Data models and analytics make it possible to optimize production and increase safety, and with the help of artificial intelligence, advanced support systems can be built, systems that are trained by looking at historical data and decades of process knowledge.
But while access to large data sets, advanced algorithms and powerful computing capacity is a prerequisite for progress, the focus is often limited to individual process sections. It is only when all systems can communicate with each other that real benefits can be achieved from the possibilities of digitization. An example is
JSW Steel Ltd. Together with India's leading steel company, ABB has created the first smart factory solution of its kind in the steel industry. Here, a digital solution connects several process steps and with real-time data from the smelter via ladle and tap systems to casting, it becomes possible to optimize thermal losses. The digital solution responds to one of the steel industry's major challenges; to reduce energy consumption while ensuring high quality.
JSW Steel expects to increase the company's EBITDA profit by approximately $2 million per year through higher casting speeds, time savings and additional production. The lower energy consumption also means fewer consumables and a lower carbon footprint, says Ola Norén.