Carol Jackson, Chairman and CEO of HarbisonWalker International, has begun her two-year term presidency of the World Refractories Association in January 2020. She succeeds Stefan Borgas, CEO of RHI Magnesita, who has led the organization since January 2018. In an interview with the Interceram she talks about the environmental responsibility of the refractories industry and the role of refractories as an essential industry - especially in view of the current crisis.
Carol Jackson
As President, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Executive Officer of HarbisonWalker International (HWI), Carol R. Jackson leads North America's oldest and largest refractory producer. Most recently, Carol was senior vice president and general manager at HWI, responsible for commercial operations globally. Prior to joining HWI in 2014, Carol served as Vice President of the bar, wire, and strip business units of Carpenter Technology Corporation. She also progressed through numerous roles at PPG Industries, where she was ultimately Director of Global Raw Materials Purchasing. In 2019, Carol was elected to the Board of Directors of Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE: SXT) and elected President of the World Refractories Association (WRA), as its first North American leader. She was also named a 2019 Outstanding CEO and Top Executive by the Pittsburgh Business Times/American City Business Journals. Carol has a bachelor's degree from Duquesne University, an MBA (MSIA) from Carnegie Mellon University, and a juris doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
© Carol Jackson
Interceram: You have just begun your two-year term presidency of the WRA in January 2020. What are the main objectives of your presidency?
Carol Jackson: Since WRA was formed in 2014, our primary goals have been to promote the interests of the worldwide refractory industry and provide a global forum for the common interests of members, while serving as the voice of the industry. In addition, we have focused on making continuous progress in the areas of health, safety, global industry standards, and environmental issues. As we look ahead for the remainder of 2020 and beyond, these overall objectives continue to be priorities for our organization.
None of us, however, could have expected the impact that the COVID-19 global pandemic would have on our industry and all the industries we serve.
At the onset of the pandemic, governing bodies around the world were working to determine essential businesses that should remain open to support health operations and guarantee public safety. It became urgently necessary for WRA to communicate that refractories are an essential industry that is vital to the manufacturing of countless goods that ensure the safety and security of our global community.
Through this situation, we found that ongoing communication was necessary to elevate awareness and understanding of the criticality of refractories as an industry. Through our committee structures, our members have been working together to deliver these messages across multiple communications channels. We've also been hard at work, sharing best practices for addressing pandemic health and safety issues in our members' facilities.
The production of refractory products is a very energy-intensive process that causes a lot of CO 2 emissions. At the last general assembly of the WRA, your predecessor Stefan Borgas, CEO RHI Magnesita, addressed this issue, stating: "Humanity needs to drastically reduce its ecological footprint to survive in the long run, and the refractory industry must contribute its fair share. We have already fulfilled our role as a part of society that creates value in the past. Now we have to expand our responsibility and help stop the climate crisis". How does the WRA follow up on this objective?
As we look to the next two years at WRA, we will continue to encourage and assist in continuous progress for the healthy, safe, and environmentally-sound production of refractories, while working towards an ecological footprint reduction. Our member companies have placed a great deal of focus on this issue, and many have made significant investments. There is more emphasis on environmental responsibility than ever before, and we will be working with our members on sharing and enacting best practices.
The WRA has recently published a video explaining which industries require refractories and why. What would you say is the most important factor to raise awareness for this industry? Why is this important?
As evidenced by our communication surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, more understanding is needed about the critical role of refractories in virtually all manufacturing processes. WRA and its members need to continue educating all our industry stakeholders, and the public, about the fact that without refractory products and services, society, as we know it today, could not exist.
It is fair to say that the global pandemic is one of the greatest challenges we had to face in recent times. The refractory industry as an industry producing vital goods could not be shut down. How can a safe working environment be ensured?
