U. S. Steel Representatives Visit CIVS for Collaborative Showcase

October 31, 2023
Several people seated in rows of chairs in auditorium, facing a seated man talking

On July 27th, CIVS hosted local and national representatives from U. S. Steel for project overviews, progress presentations, and a facility showcase. The visit also included open trials of the customizable crane training simulator, just one day before the project team’s progress demonstration with crane operators and training personnel from U. S. Steel Gary Works.

The visit was an opportunity for U. S. Steel representatives to see firsthand the projects and progress on those projects that specifically involve collaboration between the Gary Works plant and CIVS. An overview hosted in the CIVS Immersive Theater included several key projects and was opened by a few words from Dr. Chenn Zhou, as well as an introduction from industry partner Joe Morey of U. S. Steel.

“Every time we come in there’s real progress. The team listens to us and does their best to accommodate what we’re asking for. I’m always excited to see what they’ve done next,”

Jeffery Maxfield, Crane Trainer at U. S. Steel Gary Works.



Project leaders were on hand to answer questions and walk through the different project’s stages of development. Focusing on proactive optimization of plant processes using simulations and 3D modeling was a major topic of discussion. These projects are made possible by the data provided from industry leaders like U. S. Steel, and what they receive in return is the confidence in their processes and a clear roadmap to success. Another topic was the importance of serving on SMSVC committees such as the Safety committee which heads the development of the crane simulator.

The U. S. Steel representatives in attendance were: Malisa Dunn, Eric Lindborg, William Schlichting, Jason Entwistle, Brian Rogers, Jonathon Downs, Kosta Leontaras, Michael Schwentor, Rudolf Moravec, David Runner, Kurt Sander, Stephen Stetak, Jeffery Maxfield, Charles McClelland III, and David Gaines.

“The value of working with students at Purdue Northwest is that they are learning right along with us. They want to understand the process so they can make it better and drive progress past what we know is possible.”

Mike Schwentor, Director of Operational Excellence at U. S. Steel Gary Works.



On August 11th, the customized Crane Training Simulator was installed at US Steel Gary Works. The CIVS team will continue to update the simulator and develop similar versions for other plants, based on industry feedback. This project was in collaboration with US Steel as a chart member of the Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium (SMSVC). For more information on this project or SMSVC membership, please get in touch with us at steelcons@pnw.edu.

Woman standing in front of screen in auditorium with several people seated in rows of chairs
Several people seated in rows of chairs in auditorium, facing a seated man talking
Several people seated in rows of chairs in auditorium, facing a seated man talking
Several people seated in rows of chairs in auditorium, facing a seated man talking
Man standing in front of screen in auditorium with several people seated in rows of chairs
An individual in business professional attire operates a crane training simulator in the CIVS visualization lab while other individuals watch
An individual in business professional attire operates a crane training simulator in the CIVS visualization lab while other individuals talk to each other
An individual in a work uniform operates a crane training simulator in the CIVS visualization lab
An individual operates a crane training simulator in the CIVS visualization lab
An individual in business professional attire stands wearing a VR headset and operating handheld controls in the CIVS visualization lab while other individuals watch. The screen behind them shows what they see in the VR headset: the fire extinguisher simulator