Jeil Steel, Smart Factory Implementation... "Maximizing Productivity with AI Solutions"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] With this year’s electricity demand expected to reach an all-time high due to abnormal high temperatures and increased industrial production from economic recovery, Jeil Steel is set to maximize productivity and improve yield through the introduction of a smart factory system.

Jeil Steel announced on the 21st that it is accelerating the construction and advancement of its smart factory through government-supported projects such as the ‘AI Voucher Support Project’ and the ‘Smart Factory Phase 1 Project.’

The transition to smart factories is emerging as an essential condition for maximizing energy efficiency and productivity in domestic and international industries. This is because the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for an industrial ecosystem that can be managed remotely, having experienced prolonged remote work, sudden shutdowns, and logistics disruptions.

Through the Smart Factory Phase 1 project, which involves expanding process control (SCADA), Jeil Steel has built a system that allows monitoring and control of all processes from a single integrated PC control room (OP Room), consolidating four previously separate locations. This integrated environment facilitates easy monitoring of the entire line status and enables rapid response to process issues.

Additionally, by establishing control systems, process alarms, material tracking function systems, and data systems, it has become possible to trace the entire process flow. It is expected that productivity and efficiency can be maximized through process risk management.

To successfully implement the smart factory, Jeil Steel has promoted the introduction of AI solutions for process control automation, final product prediction models, and AI-based automation for raw material selection and management. Following operational support, production management, and comprehensive integration testing, the AI solution system will be applied, which is anticipated to enhance work efficiency.

A company representative explained, “As smart factories emerge as an innovative solution for productivity improvement in manufacturing, this year’s severe power shortage makes maximizing energy efficiency urgent. Jeil Steel is transforming into a smart factory that can increase energy efficiency and productivity, thereby strengthening its market competitiveness.”

They added, “With the increase in market demand for steel products and the full-scale expansion of production capacity underway, we expect to improve productivity and yield through this process control automation and the introduction of AI automation solutions.”