We transform …
the world of service
With our broad product portfolio and global presence,
we offer the capability and flexibility of our service team
to provide the solid basis for a long-term partnership
with you.
That’s because, as your partner, we never rest. Since
service solutions that are good today are old tomorrow,
we are always forging ahead.
SMS group GmbH
Ohlerkirchweg 66
41069 Mönchengladbach, Germany
Phone: +49 2161 350 - 3508
Fax:
+49 2161 350 -1980
service@sms-group.com
www.sms-group.com
Extracts from various Newsletters 2016
Our cutting-edge technology and expertise as a manufacturer has made us what we are today: the leading service
provider in the entire metallurgical process chain.
We maximize your productivity and ROI by offering spare
parts packages, maintenance, repairs, training and consulting, and modernizations.
SMS group Technical Service
Service: People. Trust. Passion.
We transform…
the world of service
Extracts from various Newsletters 2016
Dr.-Ing. Guido Kleinschmidt,
Member of the Managing
Board, Johannes Kahlen
and Pino Tesè, Heads of
Technical Service Division
(from left)
Editorial
Dear customers,
Service solutions that influence the success of a company
continue to increase in the metallurgical industry. In times
of heavy price pressure, plants must produce efficiently
more than ever before. In addition to “hardware”, this includes new intelligent concepts supporting producers in
shaping optimal processes. We want to meet the growing
needs of our customers promptly as always and continue to
offer solutions ensuring a safe and cost-effective operation
of your plants over the entire life cycle. To achieve this, the
companies of SMS group merged their service activities in
2015 into a combined network.This immediately helped expand our local service network as well as reduced delivery
times and costs to our customers. Since the end of 2016,
we are available worldwide for you with our 51 locations and
more than 2,300 employees including new workshops in
Osceola, Arkansas, USA and Mönchengladbach, Germany
to name a few.
term. You can count on that. Developments will be discussed together on a highly specialized level. And: Passion
for technology – for this is exactly what connects all of us
with each other.
Many developments are built on this understanding. Last
year, a large number of modernization solutions, the prototype of the eService platform, new warehouse solutions,
and maintenance concepts have thus been realized. And
this is proving very popular with our customers – as demonstrated by the ”Best Supplier Award“ granted to SMS by
MMK. We are proud and appreciate this award.
We look forward to more growth and prosperity in 2017!
Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt
Pino Tesè
Johannes Kahlen
With regard to our localization efforts, we have used the
year 2016 to strengthen our ability to best service our customers. In this concept, three aspects are of particular importance to us. Services rendered will always be “human“.
Our employees aim to address your needs always in a flexible manner and with the right sense. By “active listening“
we create the precondition for valuable service. Trust: Together we will find the best possible solution in the long
3
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
CONTENTS
16 Trusting cooperation
26 Simply outsourcing the logistics process
Service –
Worldwide
Spare Parts &
logistics
Maintenance &
repairs
8
26Warehousing at close
quarters to the customer
SMS group takes over the entire logistics process for their
customers.
32Fast and uncomplicated
repair of melting furnace
Successful emergency repair
at French Rockwool location.
CHUMAG technology within
S
the SMS group
In the new SMS group the
Bright Steel Processing Lines
Product Unit has moved from
Aachen to Mönchengladbach.
10New workshop, new
machinery – new service
business
DUMA-BANDZINK opens new
workshop in SMS Business
Park in Mönchengladbach.
16
4
Experience Industry 4.0
The SMS group Service Division presents the prototype of
an eService platform with integrated electronic spare parts
catalog and other intelligent
features.
28New concept for reliable
supply of spare parts
SMS group stores spare parts
and makes them available just
in time.
30Reliable spare and wear parts
With the warehouse management concept of SMS group
VDM metals can count on a
reliable service around the
clock.
34Needs-based maintenance
with minimized cost
Intelligent modifications
and partial repairs of
assemblies combined with
smart eService.
38Condition monitoring for cold
rolling mill
SMS supplies Genius Condition Monitoring System to
Hulamin in South Africa.
Contents
44 New concepts for oil film bearings
58 Innovative control electronics
Upgrades &
modernization
44Innovations for greater
customer benefits
With X-Roll® Oil Bearing
SMS group provides modern
and efficient concepts for oil
film bearings.
Consulting &
Training
54
oil compactors – a single
C
solution with a great effect
Coil compactors from SMS group
allow safe and high quality production with top contour.
58
46
ew development – convecN
tion cooling of work rolls
Possible energy and water
savings of one million euros
per year.
64 Minimizing downtimes
Touch
panels for bright steel
processing lines
Increase in production reliability
due to upgraded control electronics.
69
Exciting know-how
Train-the-trainer concept of
SMS TECademy convinces
Big River Steel.
71Successful technology training
SMS group trains engineers at
Turkish steel producer Erdemir.
75Combining theory and practice
New annual program of
SMS TECademy introduced.
64
48Media systems from one
source
SMS group provides media
systems for new plants and
modernizations, regardless of
equipment type.
ervice packages for ERWS
tube welding and profiling lines
Downtimes due to wear can
be easily minimized through
modernizations.
5
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
New workshop operated by SMS Technical
Services in Osceola, in
the southern U.S. state
of Arkansas.
New workshop in
the U.S.A.
USA . SMS group signs full service contract with Big River Steel.
In Osceola, in the southern U.S. state of Arkansas, SMS
Technical Services (STS) has opened a new service and
maintenance workshop less than two miles away from the
steel plant of Big River Steel. SMS Technical Services will
take care of all service and maintenance activities for the
CSP® plant, for example, on the molds and segments of the
casting plant and the rolling mill components (annual production: 1.6 million tons). On top of that, SMS Technical
Services will be in charge of the two on-site roll shops servicing the hot and cold rolling mills.
As full service provider, SMS Technical Services will be
responsible for the investments related to the construction
6
of the roll shops, for the roll shop personnel and for the operation. Contracts like this are becoming increasingly popular among steelmakers in
North America. SMS Technical Services will also provide the roll grinding
machines and auxiliary facilities for
the roll shops.
Once the Big River Steel complex is
in operation, about 50 people will be
working in the Osceola service workshop and in the two roll shops. The
SERVICE – Worldwide
»With the merger of North American SMS group
service companies of SMS Millcraft and SMS
Meer in 2015 and the subsequent expansion of
the Osceola workshops, STS has contributed to
the overall worldwide service growth strategy of
the SMS group. In 2017 with BRS commissioned
and increasing production and our new Osceola
workshops fully operational we are excited
and believe that this commitment to expand our
service locations will further improve and
strengthen STS in the future.«
Doug Dunworth, STS President and CEO
teams will be staffed with employees
recruited locally in the north-eastern
part of Arkansas and with SMS Technical Services employees currently working at other service locations in the
U.S.A.. This latest location becomes the
15th regional maintenance workshop
for STS in the United States with its corporate headquarters located in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania just north
of Pittsburgh. Some STS regional workshops can trace their manufacturing
roots back over 100 years.
Local service branches
SMS group has been consistently pursuing the concept of establishing local
service branches all over the world.
