TPT March 2023

INDUSTRY

SMS group installs AI-based integrated operating centre at Chinese tube plant

been improved and a breakthrough in intelligent manufacturing with centralised remote control has been achieved with the help of AI technology. Consequently, Daye is able to optimise its tube mill production processes from one control station. With the demand for smart factories increasing worldwide, the IOC has taken on a key role. An entire plant, from ironmaking to finished product, can be integrated into a central operating centre, not only for greenfield factories, but for existing complexes too. The IOC represents the pinnacle of excellence of the production complex, facilitating plant and logistics management by concentrating information and thereby significantly reducing the required manpower. Following implementation of the IOC, the 460mm tube plant at Daye Special Steel can be operated with the highest possible degree of automation. The number of discrete control elements across the entire rolling line has been reduced from 550 to 50. Only six operators manage the entire rolling line, a reduction of 10. The new IOC and the introduction of autonomous operation play an important part in improving both product yield and quality, SMS group said.

SMS GROUP has completed its first X-Pact ® integrated operating centre (IOC), a central monitoring room for the entire 460mm tube plant, at Daye Special Steel in Hubei Province, China. With the Daye 460 project, which also includes the enhancement of the tube plant’s existing automation systems, SMS group has achieved a breakthrough in its IOC application, an important milestone on the path to X-Pact ® Lights-out. Cameras installed along the production line provide the basis for centralised operator monitoring, eliminating the need for operating activities in the harsh environmental conditions commonly found in the metallurgical industry. The automation system utilises AI video analytics to respond to abnormal situations during production. The line’s level of automation has

AI-based X-Pact vision integrated operating centre at Daye Special Steel

SMS group

www.sms-group.com

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MARCH 2023