At 13:00 on June 1, a member of the Shuicheng Iron & Steel Company issued the first piece of assembly information after the system went online, through the manufacturing Shuicheng Iron & Steel execution system in the 5G studio of the steel rolling business department, which marks the steel rolling management of the Shuicheng Iron & Steel manufacturing execution system’s official operation initiation. The comprehensive integration of steel-making and steel rolling business management is another important milestone in the process of promoting the intelligent manufacturing system construction project in Shuicheng Iron & Steel, marking another important step in the process of realizing enterprise informatization and intellectualization.

The Shuicheng Iron & Steel intelligent manufacturing system construction project was officially launched on July 16, 2019, and was fully implemented by the Shougang Automation Information Technology Company. Under the trend for intelligent development of the iron and steel industry in the new era, according to the work requirements of “promotion in five aspects”, Shuicheng Iron & Steel promotes the construction of its informatization master plan to improve enterprise information management and adapt to future development needs of enterprises. Combined with the business organization and field practice of the three production areas of iron making, steel making and steel rolling, the project adjusts and optimizes the organization and business process, fully introduces intelligent equipment, improves basic data collection, and builds an information system covering the whole process, so as to realize the informatization system embodying “professional concentration, consistent processing, efficient coordination and comprehensive control”.

The manufacturing execution system (the MES for short) is a key item in the Shuicheng Iron & Steel informatization project’s construction. As a set of production information management systems oriented to the production execution level of manufacturing enterprises, it can not only systematically integrate production front-end factors such as logistics, information flow and planning, but also effectively control the whole process of production and manufacturing. Through data collection, analysis and monitoring, it can ensure that the data are true, effective and free from human intervention. The online MES can fully connect the management of iron making, steel making and steel rolling, and realize the integrated production planning management of steel rolling material integration, planning integration and quality integration, so as to realize closed control from production planning to execution scheduling, and help enterprises to build a solid, reliable, comprehensive and feasible manufacturing collaborative management platform. It can also provide effective protection for enterprises in product quality traceability, paperless office integration, fine production line management, three-level cost accounting, etc. to enhance product quality, improve labor productivity and efficiency and reduce cost.

The Shuicheng Iron & Steel Company has attached great importance to the project since its initiation, and established the project leading group and the project management office with the main leader as the team leader to systematically design, carefully organize and fully promote the project investigation, preparation, bidding, design, implementation, etc. The project was led by its Strategic Development Department. The Intelligent Application Business Department, the Manufacturing Management Department and other business departments formed a joint project team with the automation and informatization team of the Shougang Automation Information Technology Company. The two sides had in-depth communication and collaboration, and solved many difficulties and problems in the implementation process.

On January 13, 2020, the new steel-making arm of the MES was put into operation. Through operation in recent months, the expected target was achieved. Not only was the manual paper record on site cancelled in March, but also one-click reporting, three-level cost accounting and refined management of steel smelting area were realized, and the production organization efficiency was effectively improved.

In order to ensure the smooth launch of the system on June 1, the project team overcame many difficulties. During the epidemic period, it was at the critical stage of project implementation, and the Shougang Automation Information Technology project team could not return to their centralized office posts. In order to ensure that the progress of the project wasn’t affected, the Shougang Automation Information Technology project team and the Shuicheng Iron & Steel team actively coordinated, overcame all difficulties, and organized a remote office method of work to solve problems in the project process and ensure its implementation progress. When they could return to their posts, the manager in charge of the project of the Shougang Automation Information Technology Company led the core personnel of the project team to the site of Shuicheng Iron & Steel immediately to promote the implementation of the project as soon as possible. The Shougang Automation Information Technology worked out a complete online strategy together with the business departments, formulated emergency plans for risks and problems that might occur in the online process, and organized system operation training for key post users.

Up to now, the system has been running stably, and production planning, material management, quality judgment and logistics delivery have been carried out smoothly. The project team has also effectively solved the problems in the operation process, has done a good job in training the technical personnel of Shuicheng Iron & Steel, and has truly allowed the integrated plan management, integrated quality management and consistent material management of Shuicheng Iron & Steel’s steel rolling to run smoothly. After ensuring that the new steel rolling MES is completely stable, according to the requirements of “centralized management” and “integration” of Shuicheng Iron & Steel production information, the MES iron coke online work shall be put on the agenda as soon as possible, so as to fully open up the information circulation path of production management, quality management, logistics management and sales management, further improve and enhance its informatization construction, and provide its production and operation decisions with strong support.

The project had a tight construction period, a complex site and difficult organization. The project team members of both sides worked overtime, and some core and backbone employees even worked continuously for over 48 hours, and didn’t stop until the system was stable and the business was smooth. Through cooperation between the business departments and project teams, the MES completed the online switching of one high-speed line and three rod lines from 9:00 to 19:00 on June 1. After the system was put into operation, the Intelligent Application Business Department and the Shougang Automation Information Technology project team formed a joint support group to support front-line operation on a 24-hour shift, and quickly handle the problems in the process. The whole Shuicheng Iron & Steel and the Shougang Automation Information Technology team made united and deeply integrated joint efforts to accumulate wisdom towards the construction of the information system as the starting point and to continuously inject intelligent “genes” into this old third-tier enterprise.

After the successful launch of the project, Shuicheng Iron & Steel will continue to promote the construction of informatization and intelligence, accelerate the implementation of follow-up data centers, pre-iron making processes, equipment, energy management and control, intelligent monitoring, procurement management and other systems, so as to realize the “intelligent” leap of Shuicheng Iron & Steel’s management.