Maintenance Project of the Year

1 & 2 Coke Batteries Maintenance Project

The 1 & 2 Coke Batteries Maintenance Project at Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor has been recognized with the Construction Advancement Foundation’s Maintenance Project of the Year Award. The award recognizes the scale, complexity, and safety performance of a 9-month maintenance effort that required constant coordination between Songer’s field teams, project leadership, safety professionals, and customer representatives. This was not routine maintenance. It was 24/7 support in a demanding industrial environment where planning, adaptability, and craft skill mattered every shift.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Coke Batteries 1 & 2 required continuous support from Songer’s skilled laborers and bricklayers to maintain a safe, reliable operation.
The project required:

• 24/7 field support 
• An average of 80 laborers and 50 bricklayers per day 
• A 3-8-7 schedule, every day, for 9 months
• More than 367,000 craft hours
• Daily coordination with operations, foremen, supervision, and safety leadership 

The work included regenerator refractory repairs, refractory repairs on the roof and inside the ovens, oven and standpipe decarbing, standpipe and mini base changes, charge hole casting work, spray crew support, ceramic welding, door sealing, and other critical maintenance activities.

A DEMANDING MAINTENANCE ENVIRONMENT

Maintaining active coke batteries requires a team that can adapt quickly, communicate clearly, and work safely in changing field conditions.
Each shift brought its own challenges. Work plans had to account for scheduled repairs, emergency breakdowns, operating constraints, and the need to keep the batteries in compliance. Songer’s field leadership worked directly with Cleveland-Cliffs management and battery foremen to keep the work moving safely and efficiently. That level of coordination helped the team respond to changing conditions without losing sight of the larger goal: complete the work safely, protect the operation, and support the customer.

PLANNING AND FIELD COORDINATION

A project of this size required more than craft labor. It required disciplined planning. Songer’s team developed schedules, work procedures, and response plans to support the daily maintenance needs of the batteries. The planning process also accounted for emergency repairs and operating changes, giving the field team the flexibility needed to adjust without losing control of the work. The result was a project environment built around communication, readiness, and steady execution. 

SAFETY AND EXECUTION EXCELLENCE

Safety was built into the project from the start. Songer leadership and safety professionals worked closely with front-line supervision to assess risk, communicate expectations, and support the craft teams in the field.

Several key practices helped reinforce the project’s safety culture:

• Training:
  Personnel received site-specific orientation, and front-line foremen and supervisors were trained on Songer’s safety expectations for the project.
• Risk Assessment:
  Risk was actively managed through Songer’s NIXN AI safety software, which supports real-time observations, hazard identification, and field-level safety education
• Safety Engagement:
  The “Heads Up” Safety Program was developed to encourage and recognize strong safety participation from craft personnel.
• Case Management:
  Incident response procedures, clear communication protocols, and 24-hour telehealth support were established to help ensure issues could be addressed quickly and properly.

The safety systems mattered, but the people made them work. This award reflects the discipline, awareness, and commitment of the craft teams and leaders who carried those expectations into the field every day.

RECOGNITION EARNED BY THE TEAM

The 1 & 2 Coke Batteries Maintenance Project shows what happens when planning, field leadership, safety discipline, and skilled craft labor all pull in the same direction. Songer is proud of the team behind this work and grateful for the effort they brought to the project every day. Their performance helped earn a respected industry award and reinforced what Songer stands for in the field: difficult work, done safely, by people who are ready to go to work.