The steelmaker now is developing the process for other pickling lines. Armco's operating units, not the corporate headquarters, provide almost all the funding for the Technical Center. The bulk of the funding is for short-term projects that are expected to reach fruition in one to two years, Sussman says. The Technical Center also is undertaking some longer-term projects that go five years out. The operating units and the center both propose research projects.
Teams can cross into purchasing, engineering, operations, and other departments.
The team approach has improved speed, communication, and coordination of projects, he says. The Steel Manufacturers Assn. This mainly is to limit the amount of risk minimills would take on by joining a program. In the three-year program, minimills have the option of dropping out of the project at the end of each year if the company isn't satisfied with the results. In the third program, SMA is working with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, the DOE, and the national laboratories on projects regarding radioactive scrap, such as improving the quality of radiation-detection equipment and educating people about radioactive scrap.