This helps steel mill operators needing to have components of their plants
serviced or repaired, save on shipping
costs. The new workshop in Osceola
offers operators of continuous casters
in North America a full line of services
for any plant components, including
repairs, overhauls, and service and
maintenance.
The Osceola workshop offers a service
range similar to that available at SMS
group’s Oil City workshop in Pennsylvania. However, in Osceola, SMS Technical Services will be able to offer even
more services as the new workshop
has a high-capacity CNC horizontal
milling center designed for additional
machining and turning processes and
various shot blasting and paint-spraying cabins. Being a full service workshop with state-of-the-art electroplating facilities, the services available in
Osceola will also include high-grade
plating of copper plates. Additionally,
local field service will be provided, for
example, for onsite laser scanning or
alignment activities. Besides Big River
Steel, other steel mills in the region,
such as SDI Columbus, Nucor Decatur, Nucor Hickman, Nucor Tuscaloosa, Nucor Yamato and Nucor Memphis, all of which are longstanding
customers of SMS Technical Services,
will benefit from this service.
Thus the Osceola site of SMS Technical Services is another important
milestone in the growing network of
SMS group service locations in North
America.
Technical Service
info.technicalservices@sms-group.com
7
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
SCHUMAG TECHNOLOGY
WITHIN SMS group
Germa ny. With the restructuring of SMS group, the Bright Steel
Processing Lines Product Unit moved from Aachen to Mönchengladbach and the
product portfolio is now based in the Long Products Plants Business Unit.
PM0 peeling machine.
8
SERVICE – Worldwide
Pulling together out of tradition – since
the sale of the first combined drawing
machine to a German steel mill in 1929,
no other name symbolizes the drawing
process as much as the brand name of
SCHUMAG. Since the beginning of this
610
millimeters is the maximum processing
diameter during peeling, depending on
the process and product.
year, the mechanical engineering division of the traditional brand from
Aachen – including the product program KIESERLING – have been operating under the umbrella of SMS group at
the Mönchengladbach location.
The move into the new office buildings
and the integration into the Long Products Plants Business Unit lead to the
closer linkage of products, reducing
the number of interfaces. Thanks to
the new structure, synergy effects can
be combined. The type catalog was
therefore revised to further increase
competitiveness. Besides production,
sales, and engineering, the service
competence of the Business Unit has
also been combined.
Since 2008, SMS group has been offering all the processes regarding
drawing, peeling, straightening, grinding, and finishing. Depending on the
process and product the manufacturing
diameters are up to 600 millimeters.
High speeds, large size ranges, and
minimized tool changing times ensure
the highest productivity at consistently
high manufacturing tolerances.
Service
The integration into the service structure with its worldwide service centers
ensures not only the supply of spare
parts of the existing SCHUMAG,
KIESERLING, and SMS bright steel
processing lines, but other services
such as maintenance, training, and
modernization are also available. In
addition to that, OEM (original equipment manufacturer) knowledge ensures high availability for the entire life
cycle of the machines.
Top: Bright steel; Bottom: Bright steel center.
Sebastian Schulz
sebastian.schulz@sms-group.com
Vertrieb
brightsteelplants@sms-group.com
9
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
i
Services
DUMA-BANDZINK offers
comprehensive services to
their customers:
Spare parts
Technical support
Inspections and maintenance
Repairs and coatings
From top to bottom:
Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt,
member of the Managing Board SMS group
GmbH, in his opening
address in Mönchen­
gladbach.
Prof. Pino Tesè, Executive Vice President, SMS
Technical Service, (third
from left) in front of
the novel HVOF (HighVelocity Oxygen Fuel)
coating line.
10
SERVICE – Worldwide
NEW WORKSHOP,
NEW MACHINERY –
NEW SERVICE BUSINESS
Ge r ma n y. DUMA-BANDZINK opened new workshop in
SMS Business Park, Mönchengladbach, Germany.
DUMA-BANDZINK, which has successfully positioned itself on the market with its galvanizing plants, oiling
machines, and modernization concepts for strip processing lines, has
already been part of SMS group since
2008 and has now massively invested
in the expansion of the service business. At the beginning of 2015, it combined its locations of Duisburg and
Langenfeld in the SMS Business Park
in Mönchengladbach. In late summer
of 2015, Mr. Daniel Plätzer, Managing
Director of DUMA-BANDZINK, was
able to welcome an international audience at the opening of the new workshop facility.
In their opening addresses, Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt, member of the Managing Board SMS group GmbH, and
Prof. Pino Tesè, Executive Vice President, SMS Technical Service, emphasized the great importance of the service business. In his address, Dr.
Holger Behrens, Executive Vice President, Strip Processing Lines and Furnace Technology of SMS group, presented current trends in the field of
strip processing technology to a great
number of German and international
customers. The Mayor of the City of
Mönchengladbach, Hans Wilhelm
Reiners, was visibly impressed by the
new machinery and equipment, which
were shown to an international audience in a live demonstration, and emphasized how much he appreciated
the strengthening of Mönchengladbach as a business location. Investments were made in mechanical processing capacities with a new CNC
lathe and a CNC grinder for machining
roll diameters up to 1,600 millimeters,
as well as a complete roller coating
line, comprising sandblasting cabin,
coating center, and heat-treatment
furnace. As a special highlight, the
novel HVOF (High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel) coating line could be presented.
Consequently, a Japanese delegation
of the longtime technology partner
and licensor, Tocalo, was also among
the guests.
ny. After external vendors have been
increasingly used in the past by
DUMA-BANDZINK for grinding and
coating work of, among other things,
zinc bath and furnace rollers as well
as other process rollers from strip
processing lines, the new investments at the Mönchengladbach location play an important complementary role in the services offered to the
European market.
www.duma-bandzink.com
1,600
mm is the maximum diameter for machining
rolls on the new machining centers.
On a Growth path
“SMS group likes to invest in promising models, which DUMA-BANDZINK
has already proved in its recent past
– and will also demonstrate in the future with an increased focus on the
service business,“ Dr. Guido Kleinschmidt said at the opening ceremo11
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
»With the “AMAG 2020” project we are consistently pursuing
the chosen path to be able in the future to offer our customers
cold rolled plates and strips wider than 2,000 millimeters.«
Dr. Helmut Kaufmann, Chief Operating Officer of AMAG Austria Metall AG
Sale of 300th oiling machine
Together with machinery and plant manufacturer Gerd
Wolff Maschinenfabrik GmbH, DUMA-BANDZINK has sold
its 300th electrostatic oiling machine. The hotmelt
machine will be set up at AMAG rolling GmbH based in
Ranshofen, Austria, which belongs to AMAG Austria Metall
AG, a leading manufacturer of semi-finished aluminium
products and high-quality cast and rolled aluminium products for the processing industries.
The dry lubrication unit is a subproject of the cold rolling
mill to be newly built at the AMAG factory premises
within the strategy project “AMAG 2020“. The plant enables
winding the strip material for oiling. In this case, the strip
used consists of aluminium. Strip width is 800 to 2,400 millimeters and strip gage is 0.5 to 3.5 millimeters. The machine is expected to be delivered at the end of 2016 and
commissioning is scheduled for the first half of 2017.