From a WRA perspective, all of our members take safety quite seriously; we have been very active in sharing best practices and ensuring adherence to local, federal, and global directives and recommendations. In my leadership role at HarbisonWalker International (HWI), throughout this health crisis, our team has been consistent in reinforcing that our number one priority is always the health, safety, and well-being of our employees. All our decisions and actions have been guided by this priority, as we continue to deliver for our customers and sustain the future of the company.
How has the crisis affected the global refractory industry?
During this time of unprecedented uncertainty and like many others across the globe, our industry has had to respond to an overall economic downturn. So many of our members have had to find ways to reduce costs and curtail planned investments. As the uncertainty continues, refractory companies will need to weigh the consequences of this environment. Eventually, companies will reach a "tipping point" where if they do not make investments, or research and development does not continue due to short-term cost controls, they sacrifice long-term viability. So business decisions are always a balancing act.
At HWI, you have been focusing on employing the use of Big Data. Where can this be beneficial to your customers?
We are very excited at HWI about the opportunities for both our data and our customers' data to help us collaborate more effectively and efficiently. We are working with our customers to harness information that helps us to better support their business. The outcomes for them are smarter use of our products through predictive analytics, for instance, and improved product development and deployment that's grounded in even more precise operations intelligence.
Young talents: What do you do to attract the next generation of refractory specialists at HWI?
We are very focused on cultivating and attracting new generations of talent for our industry. We are committed to ensuring that our company and our industry encourages diversity and inclusivity in our workforce. At HWI, we've been active in STEM education initiatives with young students to get them exposed to and excited about careers in materials science, for example. We've instituted our FIRE (Focused Intense Rotational Education) Program, which provides a multidisciplinary experience across our company for new hires, and we've dramatically enhanced our professional development offerings to employees. The results have been more engaged employees who are gaining expertise across broader aspects of our business.
In 2019, you expanded your manufacturing facility in White Cloud, Michigan, which produces refractory materials for the steel industry. Why are steel refractory facilities a key part of your investments?
Serving the needs of the steel industry is a significant component of our business. The steelmaking process necessitates a tremendous consumption of refractory materials. Our company was founded more than 150 years ago by Samuel Harbison and Hay Walker, who began the business with a partnership with Andrew Carnegie's steel business, so our roots with steel run deep! Today, we are proud to be one of the largest suppliers to the US steel industry with the most extensive field presence. We continue to work closely with our steel customers on product and service innovations.
What fascinates you most about refractories?
Many things! I'm always fascinated by the fact that our products, which may seem so simple, are so critically important to the manufacturing of virtually everything around us, from the cars we drive to the buildings we enter, to the daily products we use. The ability of refractories to withstand the intensity of some of the most high-heat and caustic manufacturing environments is amazing. Refractories are, in fact, highly sophisticated, and we're constantly evolving them to solve new problems for customers.
When explaining refractory materials to non-experts, which application example do you use to raise their interest?
I often cite how we protect the giant ladles filled with molten steel and how great we make your pizza taste when it is fired in a brick oven.
How do you envision the refractory industry in 50 years?
Many truly exciting advancements are occurring in our industry. I expect that the world will continue to depend on our products for manufacturing, but we will be able to work so much more efficiently with customers and in our own manufacturing processes. I envision an environmentally responsible refractory product life cycle that has the potential to be zero-waste from the cradle to the grave. |
Thank you for the interview.
Interview: Leyla Buchholz
About the WRA.
The World Refractory Association (WRA) is a non-profit organization with headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, set up in November 2014 by the major refractory industry associations and multinational companies.
The World Refractories Association is a forum to debate regulatory issues affecting global trade, circulate aggregated industry statistics and promote the interests of the worldwide refractory industry. It also serves as a counterpart to other world industry organizations.
The WRA consists at the moment of six major refractory industry associations and 16 multinational companies. The secretariat is held by the European Refractories Producers Federation, PRE.
Stefan Borgas, CEO of RHI Magnesita, was President of WRA until the end of 2019. The WRA General Assembly of October 2019 elected his successor. Carol Jackson is the first North American to assume the WRA presidency in January 2020 for a period of two years.