What were your first steps in the chemical industry and how did you end up at the RSM installation in the Nitrate Department?

I have been employed at Azoty Kędzierzyn since 1991, and since 1993 I have been working in the Nitrate Department. When the RSM production plant began to be built in 2015, I was appointed by the then department manager, Mr. Henryk Sterkowicz, to supervise and coordinate the start-up of the new plant, and I have been here ever since. Currently, in addition to the UAN installation, I also supervise the milling plant, where dolomite rock is ground into powder, which enriches nitrogen fertilizers with calcium and magnesium.

What does a typical working day look like for a foreman in the RSM production department?

Every morning, we have a briefing in the foreman's office, where the foremen finishing their shift give us information about what happened at the installations during our absence.  Then we go to the manager for a dispatch meeting, during which we connect with the management and report on what is happening in our department. After the dispatch meeting, we stay with the manager and plan what we will do on a given day and what the most important priorities are for today and the following days.

Currently, as we speak, the plant is undergoing a technological shutdown. Please tell me, is working on the installation during a shutdown significantly different from working during a normal period?

During a normal period, there are simply other tasks that involve preventing breakdowns and shutdowns and ensuring that the process runs with the correct parameters and in the right way. During a shutdown, however, we have to prepare the equipment for repairs so that the repair services can safely enter and work on the installation. In addition, there is sometimes work related to the implementation of new investments that needs to be supervised. So the nature of the work is completely different.

The installation will celebrate its 10th anniversary in November this year. What has changed over these 10 years from your perspective?

Firstly, we are testing RSMs with various additives in order to be able to compete on the market. Secondly, there is productivity. At the beginning, the design capacity of the installation was 100,000 tons per year. Very soon after the start of production, we doubled the design capacity of the installation. Currently, we have increased it to about 350,000 tons per year. We have also implemented a method of producing RSM 28 and RSM 30 in the tanker loading process (online loading), and we have optimized the loading process, which allows us to accumulate a larger stock of RSMs in our warehouse. We also care about product cleanliness. Every year during the shutdown, we open the storage tanks and commission an external company to clean and dispose of all unnecessary residues. Thanks to this, we have clean, attractive, and very good quality RSM again for the whole next year. Our department produces RSM®28, RSM®30, RSM®32, and RSM®S 28 (+12.5).

There are many RSMs on the market, which determines the quality of ours. What makes it stand out?

We have never had any problems with complaints. In terms of its analytical composition, it is always spot on, and its purity is also impeccable. There is high demand and customers want to buy it. There are times when the guys on the installation are working like billyo. We have refined the filling process so much that it takes us half an hour to load a truck with all the formalities.

What gives you the most satisfaction at work?

I get the most satisfaction from implementing new ideas and solutions, both my own and those of my team, which really improve work processes. I like to modernize equipment to make it more efficient and safer for employees. I am happy when I see that my actions translate into greater efficiency and comfort for the team.