The IT manager of Sangan Khorasan Steel Mining Industries Company stated that the intelligent transformation of the steel industry requires long-term planning and significant investment. Currently, steel plants are old, and to bring these technologies to the fourth generation of industry, namely smart factories, a foundation needs to be laid.
According to the Public Relations Department, Mehdi Ahmadi, IT manager of SSMIC, said: The steel industry is an old industry, and raw materials and energy, including water, electricity, etc., are part of the product production cycle in this industry. Currently, at the global level, serious planning is underway to move towards increasing efficiency and optimizing energy consumption through intelligent transformation, as the intelligent transformation of factories and the use of modern technologies are very important. What is meant by intelligent transformation in the steel industry is the ability to make the steel-making process more cost-effective by collecting information and big data.
He continued: Intelligent transformation is based on three foundations: big data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. Currently, steel processes in the country, in various sections including processing, extraction, and recovery, are produced using old production control systems. In factory automation, production processes are monitored. The decisions made there are determined by experts. In other words, people who are familiar with conditions and parameters such as temperature, flow rate, and anything that affects this issue control the factory. Based on the fresh and online data they receive; these operators decide every moment what control to apply to each part of the process to solve the problem or optimize the line.
This IT industry expert said about the stages of intelligent transformation: In the discussion of intelligent transformation of the steel industry, the first goal is to collect data. The next stage is to refine this data. After cleaning the data, it can be used for optimization and decision-making using methods such as machine learning. In fact, decision support systems use this data to provide suggestions for decision-making in conditions. After a complete analysis, decisions are made by operators without human intervention. The ultimate goal of steel mills is to create a fully automated production line where machines make decisions for optimization instead of humans.
He continued: Therefore, in the first stage, we need a factory from which data can be collected. A large part of the equipment in the steel industry is mechanical, such as hydraulic systems and arms. The data collected from these systems is very limited. To enter the discussion of intelligent transformation, since there must be a lot of data to be able to make decisions based on it, data must be taken from many parts. As a result, various sensors must be installed in different parts of the factory. With this, the factory is connected. After collecting data, this large and connected data must be processed. The next stage is the development of intelligent algorithms. Currently, universities are working on these issues on a case-by-case basis. Of course, the fourth stage is the use of this data in the production process.
Ahmadi considered the technology used in the country’s steel industry to be old and said: Currently, there are a few third-generation steel plants in the country, and the other plants are old. For example, blast furnace technology is now old, and many steel-producing countries are passing or have passed this technology. Therefore, it is important for our steel industry to also move beyond old technology and move towards using new technologies. There is no choice but to move and use the fourth generation, which means we must reach a smart factory. We must connect the factory’s equipment and collect data from them.
He continued: What happens in factories is very case-specific. There is no comprehensive and complete solution to all problems. For example, production announces that the allowable waste rate is two percent, but the production waste is five percent. As a result, only the data of the production section is collected and a solution is considered for it using intelligent transformation. As a result, although intelligent transformation is used in the steel industry, this use is case-specific but not comprehensive. The ultimate goal of intelligent transformation is the impact of this process on all levels of the factory and not just a small part of it.
This expert considered long-term planning and investment as the key to solving the problem and said: For complete intelligent transformation, a minimum of a 10-year plan is needed. First, the needs must be identified. The next stage is to put sensors in place. These tasks require a lot of investment. Due to sanctions, supplying high-tech IT products is difficult and costly. The infrastructure must be built. For example, there should be fiber optics and a high-speed, uninterrupted connection. Since a lot of data is going to be received quickly, the communication infrastructure must be prepared. Such a task requires long-term investment and planning, and we hope that with the support and planning and investment of our country, which has important potentials in the fields of mining, steel, and human resources, we will quickly move towards intelligent transformation.