While the machine shop already had strong capabilities in both equipment and skills, the processes and utilization were not optimized for refractory production. Removing some pieces of equipment, adding others, rearranging flow, and retraining some team members have led to noticeable efficiency improvements. Other buildings in the facility have also been repurposed to better organize incoming, outgoing, and in-process materials.

The transition required several of our team members to learn new functions and improve their understanding of the unique needs of our Refractory Systems customers, a challenge they have accepted with enthusiasm and the same dedication as the rest of our global team. It has also required us to apply Lean principles to establish new supply chains and optimize inventory levels for our entire range of products. This was a multinational, cross-functional effort that involved multiple GrafTech business units.

We're pleased to welcome our Meyerton colleagues to the Refractory Systems team, and invite our customers to visit the transformed facility.