Senior Manager Furnace

Department:

Role Purpose:

furnace operations

Key Responsibilities:

1. Furnace Operation & Control

• Manage day-to-day blast furnace operations to achieve hot metal production targets (quality, quantity, and consistency).
  
• Monitor burden charging sequence, gas flow distribution, tuyere condition, and hearth performance.
  
• Control critical process parameters (wind volume, top pressure, oxygen enrichment, PCI rate, coke rate).
  
• Maintain stable furnace operation to avoid slips, scaffolds, hanging, and other process instabilities.
  

2. Hot Metal Quality & Productivity

• Ensure hot metal meets SMS requirements for Si, S, and P content.
  
• Optimize burden mix (sinter, pellet, coke, fluxes) to achieve cost-efficient operation.
  
• Maximize productivity (THM/m/day) while maintaining specific fuel rate and energy efficiency.
  
• Support PCI utilization and alternative burden strategies.
  

3. Furnace Health & Refractory Management

• Monitor refractory wear, hearth condition, and stave cooling efficiency.
  
• Track shell temperature, skull formation, and lining life through thermocouple and infrared monitoring.
  
• Plan furnace repair, maintenance, and relining activities in coordination with AGM/GM.
  

4. Maintenance & Reliability

• Coordinate with mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation teams for preventive and predictive maintenance.
  
• Analyze failures (Root Cause Failure Analysis – RCFA) and implement corrective actions.
  
• Ensure availability and reliability of blowers, stoves, tuyeres, and cooling systems.
  

5. Safety & Compliance

• Implement safety standards for furnace operation (tapping, tuyere changing, maintenance work).
  
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements under Factories Act, environment norms, and energy conservation standards.
  
• Promote a zero-incident culture and lead accident investigation & corrective measures.
  

6. Cost & Energy Optimization

• Drive initiatives to reduce coke rate and increase PCI substitution ratio.
  
• Optimize blast parameters to reduce fuel consumption per ton of hot metal.
  
• Minimize delays in furnace operation (charging, tapping, stoves).
  
• Control consumable and spares cost related to furnace operation.
  

7. Leadership & Team Development

• Lead a team of engineers, shift in-charges, and operators for smooth furnace operation.
  
• Develop capability of workforce in furnace process control, refractory management, and emergency handling.
  
• Motivate and engage team for continuous improvement and performance excellence.
  

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Daily Hot Metal Production vs Target (t/day).
  
• Productivity (THM/m/day).
  
• Specific Coke Rate (kg/thm).
  
• PCI Injection Rate (kg/thm).
  
• Hot Metal Quality (Si %, S %, P %).
  
• Furnace availability and campaign life.
  
• Safety metrics (LTI-free operation, near-miss reporting).
  
• Cost per ton of hot metal (furnace operation).
  

Qualification & Experience:

• B.E./B.Tech in Metallurgy / Mechanical / Chemical Engineering.
  
• 12–18 years of experience in Blast Furnace operation (at least 5 years in furnace operation/shift in-charge role).
  
• Strong technical knowledge of furnace operation, burden distribution, refractory wear, and cast house interaction.
  
• Experience in handling process instability (scaffolds, slips, channeling) and furnace shutdown/start-up.
  

Skills & Competencies:

• In-depth knowledge of blast furnace process and refractory health management.
  
• Strong analytical skills for process monitoring and troubleshooting.
  
• Leadership skills for managing multi-disciplinary teams.
  
• Knowledge of SAP/ERP for production and maintenance monitoring.
  
• Safety-oriented mindset and statutory compliance knowledge.
  
• Good coordination with Cast House, PCI, GCP, Stock House, and Utilities.