Michael Schäfer
michael.schaefer@sms-group.com
12
i
Benefits
The oiling machine sets new standards with the
following features:
optimized zone nozzle bars for three strip widths
hotmelt machine; temp. max. = 80 °C
due to its C-shape, the machine housing can be
moved in and out of the line; maintenance work can
thus be facilitated
tank system with separate filling pumps and
barrel heaters
SERVICE – Worldwide
SMS group opens its
doors in Mariupol
U kra i n e . Close to the markets and its customers. To fulfil this demand,
SMS group operates more than 50 service locations in more than
16 countries worldwide. A new addition is the workshop in the Ukraine –
SMS Technical Service TOV.
25 staff members have specialized in servicing copper
molds by electro-galvanic coating and possess extensive
know-how to satisfy different customer requirements plus
they are certified according to ISO 9001. This certificate
stands for intensive quality management and transparent
working processes in Mariupol. For welding and coating of
continuous casting segment rollers, the first machines are
available at the new location. By the end of the year their
number will be increased in accordance with demand.
On a growth path
The trend for Ukrainian steel producers points upwards
again – since January 2016 they reached a utilization of
about 80 percent. This development was a reason for Andreas Kuklinski, General Manager of Service Workshop
Ukraine and his team to invite customers and business
partners to the first ”Customer Open House“.
About 30 guests attended the information event in June,
including representatives from Azovstal Iron & Steel Works
PJSC, Ilyich Iron & Steel Works PJSC and Alchevsk Iron &
Steel Works OJSC as well as from Enakievsky Metallurgical
Works. Dr. Wolfgang Mössinger, German Consul General,
Vadim Boychenko, Mayor of Mariupol and Alexander
Markus, Managing Director of the German Chamber of
Commerce (AHK) in the Ukraine were
also present. With representatives of
the industry, they discussed the perspectives of the Ukrainian metal sector and investment opportunities for
European companies in Mariupol.
“We see a great deal of potential in
the Ukraine,“ emphasized Pino Tesè,
Head of Technical Service Division,
SMS group. “The growth rate in steel
consumption is approximately 4.5 percent above global average.“ The Ukrainian companies are not yet producing
at normal level. Nevertheless, there is
a great interest in the services of SMS
group. This has already been noticed
by Andreas Kuklinski during the “Customer Open House“. And the demand
continues to grow. “I am very pleased
that we receive more and more customer inquiries after the event,“ said
Kuklinksi. ”The conditions continue to
be very difficult. But, we keep our
promises.”
The ladies wearing a traditional “Wyschywanka“ dress served bread and salt. Viktor
Zheleznyak and Andreas Kuklinski (both SMS
group), Dr. Wolfgang Mössinger (Consul
General of the Federal Republic of Germany),
Vadim Boychenko (Mayor of Mariupol), Pino
Tesè (SMS group), und Alexander Markus
(Managing Director of the German Chamber
of Commerce) (from left to right).
Andreas Kuklinski
andreas.kuklinski@sms-group.com
13
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
From left to right: Sergey Ushakov,
Deputy CEO for Commercial Affairs,
OJSC MMK, Fulvio Michelutti, SMS Metallurgical Service LLC, Pavel Shilyaev, CEO
of Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works,
Grigory Smolin, SMS Metallurgical
Service LLC.
MMK HONORS SMS WITH
“BEST SUPPLIER AWARD 2015”
R uss i a . SMS group has been recognized as “Best Supplier of MMK in
technological and non-standard equipment in 2015”.
The award was presented to SMS
group in a ceremony held at Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) in
Magnitogorsk, Russia, on June 2, 2016.
Pavel Shilyaev (CEO of Magnitogorsk
Iron and Steel Works) handed over the
award to Fulvio Michelutti and Grigory
Smolin (both from SMS Metallurgical
Service LLC) in recognition of excepti-
14
onal performance as suppliers of plant technology and
technical services. The ceremony concluded with a tour of
the Magnitogorsk worksite.
UNIQUE APPRECIATION
Pino Tesè, Executive Vice President Technical Service of
SMS group: “We are proud to be recognized by our customers and are indeed very happy about this award. It will be
motivation to us to continue striving to improve our products and services for our customers and responding to
their requirements as efficiently as possible. The award
honors our proficiency and professionalism as well as the
high quality of our products. It will foster the partnership
between SMS group and MMK – one of our most important
customers for 80 years.”
As early as in 1936, SMS group supplied the first reversing rolling mill to MMK. Since then, MMK has been producing and processing steel on numerous state-of-the-art
plants and machines from SMS group. SMS group has been
supporting MMK extensively as a service partner. Starting
in 2009, service teams from SMS group have been performing various activities at facilities of MMK, including service
tasks ranging from individual solutions through to complete
service and maintenance packages. As plant manufacturer and systems supplier, SMS group is familiar with every
SERVICE – Worldwide
Opening of new office
in Bahrain
Magnitogorsk. To this destination, SMS group has
supplied many plants operated by MMK.
detail of the plants and makes this know-how
available to its customers as service partners.
SMS group’s proficient approach to maintenance
guarantees highest plant availability.
SMS group has officially opened a regional service center
in Bahrain. The office, named SMS Technical Service Gulf
SPC, is the regional center for technical support to all customers in the Gulf Region. Pino Tesè, Executive Vice President SMS Technical Service, said at the opening: “The Gulf
is one of the fastest growing regions worldwide with big
investment opportunities for companies involved in industrial manufacturing. Bahrain offers a number of locational
advantages, not least with well trained, bilingual manpower. We will hire further employees here in Bahrain and open
the next chapter in the growth of our Gulf Region business
in cooperation with the Bahrain Economic Development
Board (EDB).“
EXCELLENT SERVICES
The SMS group services which MMK refers to as
being exceptional and for which they presented
the recent award relate particularly to services
for the No. 6 continuous casting plant. For that
casting plant, which produces slabs up to 300
millimeters thick and has a maximum casting
width of 2,700 millimeters, the SMS group’s service team performs the complete routine maintenance as well as regular maintenance and repairs to the molds and segments.
MMK rates its suppliers on a scale of points
based on a number of criteria, which include the
service scope, quality of work, timeliness and
compliance with contract agreements. This open
supplier selection system provides MMK and
their business partners an objective assessment
of competitiveness. The “Best Supplier of the
Year Award”, presented for the first time in 2016,
makes quality of performance openly visible.
Reinhard Reddel
reinhard.reddel@sms-group.com
At the opening of the new office in Bahrain, (from left to right): Pino
Tesè, Khalid al Rumaihi (EDB), German Ambassador Alfred SimmsProtz and Siegfried Gruber, Managing Director, SMS group.
Maximilian Wagner
mw@sms-digital.com
15
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
Experience
Industry 4.0
Worl dw id e . SMS group presents prototype for eService platform.
At the Tube & wire 2016, plant owners were able to achieve
a concrete idea of what the future holds with digital products and smart SMS group services.
The Service Division presented a functional prototype of
an eService platform with integrated electronic spare parts
catalog which provides a number of smart functions and
thus accelerates maintenance and spare parts procurement, and ensures more flexibility and transparency for everyone involved in the process.
