Presidential visit for Tata Steel

President of The Institution of Structural Engineers, Nick Russell (pictured) has visted Tata Steel’s Scunthorpe site to see how a fully integrated steel plant operates and how steel sections are produced.

The visit gave him the opportunity to see the complexities of the steelmaking process that ensures the highest quality structural steel is manufactured at Tata Steel’s Scunthorpe site.

A comprehensive visit programme took him through the full steelmaking process from ore blending, blast furnaces, steelmaking, continuous casting and the section mills.

“As structural engineers we always choose the appropriate material for the job. Steel is just one of the materials which engineers work with to create all kinds of structures from houses to high-rise buildings, from car parks to sports stadia and hospitals to bridges,” said Mr Russell.

“The versatility of steel construction, in common with other materials, allows complex geometries to be used that satisfy the architectural concept and create landmark designs incorporating large open spaces. This visit has certainly helped deepen my understanding of the steelmaking process and Tata Steel should be proud of the efficiency of its operations.”

Richard Lankshear, Tata Steel Marketing Manager, Construction Structures said: “We were delighted to be able to show Nick around our integrated steelmaking site. We believe it is important to show people the measures we put in place to ensure safety on our sites and that our steel is of the highest quality and fit for purpose.”

As well as being the 2014 Institution President, Mr Russell is also a Director for Thomasons, one of the country’s leading civil and structural engineering consultancies.