During 2020, employees at LIBERTY Ostrava came up with improvement ideas which have helped the plant save around six million Czech Crowns (€230,000) as well as saving time, improving production efficiency, increasing workplace safety or reducing environmental footprint.

Of the 279 ideas presented, around 88% were accepted for implementation and almost 75% have already been successfully put into practise. Since 2003, when the mill started to keep a record, employees have submitted around 3,300 improvement ideas. Some of the most interesting ones put into practise last year were a steel rolling gutter for the production of leaf spring steel as well as a whole range of tandem furnace scrabbler improvements, including better cooling and hydraulics. Those who submit improvement ideas which are implemented receive a financial incentive for doing so.

The plant’s most innovative employees is Karel Lupa, who works as a locksmith in the plant’s medium section rolling mill, who has been “Innovator of the year” for the last five years. In that time alone Karel has submitted 105 innovations, including one which improved the fluency of product rolling and cooling at the medium section mill.

Regina Besta Cabáková, who is in charge of improvement ideas at LIBERTY Ostrava, said: „We encourage every employee to come up with improvement suggestions. Last year we accepted almost all of the ideas for implementation with most already being practised already. This shows not only the high quality of the submitted innovations but that there is always room for improvement and that we should always strive to get better. I look forward to an even better selection this year.”

Further information:

LIBERTY Ostrava is an integrated steel business with an annual production capacity of approximately 3.6 million tonnes per annum serving primarily construction, machinery and oil & gas industries. The company is a domestic leader in the manufacture of road barriers and tubes. In addition to the Czech market, it supplies its products to more than 40 countries around the world. Together with its subsidiaries in Ostrava, the company has 6,000 employees. The company manufactures its products with a minimum possible environmental footprint. The mill is part of LIBERTY Steel Group.

LIBERTY Steel Group is part of GFG Alliance, a collection of global businesses and investments owned by Sanjeev Gupta and his family. The Alliance is structured into three core industrial pillars: LIBERTY Steel Group, ALVANCE Aluminium Group and SIMEC Energy Group, independent of each other yet united through shared values and a purpose to create a sustainable future for industry and society. GFG Alliance employs c.35,000 people, across 30 countries and has revenues of >USD $20bn.

libertysteelgroup.com/cz/
www.libertysteelgroup.com
www.gfgalliance.com