16
Dr. Dirk Oedekoven, Vice President Technical Service, SMS
group: “The visitors were impressed by our solution. On a
concrete example of the exit guide of a peeling machine we
could show which advantages can be offered by digitizing
the service segment. It is a key module and SMS group is
additionally working on further solutions.” Electronic spare
parts catalogs – also with online availability – exist already
a long time; the question therefore is: what exactly makes
the new system of SMS group so special?
Dirk Oedekoven
(left) and André
Peschen, both from
SMS group, present
the prototype of a
digitized solution.
Design thinking fulfills customer needs
André Peschen, Production Manager Processes & eService
and one of the responsible developers: “Our digital product
provides significantly more advantages and more intelligent
functions than has been the case to date. It already started
during the development phase. During visits to customers
special needs and pain points were identified with a radical
user-focused approach. Design thinking enhances collaborative creativity to solve problems holistically and to the
customer’s best advantage. Using this methodology a socalled rapid prototyping was possible and we are able to
present initial approaches in the form of scribbles and click
dummies. Consequently, we always maintained a close dialog with the customer throughout the entire development.
Therefore, we could consider optimizations and customer
ideas very specifically and at an early stage.”
Mobile solution with assembly group recognition
One of the most important innovations of the SMS solution
is that customers are able to determine the respective
component directly on the machine and to receive key information on ET packages, etc. immediately. With a tablet
PC you can scan the QR code on the component where the
corresponding assembly group is directly displayed. André
Peschen: “For identification, however, other technologies
such as RFID technology or OCR recognition of writing are
also usable.” The user may then select the respective
component on the drawing. Depending on the selection,
the associated bill of material is also directly displayed.
Photos and other additional information help to identify the
proper component more easily. At the same time, availability (for example in a consignment warehouse) and costs
as well as delivery dates can be checked. Via the function
of the shopping basket the spare part can of course also be
ordered comfortably.
A spare parts catalog that thinks along
André Peschen: “Naturally, the user may quickly locate the
respective part via the tree-like menu. One special feature
is that further parts which may be required for the spare
parts are shown, for example suitable seals for a bush. In
this way, the customer is directly provided with an overview
of complete repair sets, saving on follow-up orders which
cost valuable time.”
17
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
1. It can be that
simple in future:
Scanned QR code of
assembly group.
3. Operator (maintainer) can only
select desired parts
– the parts list is automatically adapted.
2. A drawing of the
respective assembly
group appears on
the iPad.
18
It can already be noticed that the new digital eService
product of SMS group is fulfilling the requirements of different customers. For the test version various plants were
mapped. Apart from the peeling lines, different cold pilger
mills and even a complete wire rod mill were cataloged. For
the latter, an adjoined consignment warehouse with all information was also generated in addition to the main plant.
Since all plants of SMS group are structured individually,
each customer using the service is able to reach his equipment on the platform via a personalized and protected area.
The aim was to map a so-called “Full Bill of Material”, virtually the digital twin of the actual plant.
ings for each customer plant – inclusive of parts of our sub-suppliers. For
a minimill this may quickly amount to
several hundred thousand BOM items
and numerous drawings interlinked
with each other. It is about the same as
customers are accustomed to from the
usability in the private sector when
shopping online. The customer does
not see the complexity behind our
­eService, but it becomes much easier
and faster for him to reach the goal.”
Intelligent full bills of material
Integrable service products
André Peschen explains the background: “This is one of the
great challenges we can master using modern software
tools. Via interfaces, we unite the often very heterogeneous
data and drawings in a unified user interface. This was also
one of the major requests of the customer who does not
want to locate the spare parts from different sources and
methods. We provide homogeneous information and draw-
Within the framework of Industry 4.0
and eService the electronic spare
parts catalog is one of the first concrete digital products of SMS group. It
is by no means only limited to mobile
tablet use. At a later stage, the user
shall have access to the protected on-
SERVICE – Worldwide
5. Availabilities,
delivery dates and
documentation can
be displayed.
4. Wear or defective part can now be
ordered with just one
click and shopping
basket function.
6. Those who wish
advice may be
connected with the
corresponding expert
with just one click.
line platform “my SMS group” using any terminal device –
even via desktop. Following his identification with individual security mechanisms, any personified information is
displayed to him. This means, the customer may control
the access authorizations depending on the fields of activity, thereby also achieving a simplification in operation. Depending on the user, only the required modules are then
displayed – at present, there are for example the subject
areas “Equipment”, “Smart Alarm” and “Best Contact”. In
the course of time, the modules shall be extended continually as digital products so that the entire service process is
digitally mapped and supported.
convincing that the first pilot projects
are going to start soon – together with
the customer. I believe we thereby
prove as SMS group that we are on
the right track to build linked service
intelligence and digital service transformation.”
First pilot projects for smart technology
Dr. Oedekoven: “With our service platform the customers
have a central information access which they can use anytime and anywhere. User guidance is extremely simple
due to smart technologies directing the customer to the
right section respectively to the deposited information
such as technical datasheets and operating manuals. Our
digitization plan with eService at the Tube & wire was so
André Peschen
andre.peschen@sms-group.com
19
Service
In the presence of Dr. Heinrich Weiss,
Chairman of the Shareholders’ Committee,
and Burkhard Dahmen, Chairman of the
Managing Board of SMS group, a cooperation agreement was signed with TAMKAR
for future joint service activities on the
Iranian market. Heinrich Weiss emphasized that due to its good name and strong
customer orientation the family-owned
company TAMKAR is the right partner for
the planned service activities.
In the middle: Pino
Tesé, Management
Technical Service of
SMS group, opened
the industrial forum
in Chelyabinsk.
Metallurgy and
machine building
R u ss ia . SMS group present at industrial forum.
The 8th International industrial forum “Reconstruction of
industrial enterprises – breakthrough technologies in metallurgy and machine-building” was held in April 2016 in
Chelyabinsk. At the same time the 16th International exhibition “Urals industrial and economic week (UIEW)” was also
held which served as a platform for various specialized ex20
hibitions for the metallurgical sector. SMS group was present during the exhibition and the forum. The experts of SMS
group presented their newest developments and achievements. About 2,000 specialists from the large, medium and
small business of the industrial branch visited the forum’s
events and the exhibition’s exposition.
SERVICE – Worldwide
Service packages for companies from
the extrusion press sector
Wo r ldw id e . Maximum flexibility for maintenance and
servicing measures during the year.
Here you will find
the new service
brochure for extrusion presses.
For the maintenance of a plant, companies put factors such as quality, productivity and production reliability
always at the heart of the action. Consequently, a maintenance shop must
plan and realize its measures over the
entire course of the year based on the
current condition of the machine and
taking into account all three parameters.
To meet these requirements, SMS
group Technical Service offers various
services for extrusion presses. The focus of an individual service is either on
increasing the quality, the productivity
or on production reliability of the corresponding extrusion press. Since all
solutions offered are inter-combinable
to an individual service package, the
extrusion press can be continuously
optimized over the entire life cycle.
Quality, productivity and
production reliability are in
the focus of the services.
Individually combinable
Solutions for optimizing quality, productivity and reliability
at a glance:
Equipment check: Specialists record the machine condition and offer a well-founded basis for decision-making for maintenance and/or modernization measures.
Alignment check: Specially trained service technicians
examine the geometrical alignment of the plant, which
serves as the basis for good profile quality.
