Twenty Perfect Castings at Dubuc Works
Pictured: Louis Tremblay, Supervisor; Jean-François Carter, Mechanic; Maxime Cauchon, Operator; Stéphane Gagnon, Electrical Technician; Martin Gauthier, Operator; Luc Gaudreault, Operator; Claude Bernard, Electrical Technician; Marc-André Fortin, Mechanic; William Moreau, Operator; Yannick Néron, Operator; and Étienne Morin, Operator.
Between March 18 and April 21, the employees at Dubuc Works achieved an exceptional run with a campaign of 20 perfect castings in a row. This result was all the more significant given that they were producing an alloy with a very high added value.
Dubuc Works casts various specialised alloys according to its customers’ needs. Every time the product changes, the equipment must be adjusted before production can be restarted. This is what is known as a “casting campaign.”
This is quite an exceptional case,” explained Sébastien Duperré, Process Supervisor, “because we were casting Boralcan, our product with the highest added value. The stakes were high because we had to get it right. Every day, when we loaded our raw materials, it was crucial that we succeeded in casting the metal; otherwise, there would be significant losses.”
About 100 tonnes of Boralcan for the nuclear industry were produced during this campaign. “It’s a product with qualities that make it distinct from every other metal produced in the region,” said Julie Dussault, Superintendent. “An imperfect casting would have a major impact because the product could not be recycled or used elsewhere.”
How was this excellent result achieved? Through teamwork, according to Sébastien Duperré: “It all starts there. First, the refractory team delivers the equipment at the scheduled time. Then the raw materials are supplied and, lastly, the maintenance and operation tasks are carried out. The equipment was always available and reliable, and the operators kept it running perfectly.”
The last four casting campaigns have been 100% successful, which is quite remarkable,” said Louis Tremblay, Operations Supervisor. “The important thing is how well employees are following the process. They don’t have many years of experience, but they quickly understood what they needed to do. You feel that it’s their process, their smelter. They are dedicated to doing their work well.”
