Intelligent Sensors | Optimization of the Entire Raw Material Handling

Automatic and unmanned product tracking and process supervision – a goal of all production supervisors. Together with our customer, who is running Austria’s most efficient steel plant producing rebar steel, we are accomplishing a comprehensive solution to automatically track the scrap handling and charging process. Our intelligent solution tracks all movements: from the moment the scrap arrives in the plant up to the charging in the electric arc furnace.

The centerpiece of this solution are our intelligent, camera-based sensors called qurve, featuring automatic image and object detection and data processing in a completely embedded solution. Our qurves are installed at different locations along the production process to fulfill the following objectives:

• Detection of number and position of scrap railway wagons
• Detection of the exact position of the two scrap charging cranes in the bay by an unprecedented camera-based positioning solution

Linking our qurves in a comprehensive software solution together with further signals from the scrap charging cranes and the scrap bucket transfer cars we achieve a complete tracking and reporting of all scrap charging operations. The results of this project help the customer in

• achieving full transparency of the scrap handling process
• optimizing the EAF process
• optimize the supply chain management

in a completely automatic solution.

Requirement Engineering | Software Solution to Monitor, Control and Optimization

The primary goal of this project is the optimization of the production of ferro-alloys with the help of a software solution that monitors, controls and optimizes the processes. For this purpose, several workshops were carried out with this Austrian customer in order to systematically record the requirements for such a system. The traceability of all activities and process steps as well as the monitoring and control of material additions, quality control and the analysis of production performance are fundamental requirements. The potential of a holistic process model was the centerpiece of this requirement engineering project to optimize and control the entire production process.

Superior Engineering | New Manufacturing and Assembling Possibilities

In forming new friendships, forget not old friends.

It is a great confirmation of our qoncept path that a partner, who we would by now call an old friend, supplying consumables to the metals industry, has commissioned us with the engineering and supply of mechanical auxiliary devices for his consumables. Running a small batch series for producing these devices, the qoncept team is exploring new manufacturing and assembling possibilities to reduce the per-piece costs yet keeping the required quality level.

All relevant completion steps for final assembly, quality control, FAT, packing and shipping of the goods are run from our own dedicated workshop.

Consulting | Conceptual Mechanical Engineering Study

Improving existing equipment to achieve higher productivity and process stability is the daily challenge of production. Pairing this challenge with limited investment budgets requires for a structured and profound analysis of the equipment and possible improvement suggestions.

In this project, qoncept was commissioned with a conceptual mechanical engineering study to investigate the possibilities of improving the process stability and reducing the production related costs of a secondary metallurgical unit in the steel industry. Due to the very specific design and age of the production unit, the different improvement suggestions had to consider numerous factors and complex plant surroundings. qoncept conceptual engineering study was then taken as the basis for tendering the revamping project.

Requirements Engineering | Software for a Finishing Line

The motivation for this project was defined as follows: With the help of a customer-specific software solution, know-how is to be standardized and optimized, product tracking ensured and efficient production achieved.
Together with the customer, we developed the requirements for a software solution that tracks, monitors and controls the entire production. In addition, functionalities were defined that enable production to be optimized. The software solution, which is optimally coordinated for general conditions, should provide answers to the following operationally relevant questions:

• How can the production be increased while maintaining the required quality at lower costs?
• How can the availability of the plants be increased and the life cycle optimized?
• How can plant performance be improved?
• How can maintenance and operating costs be reduced?
• How can operational agility be improved?
• How can adherence to delivery dates be improved?

Another goal of the requirements engineering phase was to define a holistic overview of all processes, whereby all relevant data from different sources must be integrated.

Consulting | Diagnostic Fact-Finding Mission

This customer’s steel plant is located in a historic area for steel production in Europe. The aim of the diagnostic fact-finding mission, which included a one-week onsite visit from 4 of our experts, was to analyze the present performance of the melt shop and give recommendations for improvement measures to substantially improve the melt shop’s productivity with equal or better quality while keeping the number of annual gross production hours constant. The following four areas were covered within this project:

• Metallurgical production technology melt shop
• Production technology CC
• Melt shop state and design
• Melt shop logistics