NLMK Production System passes Toyota audit

The goal of the audit was to assess the efficiency of NLMK’s Production System (NLMK PS) and to obtain recommendations for its further development.

NLMK Group has been implementing the NLMK PS across its companies since 2013. The system includes a wide range of practical tools and methods that provide for increased efficiency of production and business processes. In 2013-2014, implementation of these tools and methods delivered a $500 million gain to NLMK Group’s EBITDA.

NLMK PS was audited for compliance with T-TPS criteria by leading experts from Toyota Engineering Corporation and TPS Certificate Institute (Japan). The auditors assessed NLMK’s blast furnace, steelmaking and rolling operations; the use of NLMK PS tools; procurement, R&M, training and OHS processes.

Auditors noted that NLMK’s Production System is more advanced than the average standard at global steelmaking companies. NLMK operations were assessed as being in line with the best European and American steelmaking companies.

Yulia Venza, NLMK Director for Operational Efficiency, said: “The experts had a high opinion of NLMK’s use of A3 instruments for problem-solving; as well as of our level of OHS compliance. Toyota Engineering Corporation experts made a special note of the efficiency of our efforts to achieve our objectives through optimization programmes. The auditors indicated how to further develop the system in order to reach the level of the leaders, such as Japanese companies, with increased staff involvement in the continuous improvement process. We will include these recommendations into NLMK’s Production System Development Programme for 2016-2017.”