Hydraulic and electrical optimization: The controlrelated extrusion press process is analyzed by SMS
service technicians with the primary goal of reducing
non-productive times and pressure surges.
Crack test: To ensure that plant failures are prevented,
crack tests at regular intervals are indispensable. SMS
group Technical Service derives direct recommendations for action.
Maintenance support: Technical Service always provides its customers the support needed, regardless of
hydraulics, electrics, or mechanics, personnel capacities or know-how.
Based on the current status of the extrusion press, a prioritization of the appropriate services in chronological order, frequency and timeframe can be determined so that an
individual service package can be compiled for each extrusion press. This enables a holistic and sustainable approach
for maintenance services.
Since the maintenance agreements are not rigid, the
companies from the extrusion press sector preserve their
maximum flexibility to be able to react promptly to changing
circumstances also in the course of the year.
Ben Zander
ben.zander@sms-group.com
21
SERVICE
Lively panel discussion: Holger Ade from the German Forging
Association moderated the event on the topic “How secure is the
competitiveness of the German forging industry?”
Taken from practice for use in practice: “The 1st Maintainers’ Day
Closed-die Forging” of SMS group exactly matched the interests of
the experts.
22
SERVICE – Worldwide
Joining together
in preparing
for the future
Germ a ny. First Maintainers’ Day Closed-die Forging at SMS group.
The number of suppliers of closed-die forgings on the world
market is growing continuously, the consequence is increased competition. German and internationally renowned
forging companies still have a knowledge edge in terms of
development but it is noticeably decreasing. And there is
the cost pressure by competitors with low labor costs and
rising material and energy expenses.
Answers to issues concerning the future
The first Maintainers’ Day Closed-die Forging of SMS group
was a platform for exchanging views among specialists.
The discussion focused on the following urgent issues:
hich concrete challenges must be tackled by the forgW
ing technology industry already today?
Which developments are evident for the future?
Which possible approaches should already be pursued
today more actively?
More than 30 maintenance managers and technical experts of renowned companies accepted the invitation to
Mönchengladbach in April. Dirk Oedekoven, Vice President
Technical Service of SMS group, welcomed the audience
and guided the participants through the two-day event.
Challenges in today’s day-to-day business
At the beginning of the event, Marc Hübbers, Head of Forging Technology Service Europe at SMS group, introduced
the history and the portfolio of the Service Product Unit
Forging Technology at SMS group. Then, practical examples of current projects of participating companies formed
the starting points as regards contents. Whether with automation and cycle time reduction of an MP2000 (Hirschvogel
Umformtechnik GmbH), with a general overhaul and modernization of an FPRN 500 (Märkisches Werk Halver) or
with bringing together two machines during a just-in-time
repair of a KSP 200 (Daimler AG): again and again it was
shown which exceptional measures were taken in part to
meet the huge demands with regard to time and costs.
“Whereas in former times ten weeks were available for repair work, nowadays only six weeks are required,” summarizes Frank Dobus, Operations Manager at Hirschvogel
Umformtechnik GmbH, in an illustrative manner. “We can
only be successful when we take a common and cooperative approach to our projects!”
Panel discussion on the FORGING INDUSTRY’S FUTURE
The first day was concluded by a panel discussion around
the question, how secure the competitiveness of the
23
SERVICE
»Whereas in former times ten weeks were available for
repair work, nowadays only six weeks are required. We can only be successful
when we take a common and cooperative approach to our projects!«
Frank Dobus, Operations Manager at Hirschvogel Umformtechnik GmbH.
German forging industry is. Holger Ade, Head of Business Administration of the German Forging Association,
provided a keynote speech and moderated the discussion.
It quickly became clear which transformation the forging
industry is undergoing. Apart from quality, speed and cost
reductions are required above all. To achieve this, new but
practicable approaches are needed for press technology,
digitalization and partnership. Particularly the topic of digitalization was lively discussed in the present context of
Industry 4.0. Dirk Oedekoven emphasized that “digitalization cannot be the answer to our problems but only a contemporary formulation of our homework.”
Uwe Schumann, Head of Maintenance Massive Forming
of Daimler AG: “Even SMS group as our service partner
has to support us with these challenges. The events and a
continuous dialog with SMS show us that new and tougher
conditions have been recognized and that adequate solutions are already offered and developed. Here, thinking and
working are highly practical.”
Solutions for future challenges
On the second day the discussion of solution approaches to
the aforementioned challenges was in the focus. The day
started with visiting the manufacturing and assembly
­workshops of SMS group in Mönchengladbach. At the
Mönchengladbach location, 42,000 square meters out of a
total space of 124,000 square meters alone is provided for
24
manufacturing and assembly. Because
of the proximity of design and manuf­
acture both areas are able to work
closely together.
Since the completion of a plant
modernization at the beginning of
2015, a new assembly hall with 4,000
square meters is available offering a
crane capacity of 180 tons. In addition,
15 new machine tools of the latest
generation were installed in the area
of the previous mechanical workshop.
A master computer-controlled MC
processing line with fully automated
workpiece feeding and a tool for unit
weights up to ten tons, a boring mill
line for machining cubic workpieces
up to a unit weight of 120 tons and a
five-axis turning/milling center with
maximum possible machining capacities of a workpiece weight of 60 tons
and a workpiece length of 20 meters
are further key figures.
In the course of discussions it became clear that such manufacturing
possibilities are a precondition for many repair and modernization projects,
Exciting presentation: Uwe Schumann, Head
of Maintenance Massive Forming Daimler
AG, and Marc Hübbers, Head of Forging
Technology Service Europe of SMS group,
spoke about an exceptional just-in-time
repair of a wedge press, type KSP 200.
Experts exchanging
views: Frank Dobus,
Plant Manager at
Hirschvogel
Umformtechnik
GmbH, Denklingen,
in a conversation
with SMS Works
Manager Jochen
Gerards about
service concepts.
30
participants of renowned companies took part
in the “1st Maintainers’ Day Closed-die Forging” of SMS group in Mönchengladbach.
however, additional requirements to flexibility and cost
structure are resulting from day-to-day maintenance operations. Accordingly, the concept of the new, independent
and complementary SMS Service workshop was very well
received, which enables minimal lead times and costs with
maximum flexibility. With its own workshop only for services and with OEM knowledge SMS group is able to provide
much faster and better assistance. Qualified personnel and
machines are exclusively available for service tasks.
After presenting the concept of the new service workshop, possible efficiency improvements for commissioning
were demonstrated by SMS group simulation on the basis
of project examples. For this real-time function simulation
the real control hardware is linked to the simulation computer. Advantages of such “virtual start-up” are a reduction
of commissioning period and total cost, a steeper ramp-up
curve according to SOP and potentials for carrying out
functional tests without interfering with the real plant. Simulation models are useful whenever the risk of “failure” is
particularly high, i.e. when for example conversion work or
modernizations have to take place within a short time interval with little time for preparation or when a new automation hardware and/or software is applied.
