Sterling Steel Co., LLC has partnered with Ivara Corp. to improve equipment reliability. The asset reliability initiative will focus on improving maintenance effectiveness and increasing asset performance, with the ultimate goals of increasing equipment availability and throughput, reducing plant downtime, lowering operating costs, and optimizing spare parts inventory.

"Sterling Steel was looking for an industry leader with the comprehensive expertise and technology to help improve asset reliability and enhance the status of our overall maintenance system to best-in-class," said Sterling Steel President Fred Rocchio. "Ivara's solution will help Sterling Steel to realize financial benefits from improved reliability practices and technologies that reduce maintenance costs, while improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our operating assets."

Implementation of Ivara's Reliability Driven Maintenance Process, supported by Ivara EXP reliability software, will enable Sterling Steel to move to a proactive approach to maintenance. Sterling expects to achieve significantly improved asset performance and maintenance effectiveness.

With increased proactive condition monitoring, the process, once implemented, will identify equipment problems early, intervening before equipment fails and resulting in increased uptime. The proactive approach to managing equipment failure will also increase the level of discipline associated with safety and environmental equipment inspections.

Sterling Steel produces 450,000 tons of wire rod for its parent company, Leggett & Platt, a Fortune 500 organization. Sterling Steel was formed in 2002 when key assets were purchased out of the bankruptcy of Northwestern Steel & Wire Co. The long products minimill was restarted in early 2003 utilizing a 400-ton EAF, two ladle metallurgy facilities, an eight-strand billet caster and a single strand rod mill to produce the wire rod for Leggett & Platt's Wire Mills.

An industry leader and innovator in asset reliability solutions, Ivara combines advanced software and unparalleled reliability expertise to help customers achieve and sustain a proactive, reliability-driven approach to maintenance. Using a comprehensive blend of technology and services, Ivara creates unique reliability solutions that align equipment performance with clearly identified business goals for increased revenue, operating output and safety.