Nicolas R. Manfred – 2022 Steel Intern Scholar
I had the pleasure of interning with Cleveland-Cliffs for a second summer, most recently as a Quality Engineer in their Specialty Steel plant in Mansfield, Ohio. The Cleveland-Cliffs Mansfield Works facility produces several hundred thousand tons of ferritic and martensitic Stainless Steel every year.
When I first arrived at the Mansfield facility, I was not sure what to expect. Having spent my previous summer with Cleveland-Cliffs working in the Research and Innovation Center as a metallurgical research engineer, I felt somewhat ill prepared for the fast-paced production environment; however, the transition into manufacturing was not as daunting as I had expected. I joined a fantastic team that was invested in my success, and they allowed me to thrive on my own while still offering guidance. It was a great balance between having the freedom to grow and learn, while also having supervision to guide me.
My primary task in the quality department was to reduce automatic holds on manufactured steel coils. These holds were the result of defect codes that were applied by the system when there was a process deviation. It was my responsibility to determine whether the holds were justified, or if defect codes were being improperly applied. Some codes merely needed a parameter adjustment to reduce holds, but other codes had more subtle solutions. Additionally, I provided evidence correlating certain process deviations to steel quality in order to reinforce my recommendations that some limits be raised to reduce holds. Delivering my recommendations to supervision at Mansfield Works was an empowering experience.I found my internship experience to be not only educational but satisfying as well. By reducing nuisance holds, we can now move product more fluidly throughout the manufacturing process, resulting in improved product velocity and timeliness. The reduction in holds also allows more time for investigation into other process issues and problems. Some of the defect codes were challenging to approach, but overall, these elusive codes provided opportunities for honing my engineering and critical thinking skills.
I am happy with my experience at Mansfield Works and with Cleveland-Cliffs as a whole. I want to thank AIST for making these kinds of experiences possible.