NLMK Kaluga (PSImetals)

The project on industrial automation on NLMK Kaluga LLC.

NLMK Kaluga. Photo: integral-russia.ru

Tasks

The high-quality division of group NLMK delivered before PSI Metals GmbH a problem of implementation of the integrated production management system at the new mini-plant in To Kaluga which part the electrosteel-smelting workshop and the rolling shop equipped with the hi-tech equipment Siemens of VAI and SMS Meer respectively is.

Objectives

• integration of all levels of automation based on the ready-made solution MES satisfying to all aspects of the metallurgical enterprise
• consolidation of electrosteel-smelting workshop and the rolling shop in a uniform production chain
• control of accomplishment of the production plan and client orders
• accounting of raw materials and materials, accounting of operation of the equipment and labor costs
• the detailed accounting of production and quality
• collecting and standardization of data from different sources for a feedback with an ERP system
• integration of diverse automation systems into a uniform information field

Work progress

The PSI Metals company performed vertical (ERP/main automation) and horizontal (receipt raw materials/shipment of semi-finished products and finished goods) integration of information systems. Integration begins with receipt of client orders and the basic handbook data from an ERP system (SAP). Throughout all production chain planning processes, accomplishment of the production schedule, quality control and logistics of materials work.

Since delivery of scrap and the alloying materials before shipment of finished goods there is a full integration between an ERP system and level of automation.

The solution at the heart of the project

PSI Metals implemented this project with the help of the products PSImetals Planning, Produc-tion & Quality, Logistics and Energy.

On the basis of the client and forecast orders arriving from the ERP system of SAP PSImetals creates the combined production orders. The scheduler of orders by means of optimizers of the line of pouring and rolling creates the balanced production schedule combining uniform loading of the rolling shop and shipment of the poured procurements to clients. The created plans of pouring became and rolling are transferred to execution to a production management system.

Even prior to steel smelting a system provides accounting of the arrived scrap and materials under purchase orders, since registration of the arrived cars and trucks before unloading on a warehouse with difficult topology of storage locations (bunkers, granaries, winter roads). Integration into the weight equipment of railway and motor transport allows to make out acceptance reports and acts of mismatch at raw materials acceptance directly in a system.

According to the plan of pouring of steel for each melting the scheme of blending is appointed and using crane terminals (touchscreen) weight is traced and the actual moving of scrap to baskets for the subsequent charging in the furnace is registered. Integration into the weight equipment of baskets allows the operator of the crane to monitor accomplishment of the plan of blending online without the assistance of the foreman of a warehouse of scrap. Besides, it allowed to optimize process — presence of shikhtovshchik on scales in load time of a basket is not necessary.

After charging of scrap into chipboard control and production management passes to the system of the second Siemens VAI level. Using the expanded data exchange interface with this system, PSImetals obtains all necessary information on process of smelting of steel and pouring of procurements. On the basis of data retrieveds in PSImetals Production&Quality the passport of melting is issued and certification of procurements is carried out. After aggregation and normalization data on smelting and steel quality are automatically transferred to the system of the top level of SAP.

Especially for NLMK Kaluga the online monitor with simple web access reflecting the current production process in steel-smelting workshop and allowing technology personnel to react quickly to deviations of process parameters from regulation is developed.

Control of a warehouse of procurements is exercised using PSImetals Logistic and is an important link in ensuring optimal giving of procurements on rolling or shipment to clients. A system supports poshtabelny and layer-by-layer accounting of procurements in a warehouse and also a possibility of registration of movements using crane terminals (touchscreen).

Production in the rolling shop of the enterprise begins with activation of the production schedule in a system and registration of giving of procurements from a warehouse on an input of the heating furnace. Using the data obtained from PSImetals about the production schedule and the procurements loaded on a furnace input, the system of the second level of the rolling shop SMS Meer controls course of production and reports on each executed operation on each rolled procurement and each created packet of finished goods on a line output. Uses the acquired information PSImetals for:

• drawing up balance of metal (balance of volumes of the set metal, the received products, defects and waste) which allows to make calculation of costs at the level of ERP
• formations of the map of the posad, rolling and certification
• maintaining the magazine of swimming trunks and providing data to the management of workshop in the daily official report
• aggregations and sendings data to SAP.

In addition PSImetals manages sampling, formation of requests for tests and integration into laboratory units for obtaining results of tests.

The warehouse management system of finished goods, as well as all other warehouses, supports the configured topology of storage locations and registration of material transfers as using the visualized scheme of a warehouse in the office application, and using crane terminals.

Shipment of procurements and products is performed on the basis of the releases for shipment transferred to MES from the ERP system. A system supports processes of the request of transport for loading, formation of the sheet of loading, weighing of vehicles for determination of actual weight of a load and sending the end result with a binding to the client order in SAP.

Project Results

The main results of implementation of integrated solution from PSI Metals:

• traceability since arrival of raw materials and materials from the supplier before sending products to the consumer
• the main factory documents on raw materials acceptance, quality, production and loading are printed using a system
• accomplishment of orders and all movements of materials are registered in an ERP system only on data of PSImetals.