Nizhneserginsky hardware steel works, NSMMZ (SAP SEM-BPS)

Task description

JSC Nizhneserginsky Hardware Steel Works (NSMMZ) is one of the main producers of continuous and cast procurement and high-quality rolled metal in the Ural region. As the uniform NSMMZ industrial complex began the activity since December, 2001, having integrated the oldest enterprises in the Urals: The Revda hardware steel works (it is founded in 1734) and Nizhneserginsky steel works (it is founded in 1743). Since 2008 NSMMZ is a part of NLMK group.

NSMMZ is equipped with the modern steel-smelting and sortoprokatny equipment. Collection of information about a status of the main production is completely automated based on the process control system (APCS) "Metal" and the Actual Accounting MES system. At the same time, formation and consolidation of the shop official reports and the official report of the plant given for preparation were performed manually in the tables MS Excel until recently, information from production sites was told by phone. Considering the circumstances mentioned above, in the project progress it was required to solve the following complex of problems:

• provide a possibility of information input in places of its emergence (sections, workshops, dispatching services);
• organize automatic data loading from the APCS level and MES systems;
• automate process of consolidation of production information and formation of dispatching official reports of NSMMZ;
• provide online access to dispatching data of the plant to the management, chief specialists and departments of technological service NSMMZ and also the interested services of NLMK Group.

Assigned tasks are solved within the Official report system developed by specialists of "Information Technologies and Services" company on the SAP Business Intelligence platform (SAP BI).

Solution architecture

For implementation of a system the following SAP components of BI were selected:

• SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW) is business storage, the generator of the reporting, means of the automated data loading from external systems;
• SAP Business Planning and Simulating (SAP SEM-BPS) is a development environment of the user screen forms and business of logic.

Information on a status of production processes necessary for formation of summary production and economic indicators is loaded into the storage created based on SAP BW. For automatic data loading from operated in NSMMZ of the Actual Accounting MES system, CIS Asset, an APCS Metal and AIISKUE the corresponding connectors are configured.

The corresponding tabular interfaces are developed for input of dispatching information on work of sections and workshops of the enterprise based on SAP SEM-BPS. Consolidation of shop data and formation of summary official reports are implemented by means of SAP Business Explorer (SAP BEx). Report forms are available in the MS Excel format through SAP BEx or in HTML a format via the web browser.

On the basis of the consolidated information calculation of key performance indicators of production processes is performed. The possibility of graphical representation of these indicators in the Monitor of Efficiency of NSMMZ system developed based on the SAP product SEM-CPM is implemented.

Project Results

As a result of project implementation top managers of the plant, heads and specialists of workshops received the convenient tool for the operational analysis of dynamics of the major indicators of production, such as:

• task performance on production and shipment of finished goods;
• absolute, specific and mean values of a consumption of raw materials, materials and electric power;
• inventory condition;
• duration, reasons and responsible for idle times.

The developed system provides a possibility of comparison of the actual and normative/planned measure values.

The Official report system includes tabular interfaces for work of masters of sections, managers of workshops and factory managers. By means of these interfaces information input is provided on:

• to the main sections and items of equipment of two lines of electrosteel-smelting workshop (ESPTs), including the arc steel-smelting furnaces (ASSF), the ladle furnace installation (LFI) and the machine of continuous casting of procurement (MCCP);
• to auxiliary sections of ESPTs (section of preparation of materials and scrap, section of shipment of procurement and section of gas purification);
• to the sortoprokatny equipment (high-quality camp "250" and wire camp "150");
• to production of slag, lime and granules;
• to status of cranes and motor transportation equipment;
• to the movement and unloading/loading of cars of own park and leased cars.

A system allows to calculate the accruing results and to analyze dynamics of indicators for any time period by available analytical signs, for example, on crews or changes.

The Official report system provides automatic consolidation of production data and formation of dispatching reports and official reports at the level of separate workshops and the plant in general:

• "Daily official report of the manager ESPTs";
• "Summary official report of ESPTs";
• "Official report on idle times of ESPTs";
• "Official report of production on chipboard";
• "Official report on production of granules";
• "Official report on MNLZ";
• "Official report of the plant".

All report forms are available both via the MS Excel interface, and via the web interface that provides a full-fledged information access from mobile jobs.

Simplicity and flexibility of the SAP BI tools provided an opportunity further development of the analytical reporting and functionality of a system by forces of specialists of JSC NSMMZ.

The task was solved in a short time – in only 8 weeks. During this time the joint team of consultants of "Information Technologies and Services" company and the staff of JSC NSMMZ developed the conceptual project, the necessary functionality is implemented, training and certification of end users is provided. Since November 18, 2009 productive operation of the Official report system is performed.