(Published Monday, April 30, 2007 11:39:31 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Ann Marie Ames Gazette staff
CLINTON-The furnaces aren't the only things fired up at Scot Forge.
Employees are working around the clock designing, engineering and building a $22 million addition to the steel bar manufacturer at 105 Scot Drive in Clinton's industrial park. And while they're at it, they are continuing to turn out up to 700,000 pounds of finished steel per day.
When the expansion is through, the employee-owned plant will produce about 30 percent more product.
"There is a lot of people element as far as craftsmanship in our production," said plant manager Mike Stoney. "Being employee-owned and the pride in our business really gives us an edge over our competitors."
Scot Forge employee Ron Peters works the controls in the round bar press control room at the company's plant in Clinton. From his seat, Peters can control the length and thickness while forging a hot piece of steel. Scot Forge is building a $22 million addition to the plant in Clinton's industrial park.
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff
The company's dedication to investing profits back into production adds another edge, visible in the ongoing expansion, Stoney said.
"Our competitors have to constantly try to play catch-up," Stoney said.
Scot Forge sells steel bars and parts to power generation, military, oil drilling, mining and marine operations. The Clinton plant makes hundreds of shock and strut parts the size of small tree trunks for Caterpillar. The plant sells steel bars to warehouses that slice off sections to make gears and parts for customers.
The three-phase addition that will bring the plant up to 300,000 square feet should be completed this fall.
In about four weeks, a new 3,000-ton hydraulic press-operated by eight 1,000-hp motors and 8,000 gallons of hydraulic fuel-will be in operation. Scot Forge will then operate three traditional presses.
The framing is ready, and a new 3,000-ton hydraulic press will soon be in operation at the Scot Forge plant in Clinton.
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff
Other additions include an expanded machine shop and finished product inspection area and a state-of-the-art "upsetter" press. The new press, which will be housed in a separate building, will bring Scot Forge into a whole new market, Stoney said.
Outsiders might be surprised at the amount of technology, chemistry and enormous pieces of equipment used to made a forged steel bar.
The Clinton plant buys poured steel "ingots" from Chicago and Pennsylvania steel mills. Each grade of ingot is made of different combinations of iron and other minerals. Scot Forge uses more than 800 grades of steel, Stoney said.
At Scot Forge, the ingots start in giant furnaces at 2,300 degrees. Big pieces may heat in the furnace for two days. Scot Forge uses natural gas to run the furnaces, and the plant is one of Wisconsin's largest natural gas consumers, Stoney said.
A tractor-like machine called a manipulator picks the hot ingot out of the furnace and holds it in the press. While the manipulator operator holds the steel in place, rotating it slowly, a press operator uses a computer and a joystick to pound the red-hot steel in to shape.
The shape doesn't have to be perfect. Rollers can smooth out the still-hot round bars. That way, instead of spending 20 minutes on the press, one piece of steel can be pressed for just five minutes before heading to the roller for finishing.
"That's where our money comes from," Stoney said. "When there is a piece of hot steel on the press."
Bars or forged hollow cores are cooled and machined into finished products. Some are re-heated and cooled with water or polymers, depending on the exact chemical make-up of the steel and the desired end product.
Stoney was one of the first 13 employees who opened Scot Forge's Clinton plant in 1975. Only two employees-Stoney was not one of them-knew anything about forging at the time.
Today the plant employs 174. It is Clinton's second largest employer.
Clinton is the perfect community for Scot Forge's operation, Stoney said.
"We make fun of it, but the farming community really instills an excellent work ethic," Stoney said. "This area is a great location if you are looking for hard workers."
Just the facts Company: Scot Forge.
Location: Clinton and plants in Spring Grove and Franklin Park, Ill.; New Castle, Pa., and Wayne, Mich.
Employees: 174 in Clinton.
Products: Manufacturer of custom open die and rolled ring forgings.
History: Started as a small hammer shop in Chicago in 1893, Scot Forge is now an industry leader and one of the most modern and respected forging companies in the world.
