SteelCast

Today's guest is Tata Steel UK’s Manager, Process Optimisation (Energy & Environment), Paul Wheeler, who explains how steel is essential in the modern world, how carbon is an essential element in current steelmaking technologies, and the huge changes already made to reduce the material’s environmental footprint throughout the supply chain.

In the latest series of Steelcast, Tata Steel’s host Tim Rutter talks to a variety of experts about climate change, sustainability and decarbonisation in the steel industry.

 

In this first episode his guest is Tata Steel UK’s Head of Climate Change Policy & Strategy, Pete Quinn, who goes back to the basics and asks ‘Just what is so bad about Carbon?’

Tata Steel’s Director for Strategic Business Development, Deirdre Fox, recalls the incredible amount of work that has taken place across Tata Steel Europe, with customers, suppliers, peers and governments in preparation for the separation of the UK and EU on 1 January 2021.

 

While there is a ground-rush of preparations to oversee in the next 60 days, we discover that the journey is far from over as so many aspects of business life still remain to be settled.

Chief Technical Officer for Tata Steel Europe, Ernst Hoogenes, reflects on the many challenges steelworkers have faced and overcome since the start of the pandemic, and talks of his confidence in the steel family to adapt again and make the very best of any upturn that the steel markets might provide in the coming quarters.

Executive Director HR, Tor Farquhar talks about the journey that Tata Steel’s people have been on during the pandemic, the monumental efforts that they have made, and the challenges of ‘Our New Workplace’, both from a physical and a people perspective.

Construction Marketing Manager Paul White shares his experiences of dealing with the ups and downs of the pandemic for the Tata Steel’s largest market sector.

High-value, branded products have again proved their worth, but the sector is changing faster than ever—some of that as a result of the pandemic and the lifestyle changes that are resulting from it.

Sector Head Automotive Kevin Edgar tells the tale of how steel demand for the automotive supply chains fell off a cliff in March, how the sector is recovering and changing, and the challenges it still faces from the pandemic and Brexit.

Tata Steel’s Head of Safety, Health & Environment Governance, Ian Russon, tells the story of how experts from across the company have helped to steer it through difficult waters over recent months, and what comes next in preparing for a new kind of normality.

35% of the UK’s steel is consumed within a 30 mile radius of Tata Steel’s Distribution UK & Ireland business headquarters in Wolverhampton, from where Director Malcolm Boyles joins SteelCast. We discover that with local supply chains, high-value products, and short lead-times the business could be amongst the earliest to see some recovery.

When a shift team from Port Talbot’s Cold Mill decided they wanted to show their appreciation for the NHS and frontline care workers, they never believed their version of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline would go viral. With the song and dance routine already having reached more than 600,000 people on Facebook, SteelCast chatted with some of those who made it happen.