December 04, 2008

Steel shop reduces downtime 88% with software

It is reported that Sterling Steel, a manufacturer of wire rod for its parent company Leggett & Platt, has increased throughput and reduced downtime at its plant at Sterling in Illinois, using the Ivara EXP reliability software solution from Ivara Corp, a provider of asset reliability solutions based at Burlington in Ontario.

As per report, by using EXP, Sterling realized significant improvements in asset performance, including an 88% reduction in downtime at the company’s rod mill and a 30% increase in melt shop throughput.

Ivara helped Sterling gain control over equipment failure. By implementing Ivara EXP enterprise software, Sterling was able to bring together a wide range of equipment condition data, including maintenance inspections, operator rounds and online information. Sterling now has a complete picture of its equipment health and performance online in real time E.

Mr Kevin Mullen plant maintenance manager of Sterling Steel said that “Ivara provided us with a solution that has allowed us to adopt a proactive business process for maintenance. We’ve not only increased throughput levels, but we’ve implemented a maintenance strategy that is aligned with our business goals.”