LRider Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 I am currently a third year student at the geography department at the University of Sheffield, as part of my degree I am undertaking a project, and I am looking for people to talk to about working in the steel industry and after the decline. I am particularly interested in this topic as the industry, I have never experienced growing up in the late 80 and early 90's the area to me is just Meadowhall, or the Sheffield arena, but hearing stories from family and friends that they used to work or deliver milk in the area paints a totally different picture, one that I cant imagine. I am looking for people to take part in a short interview, over the phone or via email and if at all possible I would like to record the conversation so that I can gather the most possible information, I don’t want to miss any good bits! My project has a few main points e.g. how did you get involved in the industry i.e. family tradition, what sort of training you did, your fellow work mates, and what if any changes effected yourself after the decline, i.e. what you did after, for example re training, early retirement all sorts of things. (Don’t worry it will be more a Richard and Judy style, rather than Jeremy Packman)!!! I would be greatly appreciated if you feel you could help me and I would really like to talk to you if either you or a family member were associated with the industry. If you would like to help could you please contact me. Thank you I will look forward to hearing from you L Rider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PopT Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Hi Rider Please look in your private messages box. Happy Days PopT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vasquez Rich Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Question: how much less steel and special steels and alloys are made in this area now than in the 1970s and 1980s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PopT Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 From what I read the Sheffield area is producing more tonnage than ever using a quarter of the previous manpower levels. I find this hard to swallow as I was one of the workers who was made redundant in the eighties but you have to accept the facts. Happy Days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRider Posted November 16, 2006 Author Share Posted November 16, 2006 Thanks Pop T, any help is much appreciated As i am new to the forum i can read PM's but not send them yet, if you could send me your e-mail address i can reply to you directly. Thanks again L.Rider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Steel making now is entirely different to what it was in the 40,s and 50,s you now have 100 ton electric arc furnaces and secondary melting where all the refining is done in the ladle,hence production is much greater than it was in the old way. Vacuum degassing removes all the need for hours in an annealing stove We had one 70ton arc furnace at Firth Browns that could produce more steel in a week than we did with 6 electric arc furnaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PopT Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Hi Rider Please look in your private messages box, I have left you another message. Happy Days PopT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter leary Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Hi there . i work at a steel work that is next door to the meadowhall shopping centre . the company is now called firth rixson forgings . it was called aurora forgings and was first known as george turton platts . i think the company has been on this site since about 1904 ish . the company used to make railway buffers for trains . we now make aviation parts for rolls royce , pratt & whitney and general electric . our main customer is caterpillar over in the u.s.a the company has never been as busy as it is now . i think we are the last steel works left in the meadowhall area . pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vasquez Rich Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 I'm pleased that some other people agree with me that the word "decline" is a complete misnomer and really should not be used in conjunction with the metals industry in this area. I know for a fact that the largest aerospace "cluster", as it is known, in Europe exists in South Yorkshire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRider Posted November 19, 2006 Author Share Posted November 19, 2006 Hi Pop T, i didn't seem to get your last Pm, could you possibly send it again. Ta L Rider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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