMittal Global R&D. 
Day Two Presentations:

• “Ingot Charging Systems,” by Marius Samek, Duma-BandZink.

• “Heavy Gauge, Heavy Coating: Lessons Learned,” by Mehul Patel, Nucor Steel Gallatin. 

• “Thick Strip: Specific Defects and Pot Equipment,” by Michel Dubois, consultant to John Cockerill Industries. 

• “Heavy Coatings on Heavy Gauges — Air Knife Operational Settings for an Effective Wiping: A Case Study,” by Andrea Alessandrini, Danieli-Kohler. 

• “After-Pot-Cooling Considerations for Heavy Gauge/Heavy Coating Lines,” by Bill Lucas, Fives. 

Eric Almquist (right) presented the GTC service plaque to Nikhil Kulkarni (left) at AISTech 2021.

The GTC met 29 June 2021, Nashville, TN USA.
The following officers were elected:

• Chair and Young Professional Chair: Nikhil Kulkarni, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Jefferson Plant

• Vice Chair: Eric Almquist, Star Tool and Die Works

• Papers Co-Chairs: Frank Goodwin, International Zinc Association, and Joseph McDermid, McMaster University

• Education Chair: Gary Dallin, International Zinc Association

• Digital Transformation Liaison: Daniel Baker, General Motors

The GTC held a virtual meeting 15 April 2021
 Frank Goodwin reported on the galvanizing session being organized at AISTech 2021 for Tuesday morning. He also noted that the GTC was organizing a session titled “Advances in Metallic Coated Advanced Steels” for MS&T21, which is scheduled to take place 17–21 October in Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Goodwin also reported that Galvatech 2021 will be a virtual event scheduled for 20–24 June 2021.
Dan Baker reported that the Digital Transformation Subcommittee has assembled several core subject papers that are available on AIST.org as reference learning materials.
Nikhil Kulkarni explained that the Young Professional Recruitment Subcommittee is working hard to extend to universities and requests that committees to reach out to universities near the location of committee meetings to get the students involved.
Presentations:

• “GEN3 Furnace Model for GEN3 Steels,” by Alexandre Lhoest and Paul Debski of Drever International.

• “Advanced Control for Continuous Line Furnaces to Optimize Performance and Quality,” by Julian Naveira of John Cockerill.

• “Virtuo™, a New Generation of Furnace Dynamic Predictive Modeling,” by Kevin Bertermann and Thierry Robin of Fives.

• “V-Imodel Math Model,” by Jean-Alain Brochard and Patric Dubois of BLD.

• “Beyond Temperature Control: A Furnace Model for Industry 4.0,” by John Stedge of Primetals Technologies.

• “How Advanced Furnace Control Improves the Production,” by Martin Fein of Andritz AG.

The GTC held a virtual meeting 13–14 January 2021.
The GTC held a two-day virtual meeting with Jason Fry overseeing. More than 75 committee members took part in the meeting via Zoom.
GTC papers co-chair Frank Goodwin reported on the committee’s scheduled session for AISTech 2021 and reviewed the revised material and registration dates. Volunteers for session chairs were solicited. The group then confirmed their nominations for 2021–2022 committee officers. The final vote will take place during the GTC’s meeting at AISTech 2021.
GTC education chair Gary Dallin gave an update on the 2021 AIST North American Galvanizing Lines Roundup, which was scheduled for publication in the February 2021 issue of Iron & Steel Technology.
Goodwin then informed the committee that Galvatech 2021 is scheduled for 20–24 June 2021 in Vienna, Austria. The conference may be in person or virtual depending on COVID-19 regulations in place.
Goodwin also reminded the committee that abstracts for MS&T 2021 are due 15 March 2021. The conference is scheduled for 17–20 October 2021 in Columbus, Ohio, USA.
GTC digitalization liaison Dan Baker then shared the latest news from the AIST Digital Transformation Subcommittee. The subcommittee is working to produce short videos and training sessions to better educate the greater AIST membership on what digital transformation is and how to expand the digital transformation of the steel industry.
Liz Hunter reported on the Young Professional recruitment subcommittee’s efforts to increase the participation of young professionals in each Technology Committee and at local Member Chapter meetings. She also reiterated the recruitment subcommittee’s suggestion that Technology Committees reach out to universities near the location of committee meetings to encourage student involvement.
Presentations: 

• “Pre-Oxidation Methods,” by Paul Debski, SMS group Inc./Drever International.

