19 March 2012
From the late February "AZOVSTAL IRON & STEEL WORKS" (Metinvest Group) proceeded to pilot operation of equipment technical condition management and operational reliability system in Plant Maintenance module SAP ERP. Principal purpose of system is to determine metallurgical equipment condition, having covered all the enterprises of Metallurgical Division (Metinvest Group) and also receive, on a regular basis, reliable and operating data on the main facilities and monitor them.
Conventional functionality of Plant Maintenance System module SAP ERP is being implemented at the enterprises of Metallurgical Division. The employees of Corporate Information System Administration ("AZOVSTAL IRON & STEEL WORKS") adjust and adapt system according to the project targets as well as develop reports required for problems solution.
Plant Maintenance module has hierarchical structure including description of all the equipment in Metallurgical Division. Measurement documents are referred to the specific equipment, and specially developed reports allow assessing the condition of any technical facility as per these documents, making decisions on necessary preventive measures in order to maintain equipment operation or its unscheduled repairs.
Currently five subdivisions of "AZOVSTAL IRON & STEEL WORKS" (Sinter Shop, BF Shop, BOF Shop, Plate Mills and TPP) are involved in the project. Reference measurement points are determined by the shop specialists; specialized sensors are installed at the facilities. At present all necessary parameters are recorded in system by the shop employees in the form of documents with measurements. Frequency of data reading depends on classification and requirements to the equipment.
System pilot operation will be completed in March. Upon its results specialists of Directories for Repairs (Metallurgical Division) will make decision on necessary advanced customization of system or its full readiness for industrial application. Date of system operation industrial launch will be determined based on these data. Introduction of Plant Maintenance SAP ERP, in case of methodical work, will result in reduction of repair costs, decrease of equipment downtimes, transfer from equipment reactive maintenance to preventive maintenance.