Charles R. Kuzell, in his willingness to contribute unselfishly to his industry, left a legacy of knowledge and invaluable advancements to the science of copper smelting. He developed the Great Falls type of lined converters, and invented a tamped periclase lining for these converters, which greatly reduced costs over the previous brick linings. He designed the first successful all-welded Pierce-Smith converter shell. The entire smelting system at Ajo, Arizona, was conceived by Mr. Kuzell. Among its many innovations it included: a unique concentrate storage and flux-mining unit; the charging of concentrate by means of cans and slingers; and the use of magnetite sand for a furnace bottom. This unique smelting system was a profound success and reflected his genius to all the industry.
His most significant contribution was the development of a technique for hot patching furnace roofs and sidewalls using a silica slurry, during operation! This was an incredible innovation because operations could be continued indefinitely without a shutdown for repairs. Mr. Kuzell held many patents relating to smelting techniques and devices.
He was also well known in the field of labor relations and he developed outstanding mine and smelter safety programs.