• “RTFs and Transverse Flux Induction in the RTF,” by Emmanuel Patard and Kevin Bertermann, Fives ST Corp.

• “Cast vs. Fabricated Radiant Tubes,” by Brian Shaw, ANDRITZ Metals USA Inc./FAI-FTC.

• “Radiant Tube Efficiency — Surface Area Design,” by Dan Logan, Alloy Engineering.

• “SiC Tubes,” by Steven Mickey, WS Thermal Process Technology Inc.

• • “Radiant Tube Inserts,” by Carl Nicolia, PSNERGY LLC.

• “Rapid Jet Cool Technology — High H₂ vs. High-Output Fans,” by Philippe Reynes, ANDRITZ Metals USA Inc.

• “Seal Rolls 1,” by John Stedge, Primetals Technologies USA LLC.

• “Seal Rolls 2,” by Stephane Mehrain, Fives Steel Division, and Kevin Bertermann, Fives ST Corp.

• “Pyrometer Technology and As­so­ci­at­ed Challenges,” by Thomas Larrick, Williamson Corp.

• “Furnace Cameras,” by Russell Cote, Logika Technologies Inc.

• “Radar Steering,” by Mike Gilbert, EMG USA Inc.

The GTC held a virtual meeting 17 September 2020.
The GTC’s papers co-chair, Frank Goodwin, explained the abstract selection process for AISTech 2021.
Gary Dallin, education chair, discussed how the data for the Galvanizing Lines Roundup is collected and vetted.
Goodwin then reviewed the galvanizing technical sessions to be presented at MS&T20 Virtual, which is scheduled for 2–6 November 2020. He then discussed Galvatech 2021, which will be held in Austria the week of 20 June 2021.
The technical portion of the GTC meeting, which was moderated by Ed Silva, focused on sink roll bearing technologies. Presentations were given by Mark Hall of McDanel, Dave Heller of Duma-Bandzink and Jimmy Estrada of Kyocera.

The GTC held a virtual meeting 28 April 2020.
The GTC held a virtual meeting with Jason Fry, GTC chair, serving as host for the 72 participants. Ed Silva reported that the Galvanizers Association annual meeting for 2020 was canceled and will now take place next year in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Frank Goodwin reviewed the two GTC sessions scheduled for AISTech 2020. He also reported that the GTC is sponsoring a half-day session and poster presentations at MS&T20, which is scheduled for 4–8 October 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Goodwin also updated the committee on Galvatech 2020, which has been rescheduled for 8–12 November 2020 in Vienna, Austria. The program includes three parallel sessions over three days on product applications and basic research and development. The conference will feature 185 general session presentations and five plenary lectures. The conference includes a tour of voestalpine’s galvanizing line.
The European Galvanizing Study Tour originally scheduled for June 2020 has been postponed. The planning will be discussed further at Galvatech in November.
Gary Dallin reported on the status of the AIST North American Galvanizing Lines Roundup, which will be published in the February 2021 issue of Iron & Steel Technology.
The committee finished their virtual meeting by electing their 2020–2021 officers. The new GTC officers are:

• Chair: Nikhil Kulkarni, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Jeffersonville Plant.

• Vice chair: Eric Almquist, Star Tool and Die Works.

• Papers co-chairs: Frank Goodwin, International Zinc Association, and Joe McDirmid, McMaster University.

• Education chair: Gary Dallin, GalvInfo Center.

• Young Professional chair: Nikhil Kulkarni, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Jeffersonville Plant.

