Primetals Technologies & PSI Metals Receive MES Order for Gerdau’s Melt Shop

By end of February,  Primetals Technologies, a Metal-Expo regular exhibitor, received an order for the installation of a Manufacturing Execution System for Gerdau’s integrated plant melt shop in Ouro Branco in Minas Gerais in Brazil.

The new solution will replace an existing system, which offers only limited upgrade options after several years of operation. The project will be executed by Primetals Technologies in cooperation with PSI Metals, thus combining leading automation, metallurgical and software know-how in the steel industry. The new melt shop MES offers a deep integration with the existing level 1 and level 2 systems of Primetals Technologies based on standard interfaces. The solution makes use of the standard software product PSI Metals, which offers regular updates and upgrades, and which is already used in the plate mill and hot strip mill lines at Ouro Branco.

The existing melt shop Manufacturing Execution System of Gerdau in Ouro Branco cannot meet the high-quality demands of the Brazilian steel producer any more. Limited options for upgrades are the main reasons to source a new solution. The new PSI Metals based MES solution is offering the operators a holistic view of the running production from the melt shop to their plate and hot strip mill to improve the quality of the production processes. In 2019 Primetals Technologies finished the installation of new level 1 and level 2 systems for a 6-strand billet caster and level 2 system for two blast furnaces at Gerdau Ouro Branco.