The Hot Rolling Mill is an impressive and unique workplace. Over a length of approximately a kilometer, red-hot slabs with a temperature of approximately 1,200 °C are transformed into thin steel strips. It is an incredible transformation of a thick material into a thin one, accompanied by radiant heat, flashes of sparks, the noise of machines, but also by streams of water that cool the heated material.

In this series of articles about unique professions in our company, we cannot leave out the HSM operator. We met up Patrik Veľký and his shift foreman Peter Kováč at the HSM control room, in the center of everything that happens at the Hot Strip Mill.

First, Patrik Veľký introduced us to the production flow: "In the pusher furnaces, a heated slab enters the Roughing Mill in the HSM operation and is rolled into a thick transfer bar." The main section of the mill is the Finishing Mill, where the finished steel strip is rolled from the transfer bar according to the required parameters of thickness, width and temperature. The last section is the coilers, where the rolled strip is coiled into coils. After winding, the coils are marked with their identity by a robot and, after quality control, transported by conveyors to different warehouses for further processing: coils produced for export, coils selected for cutting or slitting or for further processing in a Cold Rolling Mill."

The operator's work doesn't just take place in control rooms

The work of a HSM operator includes a wide range of jobs. It takes place in the control rooms of individual sections and at checkpoints, but also directly on the mill. He checks on the screens whether the required parameters of the production process are met. In case of discrepancies, he makes corrections via controls on control panels, touch screens, or even stops production and engages in physical work. It may include roll exchange, or a simple repair, or elimination of the consequences of an incident.

Despite his young age, Patrik Veľký has already tried several positions at the company, all in the HSM operation: “I have been working for the company for 15 years, starting as a roll labeler. Currently, a robotic labeling arm does this job. Sometimes, even today, when a robot breaks down, this work needs to be done manually, but fortunately not often. Then I moved to coil identity registration, where I weighed coils, operated conveyors and coil removal rotating tables. Later I worked as a torch cutter. This work includes repairing damaged coil threads, loading rail cars, and assisting with various incidents on the track. As a quality inspector, I checked the parameters and surface quality of the steel strip not only via computers or cameras, but also by visually inspecting the surface on the samples taken. I spent the longest, five years, as a coiler operator. Training at this workplace takes longer. The basics can be learned in a relatively short time, and if everything works well, it's ideal. But you only really learn when you face problems. And that's when experience comes in handy. But I had good instructors, both of whom are now retired. Everything they learned here over the years they passed on to me, for which I thank them very much. Every single mistake, every single noise, every detail... they taught me how to respond, how to identify a problem."

Patrik Veľký graduated from the Metallurgical Secondary Vocational School in Šaca. He did an internship at USSK during his studies and was hired by the company just a few days after graduating. "I basically got here because of my good grades," he says. "When we were finishing our third year with good grades, we received an offer that if we graduated with honors, we would have a guaranteed place at USSK." While some of my classmates were enjoying their summer vacation, I was already working.”

No day is ever the same

On the monitors in the control room, he has already seen the fire, but also a wild boar running among the coils. He also talked about what he enjoys about this job:

“I like learning new things, I’m not afraid of anything new. What’s interesting about this job is that you always have something to learn. Not a single day is the same here. There is always something new, another malfunction, another problem that still needs to be solved in a different way, it's vivid here. Different experiences are needed in each section. On the coilers I can already tell by the sound what's going on there. On the Finishing Mill you also must listen to how it enters the stands, where it stumbles... With experience, one can refine even such indications. And if you want to, there is an opportunity to move forward, that's what's interesting about it."

Patrik Veľký spends his free time mainly with his family, he will soon become a father of two. He enjoys riding a motorcycle and doing sports, especially running and cycling. He goes for a run with his dog Sofia, whom he calls White Tiger. However, he is not fond of marathon running, he prefers Spartan races, which combine running in difficult terrain with various physical challenges: "I like something more action-packed when I get dirty in the mud." But the biggest relaxation for me is hookah, it's so peaceful, so relaxing.

Peter Kováč says about Patrik: "Patrik has mastered several professions. He substitutes or replaces operators during the refreshment break. The goal is for him to have technical knowledge and manual skills from all areas of the operation. He is interested in detail on his own, he goes to the depth of the problem. And that is good.” When asked what qualities a worker at HSM should have, the shift foreman answers: “You must want to. Because if you want to, something will come of you.”
 

Photo: Arpád Köteles