Labor productivity improvement at Kimitsu No. 2 blast furnace

Kimitsu No 2 blast furnace was relined with the objective of labor productivity improvement and was blown in on November 1994. The number of tapholes was reduced from 3 to 2 by changing the main trough from fixed type to changeable type. In addition, by introducing high-power hydraulic openers, a new monitoring system and remote controlled cast house machines, the number of workers in the cast house was reduced from 9 to 4 persons/shift, with better working conditions, and the continuation of stable operations.