R310 RCF – at the steelworks

The 680 kgs of Ford Mondeo arrived at Celsa in Cardiff on the back of a skip truck. The next stage is melting the car down and casting the steel into billets. My first worry was how to track the Ford through the whole process, but in fact it was very easy. As soon as the metal from the car was lifted into the cast pot it is given a cast number which will stay with this batch of steel forever. The whole plant in Cardiff is sophisticatedly computerised with ever bit of steel tracked throughout the whole process. What an amazing place! Dressed in heavy [and very hot] woolen fire retardent clothing, earpulgs, boots and helmet, I went into the plant. Even with the earplugs the noise, smoke and flames are overwhelming. We tracked the car being melted and cast into steel billets. From here the billets will be taken to the rod-mill.