Above: OPP processes steel three shifts a day seven days a week and has expanded to higher strength material.
July, 2025- Ohio Pickling & Processing (OPP) in Toledo is an independent toll processor of flat-rolled steel coil.“We don’t own the steel. We process it for mills, service centers, brokers and end users,” Operations Manager Kevin Burnett says.
Founded in 2000, the company operates a pickling line and three slitting lines, two of which were built by Braner USA, Schiller Park, Illinois.
“We have our own truck fleet; they are all flat bed trailers designed for heavy haul. We ship within a 150-mile radius,” he says.
This year marks the completion of a five-year investment program at OPP that included pickling line modernization to the best-in-class standards, installation of two Braner slitting lines, upgrading buildings with climate-controlled storage, and many other operational and equipment upgrades.
Burnett learned about the company through a family friend, who was the general manager. He started working in production in 2010, was production manager for several years, and was then promoted to operations manager.
“We have between 90 and 100 employees who work three shifts seven days a week. We are currently looking into expansion opportunities. One of the reasons we bought the new slitter and packaging line [both from Braner] was to expand into different markets and go after work we weren’t able to do prior.”
SPECIFICATIONS
“I had the pleasure of commissioning both the slitting and packaging lines for Ohio Pickling & Processing and working alongside Kevin, who’s not only a great guy, but also someone truly committed to operational excellence,” says Kyle Klein, director of sales for Braner USA.
The slitting line at OPP is built for power, precision and flexibility. It’s capable of processing 35-ton coils up to 72 inches wide, in gauges ranging from 0.024 to 0.25 inch, and handling tensile strengths up to 290,000 psi, according to Klein. “It processes a wide range of materials including surface-critical cold-rolled steel, galvanized, painted, aluminum, ultra-high-strength carbon steel, and hot-rolled pickled and oiled coils.”
The slitter at OPP is built for power, precision and flexibility. It can process 35-ton coils up to 72 inches wide and handles tensile strengths up to 290,000 psi.
The slitter features an uncoiler with a variable speed AC drive for double-loop mode and drag generator for tension operation. The line accepts 20 to 24-inch ID coils, expandable up to 32-inch diameter with Braner’s speed load fillers.
“[OPP] originally purchased a two-head turret slitter with the capability of going to a triplehead when they needed more capacity,” Klein says. The company then upgraded to the triple head turret soon after increasing its capacity.
Braner’s patented hands-free Andiamo slitting provides faster threading in comparison to clamp-and-grab systems. This helps to increase throughput and safety.
A duplex roll tension stand allows OPP to use one set for oiled material, one for dry, minimizing contamination and improving quality. A five-high cluster leveler manages critical shape correction, and will correct across the entire gauge range. It features dual roll cluster and can move offline when leveling is not required or for routine maintenance.
The recoiler also has 20- and 24-inch ID capacity. It has dual-speed operation: 900 feet per minute and 300 FPM. The slitter is capable of 15 cuts in 0.25-inch-thick material and 31 cuts in 0.024-inch-thick steel. The slitting line includes Allen-Bradley PLC automation, job memory and safety guarding with interlocking gates.
The slitter features an uncoiler with variable speed AC drive for double-loop mode.
WRAP IT UP
Installed at the finish end of the slitter, Braner’s automated packaging system reduces labor, increases accuracy and streamlines coil handling, according to Klein. Designed for 7. 5-ton mult coils, the system integrates seamlessly with the slitting line.
System features include a down-ender that automatically picks and places the slit mult widths onto the conveyor and automatic traversing down-ender, which frees up operators for other tasks. The finished coils are automatically transferred to a built-in scale in the banding table, then routed to a centering table. Operators have the ability to select mult placement on an eight-position rotary turntable, and then they can walk away and perform other work.
Final bundling is completed at a rotary pallet banding station. Interlocked safety gates keep operators clear of the operation.
“With advanced automation and integrated tracking, this packaging system allows Ohio Pickling to significantly reduce manual intervention while improving consistency and throughput,” Klein says. He notes that both lines include remote-access PLC controls, which allows Braner technicians to support the equipment off site when needed.
PERFORMANCE
OPP has “dramatically improved its coil processing capabilities with the addition of a precision-engineered slitting line and a fully automated packaging system,” Klein says. “The new equipment maximizes throughput, enhances quality and reduces manual labor across operations.”
The two Braner slitting lines and packaging line, while integrated in workflow, were engineered as stand-alone systems to deliver independent performance advantages. OPP’s Burnett says the ability to slit as light as 0.024 inch and as heavy as 0.625-inch highstrength steels is a significant advantage.
“Our previous slitters were not made to handle those gauges and strengths.”
Although the company already processed steel coil for pipe and tube producers, for automotive and appliance OEMs and their Tier I suppliers, such as stampers, “this line allowed us to get more into automotive and appliances,” says Burnett. “We are running everything from pickled-and-oiled, cold-rolled and coated. It is even capable of handling painted product and aluminum.”
He notes that the newest line “has a lot of safety fencing and guarding, limit switches that don’t allow employees in. Reliability is a huge factor. We have had no breakdowns; it just runs every day. Productivity is significantly improved.”
Of the triple turret head, Burnett says this feature keeps the line running. Turnover times are improved and OPP is experiencing “greater throughput. Quality has improved, especially due to the in-line leveler.
“The volume we process is higher than our older lines. We run it around the clock,” he says.
With the remote trouble shooting service, “if there is an issue with the drives,” for example, “Braner is able to dial in and work on it. The availability of replacement parts is really quick because they can be sourced domestically. We haven’t had a lot of maintenance items that we could not handle quickly,” Burnett says.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The automated packaging line represents “another significant productivity boost” for OPP. “When the coils come off the slitter, it comes off on a transfer cart to a four-arm turnstile, and then we have an automated down-ender that grab slit cut ends and lays them down on conveyor tables, which moves them down to the packaging,” Burnett explains.
“We band them all and then we do have a shrink wrapping table, too, if necessary. That runs the whole time the slitter is running,” creating a seamless process.
“Our operators much prefer working on this new line,” Burnett says. “It has a lot of automation, creating a better work environment. There is less manual work and we are experiencing zero quality issues.”
He says the original programming for the slitter was performed by Braner. “Our production orders are entered into the computer, which tells us what tooling needs to go on the slitting head.”
Burnett says OPP’s capabilities can be customized “for all end markets and users. We process for everybody. This line can handle any job or need. The ultra-high strength is an advantage. That’s an area we plan to grow. Our goal is to deliver a quality product and give customers the best possible experience.”
The slitter is capable of 15 cuts in 1/4-inch-thick mat.
Braner USA, 847/671-6210 http://braner.com/
Ohio Pickling & Processing, 419-241-9601, http://ohiopickling.com/
