After more than 40 years of loyalty, we bid farewell to a man who devoted all his passion and commitment to the seamless pipe mill (NRW).
The seamless pipe mill (NRW) has experienced many milestones and changes in its history, and one of the outstanding players who has made a decisive contribution to the success and development of the plant is without doubt Heinz Teuschl. After more than 40 years of loyalty, we bid farewell to a man who dedicated all his passion and commitment to the NRW.
40
Years of loyalty to voestalpine Tubulars
Heinz started as a technician in the pipe mill on 01.01.1983, after having worked in the mill as an intern for several years. Already at that time he showed a special passion for technology, especially for the production of seamless pipes. Over the years, he has worked hard and persistently to improve the quality and efficiency of production. This dedication and his expertise led to him taking over the management of the rolling mill on 01.07.1999.
Heinz as a young engineer
Plant manager at the mill
A visionary always one step ahead
What makes Heinz simply special is his visionary spirit. He was always one step ahead, always looking for new ways to modernize the plant, improve quality and performance, and reduce costs. With every idea or investment, he asked himself: "What will it do for Kindberg? Can I increase the probability that I can retire in Kindberg?" - And as you can see, he could!
His forward-looking thoughts and suggestions led to numerous improvements that made our seamless tube mill a pioneer in the global industry.
Heinz was not only a progressive thinker, but also someone whose door was always open to all colleagues. He encouraged the sharing of new ideas and opinions, especially when it came to innovations and process improvements. Under his leadership, the mill became a huge "playground" for his team, where no idea was forbidden. According to the principle "There are no stupid question", he enabled thinking in all directions.
He brought not only his expertise and leadership, but also his heart. He dedicated a large part of his life to voestalpine Tubulars Kindberg and was passionately committed to everything that was good for the location. His dedication and commitment shaped an era and made the plant what it is today.
A career full of milestones
The seamless tube mill was designed for a capacity of 65 t/h when it was built in 1980, and the largest dimension after the stretch-reducing mill had a maximum outside diameter of 139.7 mm and a maximum wall thickness of 12.50 mm. These limits have been pushed way up by several adjustments that Heinz has made in the last 20 years or so under his management of the rolling mill.
At the end of 1998, shortly before Heinz took over the management of the plant, the slitting mill for slitting the solid blocks was installed instead of the slitting press. Here he was instrumental in the implementation, commissioning, and most importantly, the development and ongoing optimization that continues to this day.
From 2014 to 2016 - with a focus on BU 2016 - the "950 kg brick" project was implemented, which among other things further increased the maximum brick mass to 950 kg. This was divided into several individual projects:
Plant adaptations across the entire production line
Capacity increases in the reheating furnace and hot-wire saw
Strengthening of the stretch-reducing mill
Introduction of the push-bank saw 176
The above-mentioned measures and adaptations have greatly expanded the range of dimensions. The largest outside diameter is now 216 mm and the thickest wall is now 37 mm.
Heinz was also always a driving force when it came to equipping the production line with more modern equipment and measuring systems in order to raise the quality level even further. The major rebuild of the rotary kiln in BU 2023, which he was instrumental in initiating, laid another foundation for a secure future.
This shows that he was 100% committed to Kindberg until the end of his career. In keeping with our motto of always being "one step ahead", new developments (e.g. profile measurement and surface inspection) for process and product monitoring were installed for the first time in Kindberg and further developed during production.
A well-deserved retirement
On November 30, 2023, we bid Heinz farewell and sent him into his well-deserved retirement. We thank him from the bottom of our hearts for his commitment, his vision and his loyalty over many years. His legacy will live on in the modern facilities and the continuous pursuit of excellence at the plant. We will continue to strive for the highest quality and innovation in the future. Heinz will always have a special place in the history of voestalpine Tubulars. We wish him a fulfilled retirement and hope that he can enjoy the time he has earned for himself and his family.
