Initiatives Challenge: 10 innovative winners for the 2018 edition

With the Initiatives Challenge, Eramet group is focusing on innovation. Pillar of the Group to improve its performances, this annual internal competition rewards employee initiatives for individual or team projects. The winners are nominated by the Executive Committee, after a selection within the Divisions and then the Group. A unifying event whose results for 2018 - the 11th edition, are very enlightening.

The 2018 edition of the Initiatives Challenge once again demonstrated the success of this operation:
- 226 applications to boost innovation within the Group.
- And above all create value since € 1.7 million in annual recurring profits and € 4.3 million in additional turnover have been made of the 45 initiatives selected by the Group.

Congratulations to the ten winning teams and thanks for their commitment, creativity and performance!

THE WINNERS OF THE 2018 EDITION

Customers & Products category

GOLD: Eramet Alloys Italia had a creative idea in terms of business development by developing the Group's first commercial website to value its steel offcuts.

SILVER: The Moanda Metallurgical Complex teams in Gabon made a custom-built filling port to improve the conditioning of its manganese metal sheets and thus raise customers' satisfaction.

BRONZE: Alloys Marketing teams created the first 'Metallurgical Innovations Day for the Defense industry', with 200 major players of the sector (government, customers, suppliers and even competitors) to promote a new steel grade.

Performance category

GOLD: Eramet Norway's Sauda plant was rewarded not for one but two initiatives: for the optimization of a refining process and for the local production of its manganese fines.

SILVER: Eramet Norway's Kvinesdal plant redesigned the charge shaft that feeds the furnace with raw materials in order to reduce the maintenance time and suppress risky operations.

BRONZE: The teams of the Mining Department in New Caledonia entirely rethought work organization to optimize engines fuel consumption and increase the site productivity.

CSR category

GOLD: Aubert & Duval French plant in Pamiers developed a process to secure the removal of parts when using its presses.

SILVER: Pamiers plant also came up with a solution using a fire-proofed cape in order not to stop all the tasks anymore during welding: a win-win idea in terms of saving and productivity gains.

BRONZE: The teams of the MinMat Department of Eramet's research center had a simple and efficient idea: install a hand-free kit under the helmet which must be worn to stop hazardous gazes during a R&D pilot test in order to communicate safely.

Special Jury Prize rewarded as a GOLD initiative:

New this year, a Special Jury Prize has been created to reward Interforge French plant for the smart tool it created following an accident in another plant to prevent all hazards during polishing.