MES Engineering (Exeplant at present), one of the OMEGALLIANCE® Group companies, completed a pilot implementation of an MES system at JSC Krastsvetmet, Krasnoyarsk-based manufacturer of precious metals, jewelry, catalyst systems, and glass furnaces.
Pilot operational management project on the base of Invensys software was implemented in Krastsvetmet's refining division. Refining is an industrial process of extracting precious metals from alloys. The pilot project was implemented at the catalysts processing site as it was the most illustrative in terms of technology, with the well-developed automated plant control system (PCS).
The result of the pilot was a solution providing most MES functions. The system controls material flows per lot: receipt of middling products and reagents, their consumption for production, and finished products output. Equipment operation modes are monitored and downtime is recorded. Plant personnel supervision is implemented.
Before, there was PCS at the site which controlled process parameters and basic equipment operation modes. After deployment of the MES system, the existing functionality was complemented with the ability to track material flows and supervise personnel activities. The system provides real-time data on current process activities, the equipment in use, and the time consumed, and controls strict order of operation sequence to ensure personnel's compliance with the technology. The last function allows to track deviation from the designed process and timely take correction measures and prevent such situations in the future.
The deployed MES system allows autodocumenting during sampling and product transfer to other sites to reduce the number of mundane tasks for human operators. Thank to the new solution, the refining shop manager and foreman can use a new tool to control situation from the workplace.
Integration with PCS and weighing equipment allows automatic transfer of almost all process data into the MES system. This ensures data relevance and reliability.
Using the process reporting system you can analyze the site situation from different perspectives: per shift and team, per lot of raw materials and finished products, and per production order. Following the project, a tool for precious metal balance calculation came into use. Thanks to automatic transfer of data on raw materials, semi-finished and finished products available at the site, and their precious metals content to the system, the balance is calculated using reliable data with minimized human factor.
"Both our customer and we are confident about this new MES system. Krastsvetmet will have new opportunities to develop and bolster competitive strengths," says Vladimir Demidov, MES Engineering Project Manager.
MES Engineering (Exeplant now) implemented an MES solution at a refining plant for the first time. "There are few refining plants in Russia, and the market is narrow. But it is not the only reason why this project was so unique to us. During implementation, we were able to include almost complete MES functionality and to go deep inside the process," Vladimir Demidov told us.
"Krastsvetmet is a progressive enterprise which looks toward the most advanced process control tools. That is why MES implementation is a natural process to gain higher efficiency. Currently, we are starting a new project with the aim to roll out MES at all refining sites," Konstantin Struckalev, Refining Director, noted.
The project engaged three MES Engineering (Exeplant at present) specialists and Krastsvetmet's process workers, technicians and IT specialists. The implementation took about nine months. Following the pilot project, it is planned to roll out the MES system in other Krastsvetmet workshops.
About Krastsvetmet
The Krasnoyarsk Non-Ferrous Metals Plant named after V.N. Gulidov (Krastsvetmet) started operation in 1943. Today the plant is a metal industry leader with strong positions on the precious metals market. The plant refines about 95% of all extracted in Russia platinum group metals, over 53% of gold, and over 57% of silver. Krasnoyarsk Krai owns 100% of its shares. More about JSC Krastsvetmet at www.krastsvetmet.ru.
About Invensys
Invensys is a global technology company that works in partnership with a broad range of industrial and commercial customers to design and supply advanced technologies that optimize their operational performance and profitability. Active in over 180 countries, the company employs more than 16,500 people. Primary market segments: Industrial Software, Industrial Automation, Energy Controls and Appliance Controls. More about Invensys at http://iom.invensys.com/RU/pages/home.aspx.