Furthermore, the maintenance-friendly drive concept of
the innovative MEERtorque® series was presented and discussed intensively. Properties such as the wear-free coupling, the recovery of braking energy and the characteris-
tics of energy consumption meet the current challenges of
the industry. Particular advantages are low maintenance in
combination with less costs for spare parts, high energy efficiency and prevention of current peaks. Accordingly, the
possibilities were directly discussed in an intense way,
namely how this concept can also be translated into existing machines.
Many modules for new competitive opportunities
In general, it has become apparent that many promising
concepts and approaches exist to enhance the competitiveness of European forging companies. The participants saw
the right approach in the topics that were introduced to react properly to growing future requirements. The challenges facing the industry can only be mastered together.
Heinz Zacharia
heinz.zacharia@sms-group.com
25
To have the required spares at its site as fast as possible, the SMS experts establish the warehouse close to the customer’s plant.
WAREHOUSING
AT CLOSE QUARTERS TO
THE CUSTOMER
Worl dw id e . SMS group undertaking the complete logistics process.
26
Spare Parts & Logistics
SMS group offers to undertake all its
customers’ activities involved in the
stock-keeping of spares and wear
parts. Under the heading of “Warehousing” the service experts define,
together with the business partner,
the required storage concept and the
store size. To make sure response
times are as short as possible, SMS
recommends that the warehouse to be
established in the direct vicinity of the
production site.
To SMS group, warehousing means
everything to do with stock-keeping
and the related services and comprises complete logistics from the receipt of goods to packaging and further to subsequent goods issue. This
full support of an entire logistics process means there will be one contact
partner for all concerns the customer
may have.
CUSTOMIZED SERVICE
Thanks to this close contact, both
sides are able to adapt further service
activities to the particular plant or system involved always aiming to ensure
high plant availability or even increase
it. For such individual warehousing the
customer will have to pay a predetermined amount according to its stock
volume and the scope of services.
Costs for individual parts will have
to be paid only after the parts have
been requested. Additional services
offered by SMS group help the demand
of spares to be defined and reflected
with the aim of warehousing optimization. One of the services provided by
the experts is machine-specific equipment checks. Regular inspections and
maintenance measures help ensure
plant efficiency and detect potential
weak points at an early stage. A combination of both concepts reduces the
amount of tied-up capital.
Warehousing by SMS group makes
sure all required spare parts are permanently available. If so requested,
the SMS group’s experts will run the
warehouses 24 hours per day and seven days a week. Plant users can hence
focus on their core business and may
rest assured that all required spare
parts will be on-site quickly and reliably. SMS will take care of the inventory and only supply new components
in compliance with the current state of
the art.
service@sms-group.com
i
Services
SMS group
Individual warehousing concepts
24/7 availability of spares
ull range of services for the
F
logistics process
Selected references
Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant JSC in
Pervouralsk, Russia;
Surface area approx. 4,000 m2
In operation since 2011
TNC Kazchrome in Aqtöbe, Kazakhstan;
Surface area approx. 940 m2
In operation since
2014
Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works in
Magnitogorsk, Russland
Surface area approx.
In operation since 900 m2
2010
Arcelor Mittal Ruhrort in Duisburg, Germany
Surface area approx.
610 m2
In operation since 2012
SULB Company B.S.C. in Hidd, Bahrain
Surface area approx. 560 m2
In operation since 2012
27
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
NEW CONCEPT FOR
RELIABLE SUPPLY OF
SPARE PARTS
Wo r ldw id e . From now on, special spare parts can be stored
with SMS group and made available to the just-in-time principle.
SMS group now supplies its customers with spare parts
even better and faster than before. The new “spare parts
pool” service concept provides different customers the opportunity to keep in stock, at the premises of SMS group,
specified spares they deem necessary for their plants.
These spares are made available to the customer on demand in accordance with the just-in-time principle.
If plant operators keep available all spares they may
need in an emergency situation, this will result in a large
stock and a high capital commitment. Especially for large
components susceptible to failure this will culminate
in enormous expenses for storage, management and
logistics, and, in the long term, tie up capital that could be
spent for other purposes within the
company.
Using the new SMS group
spare parts pool such capital commitment can entirely be omitted. The
only thing to be paid
is a charge determined by the volume and value of
the parts SMS
group is storing
for the plant operator.
SMS group guarantees its business partners
exclusive access to spare
parts in OEM (Original Equip28
ment Manufacturer) quality. The parts
can be demanded 24 hours per day,
seven days a week at previously agreed
fixed prices. This eliminates the need
for disposal of technically obsolete or
old parts.
STREAMLINED PROCESSES
The spare parts pool provides certainty
in planning. Furthermore, SMS group
ensures short delivery times for all
parts, as it holds a safety stock of all
components from the mass product to
the machine-specific part. That will
lead to streamlining the plant operator’s processes: experienced service
staff is responsible for warehousing
including related tasks such as stocktaking or ensuring the implementation
of suited storage conditions. In the
long term, the purchase of spare parts
will become more transparent since
the agreed prices are normally adjusted once a year or every two years.
Technical Service
service@sms-group.comm
Spare Parts & Logistics
Whether winder bolt (mill
stand), worm gear or
crank drive – all will be
permanently in stock and
available in the SMS
group’s spare parts pool.
29
RELIABLE SPARE AND WEAR
PARTS CONCEPT
Ge r ma n y. VDM Metals Group now relies on the
warehouse management concept of SMS group and can thus
count on reliable service – round the clock.
30
Spare Parts & Logistics
VDM Metals puts great emphasis on the quality of its own
products. For the manufacturer of nickel alloys, special
stainless steels and semi-finished products made of zirconium, reliability and high plant availability are of the highest
importance alongside an efficient operative handling. To
ensure spare parts supply for two core units of rod production, VDM has set up a consignment stock together with
SMS group from where a peeling machine in its Unna plant
and a grinding machine in its Altena factory are provided
with the required spares.
Since 2010, SMS group offers its customers to take over
the complete warehousing for spare and wear parts. Together with its business partners the service experts define
the nature and extent of the warehouse. To make sure that
the plant operator is able to fully focus on its core business,
SMS group coordinates all aspects of warehousing so that
the desired spares are available – without any investment
costs. In conjunction with other services offered by SMS
group, for example an equipment check, inventories can
additionally be optimized.
SMS group negotiated the nature and
extent of spare parts packages for the
Altena and Unna plants. In close consultation the procedural and IT-related
structures were tailored to the customer’s needs and specifications.
Meanwhile, warehousing is in operation at VDM Metals for several months,
ensuring satisfaction. “The new concept has impressed us,“ says Rainer
Kochanski, Head of Procurement at
VDM Metals. “We are pleased to have
ensured the spare and wear parts
­supply of these two key units.“
RELIABLE SERVICE ROUND THE CLOCK
For the supply of the Altena and Unna plants the consignment stock has proved to be a suitable warehousing alternative. In this case, the service experts of SMS group take
over the entire inventory management of both plants at a
fee agreed in advance. Only when parts are requested they
are invoiced to VDM Metals. Urgent and normal requests
are processed by SMS group 24 hours a day, seven days a
week. Operative warehouse management including storage, inventory management and dispatch takes place in the
warehouse. Re-procurement and supply of spare parts is
realized by SMS group at the Mönchengladbach service location.
