Broner Metals Solutions, a leading provider of supply chain planning, scheduling and manufacturing execution systems, specifically for the Metals Industry, has successfully implemented Phase 1 of the Production Scheduler Enhancements project for Corus Strip Products in Llanwern, UK.
New enhancements were developed in order to respond to opportunities identified in the process of implementing Production Scheduler (PS) at Corus, and will further improve scheduling capabilities.
Some of the new functions include:
- Feeder groups, which enables the use of non-first choice material to fill gaps in the schedule
- Minimum batching, which allows the specification of a rule which will try to complete a minimum batch of material limited by user-defined characteristics once started, and highlight a sharing violation if thats not possible
- Violation limits, which enables the definition of violations
- Improved scheduling information around specific areas of production.
From the time when Corus started using the new improved Production Scheduler, significant improvements in the scheduling process have been recorded. For instance, the feeder group function helped prevent an average of 50% of schedule violations.
The Phase 2 of the PS enhancement project will go live shortly and will add extra capabilities to Production Scheduler:
Improved scheduling information, particularly around coils scheduling
Conserve and Consume functionality, which allows users to define a scheduling strategy for using material which is in short supply and needed for more than one position in the schedule.
Shirley Solomon, Project Executive at Corus Strip Products, stated that the Phase 1 functionality together with support of the Project team, namely Gareth Philips, Project Manager and Andrew Leonard, Planning Manager, is helping the plant to generate more automated and accurate schedules, with a reduced amount of editing, which removes the potential for errors and inconsistencies.
About Corus
Corus is an international company, providing steel and aluminium products and services to customers worldwide. With an annual turnover of over 9 billion, the company is comprised of four Divisions, Strip Products, Long Products and Distribution & Building Systems.
Corus Strip Products UK is part of the Strip Products Division and produces Hot rolled steel strip and cold rolled and metallic coated steel.
Corus is a subsidiary of Tata Steel, the worlds fifth largest and second most global steel producer. With a combined presence in nearly 50 countries, Tata Steel has 84,000 employees across five continents and crude steel production of 27 million tonnes in 2007.
About Broner Metals Solutions
Broner Metals Solutions specialises entirely in delivering value to the Steel and Aluminium industries and provides Supply Chain Planning, Scheduling and Manufacturing Execution Systems and Consultancy, which improve shareholder value, through: reduced inventory; shorter manufacturing lead times; increased throughput; improved delivery performance and better customer service.
All Broner Metals Solutions products have been developed specifically for the Metals industry. Our solutions comprise a wide range of products including: business optimisation; order negotiation (ATP/CTP); production and material planning; production scheduling; despatch scheduling; production management (dispatching, tracking, execution, data management); Quality Management; Inventory Management, and Equipment Management. Our MES solutions are designed to the ISA95 standards.
The Broner Metals Solutions team has 30 years experience in improving the performance of metals supply chains worldwide. We are the global corporate standard supplier of production scheduling and MES solutions to the worlds largest steel company, ArcelorMittal, as well as supplying metals companies such as Dofasco, Corus, Cosipa, CSN, Gerdau, Nippon Steel, Norandal, OMK, Taiyuan Steel (TISCO), TMK and Usiminas.
Add a Comment
No messages on this article yet