Over the 20 years of its operations in Poland, ArcelorMittal Poland has already invested over PLN 10.5 billion in its plants, a significant percentage of which was allocated to the automation and digitization of production. Modern metallurgy requires investment in technologies that will increase the efficiency, quality and competitiveness of plants, but above all, employee safety. Only in the last few years of the year, the company has implemented several dozen solutions based on modern technologies.
According to the latest data from the International Federation of Robotics, in 2022 the installation of industrial robots in 27 European Union countries increased by 6% every year. One of the most dynamically developing industries is the metal and machinery industry, which recorded a 17 percent increase. ArcelorMittal Poland constantly introduces innovative solutions in its plants based on automation, robotization and digital technologies, and uses big data, the Internet of Things (IOT) and artificial intelligence to optimize production processes.
The steelworks of the future, the future of the steelworks
ArcelorMittal is one of the first steel producers to globally implement Industry 4.0 technology to improve production processes, supply chains and, most importantly, increase occupational safety.
– Modern metallurgy must go hand in hand with new technologies. That is why we, as ArcelorMittal Poland, have been working intensively on the development of the Industry 4.0 concept in our plantsfor several years - emphasizes Adrian Wisła, application and digitalization manager at ArcelorMittal Poland. The Office of Automation, Industrial IT and Models plays a very important role in implementing such solutions. - We are constantly improving our processes and introducing devices that help us reduce the workload of employees and optimize production, e.g. robots packing cold-rolled, galvanized and organic coated coils in plants in Kraków and Świętochłowice. Such a MultiWrapper can wrap a circle of sheet metal weighing up to 20 tons in just 4 minutes! – he adds.
The Dąbrowa steel plant is implementing a project called GENESIS, which will help optimally manage slab (semi-finished) storage facilities - from an application supported by mathematical models of processes. The implementation of production tracking systems at the Dąbrowa steel plant is closely related to plans to decarbonize the plants and integrate future installations with the current infrastructure.
- Solutions based on "Computer Vision" technologies also improve logistics processes in our company, for example, allowing reading wagon numbers based on image recognition algorithms implemented in unites in Zdzieszowice, Kraków and Dąbrowa Górnicza. They replace manual records of railway trains and allow for the registration of wagons in real time - explains Tomasz Frankiewicz, head of the Office of Automation, Industrial IT and Models at ArcelorMittal Poland.
One of the plant maintenance units specializes in the industrial use of drones in ArcelorMittal Poland steelworks. - Using drones, we make, for example, orthophotomaps of plants that support logistics processes, we also monitor the amount of bulk materials in our landfills - says Marcin Abramek, head of plant maintenance management at ArcelorMittal Poland.
Augmented reality, or how to expand your metallurgical horizons
The leader of the Polish steel industry also invests in innovations related to 3D printing. This technology can provide an alternative to obtaining hard-to-find components for metallurgical installations. In this respect, Polish plants cooperate closely with the research and development department of ArcelorMittal Asturias in Spain.
The innovations used by ArcelorMittal Poland also include gadgets that every technology fan would be happy to use. An example is a smart helmet that uses the so-called augmented reality, which can be used, among others, on production lines for remote support.
Technology in the service of security
Plant automation means not only faster processes and more efficient production, but also greater work safety.
– It is mainly the safety of our employees that motivates us to constantly implement and improve new technological solutions – says Wojciech Koszuta, CEO of ArcelorMittal Poland. – So far, we have introduced many innovations that improve work safety. One of them is, for example, the automatic stopping system of the locomotive, which alerts the driver about the presence of a person in the close vicinity of the machine. Moreover, the devices take over from people tasks performed in difficult conditions, e.g. in steel plants and on continuous galvanizing lines, while robots work in close proximity to liquid metal. - Although automation is one of the elements that increase the competitiveness of our company on the market, we cannot forget that regardless of the level of technical advancement and robotization, the knowledge, experience and competences of our employees remain an extremely important factor determining the success of our company - sums up Mr. Koszuta.