The CSRTC, GTC and SSC met 4–5 September 2019, Louisville, Ky., USA.
The committees reviewed their AISTech technical session development. Brian Smith, CSRTC papers chair, spoke about the abstracts submitted thus far and encouraged all to continue submitting abstracts. Committee leadership also polled the attendees for volunteers for session chairs for AISTech 2020. 
Gary Dallin, GTC education chair, provided a quick review of upcoming MS&T papers related to hot-dip galvanizing and reminded all about Galvatech 2020.
The discussion then focused on the 2020 European Galvanizing Study Tour, which will take place on 14–20 June 2020. The Study Tour will conclude just before Galvatech 2020.
Liz Hunter, CSRTC Technology Training Conference chair, provided an overview of the Young Professional Steering Committee. The steering committee aims to foster an enhanced experience for Young Professionals within the steel industry. As part of AIST’s efforts to engage Young Professionals, a Young Professionals’ Roundtable is held annually at AISTech to seek ideas and actions.
Gary Dallin reminded everyone that the North American Galvanizing Lines Roundup information is available at www.galvinfo.com. A Cold Sheet Rolling Roundup is under development, with Ken Hunter leading this effort.
Chris Winger gave an overview of the Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) – Flat Roll Group Jeffersonville Plant. Today SDI has nine continuous galvanizing lines. A tenth is being added at the Columbus facility, with an eleventh to be built at the new plant in Texas.

Presentations: 

• “Flatness Measurement” and “Continuous Measuring of Strip Temperature Distribution of Cold Strip,” by Brian Smith of ANDRITZ Herr-Voss Stamco.

• “Flatness Influence in Galvanizing Lines,” by Mikael Johansson of ABB.

• “Coating Weight Measuring Technologies,” by Chris Burnett of Thermo Fisher Scientific.

• “Defect Detection From Cold Mill Through Galvanizing Line” and “Expert 5i Data Tools and SQMS Solutions,” by Greg Gutmann of ISRA Vision Parsytec.

• “Inspection Lighting Systems,” by Tim Dixon of Unilux.

• “Automated Vision Inspection Systems,” by Chris Miller and Mark Cornell of Schenk Vision.

• “Evolving Quality Analysis Using Multi-Sensor Technology,” by Breck Lewis and Manfred Hyak of AMETEK.

• “Eyeron™ — A Metallurgist-Focused Advanced Real-Time Quality Management Software,” by Jean-Paul Nauzin of Fives.

• “Strip Cleanliness,” by Will Hartley of Quaker Houghton.

Jeremy Rydberg (left) and Nikhil Kulkarni (right) were presented with plaques of appreciation for hosting the tours of Atlas Machine & Supply Inc. and Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) – Flat Roll Group Jeffersonville Plant during the joint meeting of the CSRTC, GTC and SSC.

The GTC met 7 May 2019, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
The following officers were elected:

Chair: Jason Fry, Nucor Steel–Berkeley

Vice chair: Nikhil Kulkarni, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Jefferson Plant

Papers co-chairs: Frank Goodwin, International Zinc Association, and Joseph McDermid, McMaster University

Education chair: Gary Dallin, International Zinc Association

	GTC vice chair Nikhil Kulkarni (left) presented a plaque of appreciation to Mark Tackla, AM/NS Calvert LLC (right), for hosting a plant tour on 21 March 2019.

The GTC met 20–21 March 2019, Mobile, Ala., USA.
AIST has requested a committee representative for the newly formed AIST Digital Transformation Task Force. Eric Almquist volunteered to be the GTC representative on the subcommittee.
The GTC discussed the 2018 Steel Industry Fatalities report.
Gary Dallin reviewed the list of technical papers to be presented during the GTC’s three sessions at AISTech 2019. The roles of session chair and papers chair were reviewed and volunteers solicited.
Nominations for GTC officers for the 2019–2020 term were taken. 
The 2019 AIST North American Galvanizing Lines Roundup, which was published in the February 2019 issue of Iron & Steel Technology, was reviewed and updates sought. 
Nikhil Kulkami and Mark Marietti volunteered to be on AIST’s Young Professional outreach committee. 
Ken Landau, AIST staff engineer, introduced the GTC European Study Tour program. The program would consist of a tour of five to six European producers. The tentative date for the tour is June 2020, to be held in conjunction with Galvatech 2020 in Vienna, Austria.
The following attendees gave technical presentations:

• Sarah Naylor, AM/NS Calvert LLC, reviewed safety practices used by AM/NS.

• Ram Ramalingam, ADS Machinery, presented on cleaning section design details and best practices.

• Stephanie Williamson, Quaker Chemical Corp., presented on cleaning section chemicals and factors affecting their performance.

• Eric Almquist, Star Tool & Die Works, presented on the importance of cleanliness and techniques to measure cleanliness.

• Tito Torres, Lechler, presented a review of spray header fundamentals.

