Jinan Second Machine Tool Foundry Workshop
At 7:20 on June 16, Zhang Ning, the head of the modeling team of Jinan No. 2 Machine Tool Foundry Co., Ltd., arrived at work early as usual. He walked into the workshop to check the work done by the team the previous day and the placement of items, and recorded the problem. down. Facing the 7th National Foundry Industry Vocational Skills Competition planned to be held in Pingyin in mid-July, and the company is also one of the competition points, Zhang Ning believes that doing his best in daily work is the best preparation before the competition.
At the pre-shift meeting after going to work at 8 o’clock, Zhang Ning once again emphasized the problem of sticking sand, which is directly related to the quality of the final product.
Zhang Ning is a craftsman in Jinan and chief technician in Qilu. He is currently participating in the selection of Qilu craftsmen. The foundry industry is the foundation of the manufacturing industry, the mother of industry, and an indispensable force for national construction. The casting process is very important. As the team leader, before leading everyone to complete each casting, Zhang Ning had to go through the process in his mind; every night, he would review the work of the day to check for any omissions. “What is cast is ‘iron lumps’, but the casting work is meticulous. A little negligence is a huge loss. You must be careful to do it well!” Zhang Ning said.
Jinan Second Machine Tool Casting Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jinan Second Machine Tool Group Co., Ltd. In 2010, the company was newly built and put into production in Pingyin, located in Pingyin Industrial Park. Today, more and more applications of digital technology and equipment, furnace control, and advanced process methods are used in the process design, modeling, smelting and processing of castings. However, there are still many manual operation procedures for foundry workers, and the spirit of craftsmen needs to be carried forward. “For example, in order to prevent sand from sticking to the surface of the casting, we will apply the paint and dressing in the casting process as carefully as embroidery to ensure the accuracy of the casting.” Zhang Ning said.
On duty, the workshop floor was mopped clean. “When I first went to work, the workshop was dark, and the ground was full of places where all kinds of devices had no place at all. Now the changes in the workshop environment can be described as ‘heaven and earth’.” Zhang Ning said.
It is the production environment that changes in tandem with product quality. In 2021, Jinan Second Machine Tool Foundry Co., Ltd. invested 13.7 million yuan in environmental protection renovation, and the factory environment was improved. In the first casting industry skills competition in Shandong Province last year, the judges and contestants gave a thumbs up when they saw the environment in the company’s workshop. On June 16, the company’s newly purchased 3 sweepers and 11 vacuum cleaners started trial operation in each workshop. While improving the working environment of workers, it will provide a better environment for national competitions.
“The environment is good, work is comfortable, and the most important thing is to ensure production safety. The hands and feet are clean, and everything is in good order, so that production is safer.” Zhang Ning said.
In this national casting industry vocational skills competition, Jinan No. 2 Machine Tool Foundry Co., Ltd. provided a total of 2 competition venues (modeling competition venue, mold-wood type competition venue), and undertaken about 60 competition items. The company selected 28 outstanding technicians, who will participate in three types of competitions. Fu Haibo, who served as the referee in the competition, introduced that the competition took the production workshops of various foundry companies in Pingyin County as the competition venue, and the content setting of the competition items was closely integrated with the actual work. The purpose was to promote production through the competition.
Every time he goes home to chat with his parents, Zhang Ning will mention the changes in the work environment. His family is more assured of his work and encourages him to devote himself to work and competition. “The national competition is coming to the ‘home’. We have the confidence to aim for the first place in the country.” Zhang Ning said confidently.(Reporter from Jinan Daily: Li Mengmeng)