The warehousing concept put into service in 2013 at
ArcelorMittal in Duisburg, Germany, is considered the reference project for a consignment stock. For the wire rod
mill in Duisburg-Ruhrort more than 5,500 different spare
and wear parts are stocked which can be requested at any
time by urgent or normal orders. The service agreement
initially concluded for five years has recently been extended
for another three years. VDM Metals was also convinced by
this concept of SMS group. After inspecting the warehouse
in Duisburg the technical specialists from VDM Metals and
i
Service
Warehouse management concept
of SMS group provides the following benefits:
irect access to required wear and
d
spare parts
fixed prices – for optimal planning
minimal capital commitment
c omplete warehouse and project
management by SMS group
regular material planning
c ombined individually with other
SMS group services
Abd-Elhay El-Habib
abd-elhay.el-habib@sms-group.com
31
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
Eleven plates were replaced.
32
Maintenance & Repairs
Fast and uncomplicated
repair of
melting furnace
F r a nc e . Service experts from SMS group performed a
successful emergency repair at Rockwool.
The SAF (Submerged Arc Furnace) solutions of SMS group are mostly applied for the production of ferroalloys.
In addition to that, this technology is
suited for recycling metallurgical residues or in the recycling sector for e.g.
flue dusts, scale, skulls or the production of mineral wool. Rockwool also
makes use of the melting furnace for
mineral wool.
Rockwool charges a considerable
proportion of recycled rock wool with a
grain size of below 1 millimeter at its
French site Saint Eloy les Mines. The
admixture of other ingredients on basalt basis and various additives makes
Rockwool dependent on the required
properties of the end product. The
continuous melting rate with a tapping
temperature of approx. 1,500 °C is only
limited by heavy lining wear and is
therefore subject to regular maintenance processes.
In connection with relining work, it
was ascertained that the furnace shell
was damaged. After filling and subsequent emptying, water stains were detected on the inner furnace wall. As a
result, Romain Mathieu, Head of Maintenance at Rockwool, contacted SMS
group Service. The situation was inspected on site immediately and
shortly afterwards a complete concept
for repair measures was submitted to
Rockwool by SMS group which was accepted by the customer.
Convincing concept
Since a new furnace vessel was not an
option, new pre-bent plates with weld
pool backing should be inserted into
the furnace shell at eleven places.
After delivery of the bent plates with a
sheet thickness of 25 mm, flame-cutting and welding work started. The
chamfers had to be ground on the
melting furnace and to a large extent
on the plates. Then, the plates were
heated, tack-welded and welded in by
experts in shift operation. Already after 14 days furnace infeed could be resumed.
48
hours after contacting SMS group
a complete repair concept has been
presented to the customer.
Technical Service
service@sms-group.com
33
sms group
newsletter 02 / 2016
SERVICE
sms
group Extracts Newsletter 2016
inlay
Krohne
Needs-based
maintenance with
minimized costs
Worl dw id e . Intelligent modifications and partial repairs of assembly
groups combined with smart eService.
34
Interplay between “efficiency – product quality –
plant availability“
Aufsetzen einer
„Krone“ sowie
eines „Inlays“ in
der gebrauchten
Aus­laufführung
erlaubt mehrfache
Instandsetzung
vor Ort, bis eine
Reinserting exit
Generalüberholung
guide
into
der
Baugruppe
hollow shaft
after
erforderlich
wird.
successfully
performed repair.
Conflicts of interest between the demand for high plant
availability on the one hand, and maintenance costs on the
other hand should be avoided. Therefore, the decision on
the right strategy is of great importance. With reactive
maintenance only low efficiency can be achieved. Through
preventive maintenance already much better results can
be attained. Many modern processes apply condition-based
maintenance ensuring very high plant efficiency. Highest
plant efficiency is reached by improvement-oriented needsbased maintenance. This results in complying with the demanded reliability and constant product quality at minimum costs.
High cost savings by partial repairs on modified
assembly groups
With the new maintenance concept – based on constructive
modifications and succeeding partial repairs of assembly
groups – SMS group provides a contribution to its customers: how the maintenance budget is kept. A usual maintenance method is to overhaul or replace the assemblies after
a certain operating time, independent of their actual status.
To keep the level of maintenance and plant downtime costs
including subsequent costs as low as possible it is necessary to adapt the preventive maintenance interval to the actual need. One way of reducing maintenance costs are constructive modifications on the assemblies allowing partial
repairs or the replacement of smaller subassemblies.
Constant product quality combined with minimal
maintenance measures
How can product quality be kept at a consistent high level
for as long as possible when maintenance costs are low?
Must an entire production line be at a standstill for several
weeks due to repair work on an assembly group? Is it not
possible for an assembly group to simply remain longer in
service? How can spare parts be identified in the quickest
possible way? The Technical Service of SMS group provides
practical answers to all these questions. During the Tube &
wire 2016 new service solutions are presented by SMS on
its exhibition booth by the example of two exit guides of a
peeling line. One exhibit is in used condition, the other one
has been generally overhauled and technically modified by
SMS Service. It becomes clear immediately how one benefits from a customized repair in terms of quality and dimensional accuracy with close tolerances. And something more
will be noticed by trade visitors: the exit guides are provided
with QR Code.
To ensure consistent production quality complete assembly
groups are replaced at regular intervals. The length of a
maintenance interval (IHI1) is usually based on quality
checks or empirical values within the maintenance department. When the set time has been reached (P1) the complete assembly is replaced or repaired. With the new concept of partial repairs on technically modified assemblies,
the Technical Service of SMS group now offers several benefits to its customers at the same time. Firstly, costs are
reduced by this service since the complete assembly is not
replaced as usual but only a partial replacement is carried
out after first losses in quality (IHI*). Secondly, a replacement of the elements directly affected by wear may take
place by the maintenance shop of the customer or by a
short assignment of SMS service technicians – this means
additional time and cost savings. Because the time for repairing the complete assembly is also postponed (IHI2), the
positive impact is further increased since overall quality is
considered on a higher level in the period.
35
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
“The maintenance areas of our customers are under enormous pressure.
The objective must be to find the right balance in the interplay between
efficiency, product quality and plant availability to achieve cost reduction and
maximized plant availability. We gladly take on this challenge.“
Johannes Kahlen, Head of Technical Service Business Unit.
Customized repair solutions using the example
of a modified exit guide of a PM1 peeling line
The exit guide displayed at the Tube & wire is one of altogether six assembly groups of a peeling line consisting of
infeed unit, entry guide, adjustment of cutter head tool, hollow shaft, exit guide and extraction carriage. The peeling
lines of SMS group are deployed worldwide in bright steel
finishing processes for forged bars or rolled wire.
Together with the customers, the individual welding process is analyzed and it is examined whether partial repairs
would be possible by constructive modifications instead of
generally overhauling the entire unit. The same applies also to typical wear parts. In the particular case of a functional unit or assembly of an exit guide of a PM1 peeling
machine, a so-called “crown“ on the ”snorkel“ and an ”inlay“ on the bearing block is used. The service staff of SMS
group cuts off the worn components and puts a newly modified crown and an inlay onto the rear of the assembly. For
this replacement the know-how of the plant manufacturer
is applied since the specialists of SMS know the design of
the machine enabling them to intervene in a targeted manner without affecting functionality, effectiveness or product
quality.