• Bill Lucas, Fives, presented on direct fired furnace (DFF) strip cleaning.

The next day began with the following presenters:

• Brad Parker, Spartan Steel Coating, provided a presentation of Spartan Steel Coating’s recent cleaning section upgrades.

• Jim Wiest, Zero Gravity Filters, gave technical details about the company’s magnetic separation filters.

• Ed Silva, U. S. Steel Research & Technology Center, discussed recent upgrades to the Great Lakes Works’ continuous galvanizing line, focused on the cleaning section.

• Satoshi Nishizawa, Hotani, provided an overview of Hotani’s unique electrolytic brush cleaning system.

• Mark Tackla, AM/NS Calvert LLC, gave an overview of AM/NS with details on the hot-dipped galvanizing and continuous annealing lines, along with safety and instructions about the afternoon tour. 

The Autumn 2019 GTC meeting was also discussed. Potential meeting locations included Nucor Steel Gallatin’s new galvanizing line; Atlas Machine in Louisville, Ky., USA; and Steel Dynamics Inc. in Jeffersonville, Ind,. USA.
The GTC then toured AM/NS Calvert LLC along with the participants of the Sheet Processing and Finishing Lines seminar (for a full recap of the Sheet Processing and Finishing Lines seminar, see pages 148–149 of this issue). Attendees toured the facility’s coupled pickling line and tandem cold mill, the hot-dipped galvanizing line No. 2 and the continuous annealing line No. 4.

The GTC met 18–19 September 2018, Hamilton, Ont., Canada.
Nikhil Kulkarni reviewed the 2018 Steel Industry Fatalities Report as a reminder of constant vigilance.
Gary Dallin reviewed the GTC’s AISTech 2019 technical session development on behalf of Frank Goodwin and Joe McDermid, papers co-chairs.  A major focus is coating on third-generation advanced high-strength steels. Abstracts for AISTech 2019 are still being accepted for review.
Dallin then went over the details of upcoming trade events, including MS&T18, which was held in October;  MS&T19,  which will be held in Portland, Ore., USA, in the fall; and Galvatech 2020 in Austria.
Technical presentations were given on the following topics:

• Safety — Philip Klages of ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P. discussed a unique safety hazard case study discovered by Dofasco’s No. 6 Galvanizing Line related to thick zinc coating accumulation on silicon bearing alloy during shutdown that have broken free during restart.

• Sensors — Patric Jobst and Matthias Irle of EMG Automation reviewed EMG Automation’s suite of on-line sensors for material properties, surface roughness, sheet position/guiding and air knife cleaning.

• Temperature Measurement for GA & GI — Francois Levac of Land/Ametek and Tom Larrick of Williamson provided presentations detailing technical topics around pyrometry.

• Tension Leveler — Brian Braho of Braho Engineering presented on tension leveling fundamentals. David Withrow of Withrow Industries presented on the benefits of wet leveling and wet skinpass processes.

• Chemical Curing Methods — Mike Hill of Spooner Industries discussed the fundamentals of various drying systems for chemical coatings at the exit of galvanizing lines.

Gary Dallin of the International Zinc Association, who maintains the AIST North American Galvanizing Lines Roundup, requested producers check, confirm and update the data associated with their lines.
Howard Holt, Kevin Wig and Phil Klages provided safety, contextual, historical, and logistical information related to the tour of ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s No. 6 Galvanizing Line, which took place the following day.

Phil Klages, Kevin Bennet and Howard Holt of ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P. accepted a plaque of appreciation from Nikhil Kulkarni, Steel Dynamics Inc., GTC vice chair, and Jason Fry, Nucor Steel–Berkeley, GTC chair (left to right): Kulkarni, Bennet, Klages, Holt and Fry.

