- Processes simplified, and ready to speedily respond to customer demands or other changes in business processes
- Applied to POSCO Pohang 4th wire products mill for the first time … Application planned to new, extended or upgraded facilities

POSCO and POSCO ICT jointly developed and applied a world-first production management system that integrates the business and process computer systems of Pohang 4th wire products mill that was recently constructed, providing a turning-point in upgrading the productivity of local steel mill significantly.

To product wire rods or other steel products, Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is required to control a series of operational activities, ranging from production instructions to furnace charging, rolling, finishing and inspection, and warehousing. A new system has been developed and applied by integrating the business and process control computer systems that support such functions.

The process computer system creates optimum operational conditions for producing products satisfying the customer requirements, such as width, length, thickness or other products specifications, by issuing work instructions while directly controlling the equipment, instruments and sensors at the production facility.

On the other hand, the business computer system performs the overall production management functions, including schedule, inventory and logistic management so that customer-acceptable products may be supplied timely while controlling the mill operations in connection with the process computers.

The business and the process computer systems have so far been operated separately in order to enhance the system stability as real-time operation is essential to the former whereas interlink with other areas is essential to the latter.

Meanwhile, POSCO ICT was founded in 2010 by merging POSDATA that was in charge of the business computers and POSCON that was in charge of the process computers. The system integration was started as the elements restricting their integration were resolved, including development of core technologies for high-speed real-time performance processing and backup for realizing a non-interrupted operation system in emergency.

The processes have been simplified drastically as the redundant functions of the two systems have been eliminated and the processes have been reassigned, enabling a speedy and flexible response to the customers’ request for product specification changes.

The wire products mill, which previously required seven business computers and eight process computers, has been simplified into seven computers, and the existing nine steps were reduced into five steps, eliminating 30% of redundant processes, through the current integration.

Further, the system had to be stopped for two days or so in order to reflect changes in customer requirements for the product specifications. Now, the mill is able to respond in a speedy and flexible manner as the operational conditions may be reset within one or two hours.

Based on such effects, POSCO plans to apply the integrated system it has successfully applied to the 4th wire products mill to its 3rd wire products mill currently under upgrading and 3rd FINEX mill under construction.

As the newly developed system is designed on component basis and work processes have been standardized, 60% or more of the existing software modules can be reused when applied to other mills, significantly reducing development cost and time.

The operational efficiency has been greatly enhanced by integrating the IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, and network components.