Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) has implemented a system for recording multi-turn actuators using modern marking technology in the form of radio frequency identification tags (RFID).
Marking with RFID tags has replaced the process of applying information manually with paint and barcoding. The goal of implementing the new technology is to improve the quality of accounting for multi-turn actuators at MMK and to provide end-to-end tracking of the devices. This will help meet the requirements of the company’s accounting policy and, in the case of non-return of devices, will allow the company to file claims.
The experience of using the RFID tag system has shown that the tags are an effective technology, which allows MMK to read information in difficult metallurgical production conditions. The developers of the system, MMK-Informservice and KonsOM SKS, have implemented the tracking of multi-turn actuators with RFID tags in all sections of the wagon preparation shop and in all MMK rolling shops.
Thanks to the new system, specialists in the logistics department at MMK and Remput CPV can quickly monitor the life cycle of the multi-turn actuators using a mobile terminal, which can read the RFID tags. Stationary readers at key accounting points in the rolling shops and at the plant’s entry/exit stations allow real-time tracking of each multi-turn actuator on the MMK site.
In 2019, the implementation of the system and its integration with related systems (automated control systems “Railway Transport”, “Shipment” and OEBS) allowed the logistics department at MMK to reduce the number of errors in operational accounting by 50% compared to the same period in 2017. The new marking technology helps to account more accurately for multi-turn actuators in warehouses and to monitor their timely return to MMK, which increases the transparency of business processes when working with clients. (MMK/Ukrainian metal)