The GTC met 8 May 2018, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
The following officers were elected:

• Chair: Jason Fry, Nucor Steel–Berkeley

• Vice chair: Nikhil Kulkami, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Jefferson Plant

• Papers co-chairs: Frank Goodwin, International Zinc Association, and Joseph McDermid, McMaster University

• Education co-chairs: Gary Dallin, International Zinc Association, and Stavros Fountoulakis, ArcelorMittal Global R&D – East Chicago

The GTC met 8–9 March 2018, Memphis, Tenn., USA. Nathan Wenning, GTC chair, reviewed a presentation prepared by Frank Goodwin and Joseph McDermid about AISTech 2018 and MS&T18. For MS&T, to be held on 14–18 October in Columbus, Ohio, USA, the session chairs have been arranged and one paper has been accepted so far.
Nominations were taken for GTC officers for the 2018–2019 term.
The group then reviewed the 2018 AIST North American Galvanizing Lines Roundup, which was published in the February 2018 issue of Iron & Steel Technology.
Planning commenced for the GTC’s Fall 2018 meeting. Wenning asked for suggested topics and a location. It was agreed to hold the 2018 fall meeting in the Pittsburgh area, which has both coating lines and roll manufacturers close by. The tentative date is the second week of September.
It was suggested that a call for papers be sent out to all suppliers. Perhaps this may point to another topic on which to focus.
The group then discussed various safety issues, after which the following technical presentations were given:

• “Integrated Solution of Electromagnetic Strip Stabilization and Air Knives: First Installations, Experiences and Results,” by Matthias Black and David Heller, DUMA-Bandzink GmbH.

• “ABB Integrated EM Strip Stabilizer With State-of-the-Art Coating Knife PosJet,” by Peter Rybing, ABB, and Jongkeun Kim, PosJet.

• “Experiences in Revolutionary Post-Pot Air Cooling for Maximizing Line Performances,” by Mike Hill, Spooner Industries.

• “Developments in Coating Technology,” by Owen Pearcey, Hatch Associates Inc.

• “Flexible and Fast Cooling Technology for the Production of New Advanced High-Strength Steels,” by Paul Debski, Drever International.

• “AERIS^® After-Pot-Cooling Technologies,” by Olivier Grosse, Fives Corp.

• “Advancements in Tower Turn Roll Cleaning Technology,” by David Thiemann, Atlantech Process Technology Inc.

Following the presentations was a roundtable discussion on after-pot cooling and upgrades.
In preparation for the tour of Big River Steel, Shobit Bhartiya gave a safety presentation and a summary of the facility.

Nathan Wenning (right), GTC chair, presented a plaque of appreciation to Shobit Bhartiya (left), Big River Steel, for hosting the GTC’s tour of the facility during its meeting.

The GTC toured the Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant on 8 September 2017.

The GTC met 7–8 September 2017, Nashville, Tenn., USA. Discussion revolved around session building for AISTech 2018 in Philadelphia, Pa., USA. The role of session chair was reviewed and volunteers solicited. Those interested in serving as session chair should contact Anna Voss.
The next few galvanizing-related meetings across the industry were discussed, including Galvatech 2017 in Tokyo, Japan.
The past few years’ meeting topics were reviewed to identify any areas that have not been reviewed in a while.
The meeting included four presentations in the afternoon. The first two presentations were operations based, covering coating weight thickness control and fundamentals of annealing, whereas the latter two were focused on the zinc refining process as well as a zinc market review. 
The next day, Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant hosted the group for a tour of the facility.

	Nathan Wenning (left) presented William Lucas (right) with the GTC service plaque.

The GTC met 9 May 2017, Nashville, Tenn., USA.

The following officers were elected:

• Chair: Nathan Wenning, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Jeffersonville Plant

• Vice chair: Jonathan Minucci, Atlas Machine and Supply Inc.

• Papers co-chairs: Frank Goodwin, International Zinc Association, and Joseph McDermid, McMaster University

• Education co-chairs: Gary Dallin, International Zinc Association, and Stavros Fountoulakis, ArcelorMittal Global R&D – East Chicago

	Jeff Roach, galvanizing manager at Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus was presented with a plaque of appreciation for hosting the SHTC and GTC (left to right): Nathan Wenning, GTC vice chair; Bill Lucas, GTC chair; Roach; and Malcom Dunbar, SHTC vice chair.

The SHTC and GTC met 1–2 March 2017, Columbus, Miss., USA. The committees reviewed the 2016 Steel Industry Fatalities report, followed by a safety roundtable discussion.
Each committee finalized its AISTech 2017 technical sessions. The roles of session chair and papers chair were reviewed.
Committee officers for 2017–2018 were discussed and elections will take place at each committee’s meeting during AISTech 2017.
The committees discussed their fall meetings. The GTC’s meeting will possibly be held in Memphis, Tenn., USA, with Big River Steel or Nucor Steel–Arkansas serving as host plant. The SHTC’s fall meeting will be held on 19–20 September 2017 in Charleston, S.C., USA, with Nucor Steel–Berkeley serving as host plant.

The following technical presentations were given:

• “Ceramic Bearings — Four Case Studies,” by Mark Hall, McDanel Advanced Ceramic Technologies.

• “From Start to End Where Coatings Offer Advantages on Rolls,” by Charles Kay, ASB Industries Inc.

• “Pot Solutions,” by Michael Brennan, Praxair Surface Technologies.

• “Pot Rig Maintenance Practices and Equipment Repairs,” by Chad Donovan, SMS Technical Services in cooperation with Duma BandZinc and FOEN.

• “Pot Equipment Refurbishment,” by Jonathan Minucci, Atlas Machine & Supply.

• “Recommended Practices to Improve Inductor Life,” by Bert Armstrong, Inductotherm Corp.

• “Exposure Monitoring at Galvanizing Lines,” by Barry Momyer, AM Health and Safety Inc.

• “Overhead Crane Safety Lighting Innovations,” by Susan Snapp, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus.

• “SDI Columbus Plant Overview and Safety Requirements,” Jeff Roach, Steel Dynamics Inc. – Flat Roll Group Columbus.

The SHTC and GTC enjoyed a tour of the Steel Dynamics In. – Flat Roll Group Columbus galvanizing department during their joint meeting on 1–2 March 2017.

The GTC met 13–14 September 2016, Pittsburgh, Pa., USA.  The GTC reviewed the 2016 Steel Industry Fatalities report, followed by a roundtable safety discussion.
The GTC organized a seven-paper session for MS&T16, which was held 23–27 October 2016, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. The session was titled “Advances in Zinc-Coated Sheet Steel Processing and Properties.”
For AISTech 2017, the GTC selected four papers for the Tuesday morning session.
Galvatech 2017 will be held on 12–17 November at Itoo Research Center in Tokyo, Japan.
The following presentations were given:

• “End User Observations: Steel Service Center,” by Chris Menke, Pacesetter Steel Service Center. 

• “Theory, Temper Mill Control,” by Brian Braho, Braho Machinery.

• “Temper Rolling Process Objectives and Equipment Requirements,” by Michael Peretic, SMS USA LLC.

• “The Ultimate Temper Mill,” by Lionel Goiset, Fives DMS.

• “Tension Leveling and Roll Alignment,” by Dave Withrow, Allor Manufacturing Inc.

• “Paintable Passivants,” by Dave Kelly, TecCoat.

• “Advancement in RoHS Compliant Surface Treatments,” by Chad Johnson, Quaker Chemical Corp.

• “On-Line Surface Roughness Measurement,” by Patric Jobst, EMG USA Inc.

• “Passivation Film Measurement,” by Christopher Burnett, ThermoFisher Scientific.

• “Post-Treatment Roll Coaters,” by Ned Kohler, Danieli Fata Hunter.

The group toured Wheeling-Nisshin’s facility in Follansbee, W.Va., USA.

Bill Lucas (left), GTC chair, presented Patrick Pendleton (right) with a plaque of appreciation for hosting the GTC’s tour of Wheeling-Nisshin during its 13–14 September 2016 meeting.

The GTC service plaque was presented to Mark Marietti (left to right): Joe McDermid, Marietti, Frank Goodwin and Bill Lucas.

The GTC met 17 May 2016, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

The GTC met on 8–9 March 2016 and toured ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor’s hot-dip coating line.

The GTC met 8–9 March 2016, Merrillville, Ind., USA. The GTC reviewed its four technical sessions at AISTech 2016 and discussed the responsibilities of session chair.
Presentations were given on the following topics:

• Furnace safety related to personal protective equipment and safety practices while operating or during maintenance.

• Burner operating practices for energy efficiency and longer tube life.

• Wrought tubes, including bubble tubes vs. cast tubes.

• Furnace rolls, alignment and roll coating technologies.

• Considerations and developments in furnace design and materials used in construction of radiant tube furnaces as well as direct-fired furnaces dedicated to advanced high-strength steel and for selective oxidation.

• Furnace improvements and upgrades.

The GTC was given a tour of ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor’s hot-dip coating line.