New e-Service with QR code and electronic parts
catalog
The QR code attached to the exit guide can be scanned on a
tablet by means of a Service App. After that, the electronic
parts catalog of the entire peeling line opens, displaying the
corresponding assembly group for parts identification im36
Maintenance interval (IHI)
IHI*
P1
Qualitiy
Should not a self-sufficient unit be considered and the
frequency for the maintenance interval (IHI1) is determined
depending on the entire production process, reduced intervals (IHI*) provide new flexibility when determining the
scheduled downtimes.
IHI 1
IHI 2
Time
mediately. With this demo version, SMS group Service provides an outlook on future developments within the scope of
eService. Instead of a time-consuming search, assembly
groups or components are simply identified by scanning the
QR code. Besides, additional information is available for
each spare part. In this way, time and possible incorrect
orders are significantly reduced.
A visit at the Tube & wire worthwhile for experts
The two interesting and trendsetting concepts – eService
and modifications and partial repairs of assemblies for
needs-based maintenance – are among the innovations of
the Technical Service of SMS group at the Tube & wire in
addition to numerous other solutions. This underlines
where services for plant operators are going to develop.
They will be more cost-conscious, customized and more
intelligent with ideas from eServices.
Technical Service
service@sms-group.com
Maintenance & Repairs
Comprehensive data
and advice
Worl dw id e . Integrated Maintenance Management System (IMMS®)
improves maintenance processes and increases plant availability.
Steel producers around the world have to react ever faster
and more flexible to the global market. Unscheduled machine downtimes result in increased pressure on production costs. Effective maintenance is therefore absolutely
essential for all plant operators. In view of the intensive use
of the plant, growing demands of environmental protection,
different degree of wear of plant components and different
quality needs, securing of a favorable maintenance routine
is a difficult task. Transparency and efficiency are in demand.
Here you will find
customized maintenance system
To make sure that plant operators can focus completely on
core business activities, SMS group offers a customized
maintenance system. With the Integrated Maintenance
Management System (IMMS®) a computer-aided maintenance system is combined with plant- and customer-specific data. The software package maps the complete plant
and the technical parameters, providing a reliable basis for
an effective maintenance organization.
Each component to be maintained is clearly identified
and coded to ensure target- and purpose-oriented maintenance. Depending on the size of the company, data access
with a cloud solution is recommendable. In cooperation
with an international specialist company for advisory services, concepts and implementation of maintenance solutions, the Technical Service of SMS group is also able to
optimize already existing CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Systems) solutions.
The objective of stable and reliable conditions of production by preventive and scheduled maintenance shutdowns
is reached through mutual harmonization of the implemented software functions. The result is practice- and service-oriented maintenance engineering based on the principles of RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) and an
appropriately selected mixture of maintenance strategies
in accordance with the FMECA (Failure Mode, Effects, Critical Analysis).
the new brochure
If computer-aided maintenance software already exists, the Technical
Service of SMS group provides and
implements a pure IMMS® data package.
Lars Scheuermann
lars.scheuermann@sms-group.com
37
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
CONDITION MONITORING FOR
COLD ROLLING MILL
S ou t h a f r ica . SMS group supplied the Genius Condition
Monitoring (CM) System, to Hulamin in South Africa.
You will find more
information on
Genius CM at:
The Technical Service Division of SMS
group in South Africa installed the Genius Condition Monitoring (CM) System onto the S6-high cold rolling mills
of Hulamin. Hulamin, a leading South
African producer of semi-finished and
aluminium products is situated in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
The objectives of the Genius CM
supplied to Hulamin are to monitor the
vibration in the roller bearings, in the
gearboxes of the drive train and the
mill stand. This was done to assist
Hulamin in avoiding chatter marks
and cracks on the rolled aluminium
products.
Smart Software Solution
In order to meet the above-mentioned
objectives, SMS group supplied a mod-
Control room of S6-high cold rolling mill, now equipped with Genius Condition Monitoring (CM) System.
38
Maintenance & Repairs
»At the beginning of 2015, we installed the
Genius Condition Monitoring System in our S6-high cold rolling mill.
Since then, we had no more rejects during production due to
surface defects. Additionally, the system provides
predictive information that improves our mill reliability.«
Tim Hawkins, General Manager Process Engineering at Hulamin
ulated online Genius CM plant monitoring solution. Genius CM is a SMS
group’s proprietary monitoring solution for metallurgical plants and rolling mills. The Genius CM System supplied covers a wide range of monitoring
modules for roller bearings and gear-
boxes, the process vibrations (chatter)
especially for cold rolling mills, temperature and hydraulics. These modules provide continuous signal analyzing methods in the time and frequency
domain in order to act as state-of-theart plant and process monitoring tool.
i
surveillance
The CM is a standalone software
i
benefits
Genius Condition Monitoring
Increase of product quality
ost savings from elimination of
C
unnecessary or over-frequent
maintenance
o follow-up damage to key drive
N
components, e.g. spindles
Simple analysis
linked to the process
Potential machine defects, processdependent conditions or excitation
sources can easily be identified from
the signal patterns and these vibrations can be used to correlate with the
natural modes of the machine or process parameters to analyze the actual
overall condition of the equipment.
This enables Hulamin to respond to
the ever higher market demand for
higher quality and productivity.
automation software.
The CM server can
be connected to the
internet via the network port and in this
way remote condition
monitoring analysis
can be done as well
as remote support.
This saves time and
money.
eduction of downtimes due to fast
R
diagnosis and remote maintenance
service
Improvement in general reliability
Contact
service@sms-group.com
39
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
i
BENEFITS
Benefits of Clean Lance System
eduction of investment and operR
ating costs
Ensuring occupational safety
roduction increase due to longer
P
service life of lances
kull accumulations effectively
S
reduced and prevented
Stable overall system
Spray system easy to maintain
The Clean Lance System
of SMS group
Worl dw id e . More safety for processes, environment and employees.
Water-cooled oxygen lances may be damaged or even fail
when skull is removed by flame-cutters, or levered respectively beaten off which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Thanks to the new complete system of SMS group –
the Clean Lance System (CLS) – skull accumulations on
oxygen lances can be reduced to a minimum.
The control unit is the core of the system consisting of
control and valve cabinet and it is protected inside a mobile
unit where it may be easily employed together with the stirrer at any place near the oxygen lance.
40
The unit is manually operated directly on the integrated
screen or optionally via cable remote control. Automatic
control as well as remote operation can be performed from
the control stand. Here, the control unit operates the electric stirrer, the diaphragm pump and the valves.
FULLY PROTECTED NOZZLE SYSTEM
The spray ring with its customer-specific components remains for stationary use at the respective converter. The
rings provide several spray nozzles particularly tuned to the
Upgrades & Modernization
The CAD model illustrates
the complete coating by six
spray nozzles.
process including the associated supply lines for coating
material, compressed air and flushing water. The spray ring
box ensures complete protection of the nozzle system
against the rough environmental conditions at the converter. The modularly designed system enables easy maintenance. Since the nozzles are closed again after each coating procedure clogging is prevented and permanent coating
material circulation is realized.
Already the first coatings under production conditions
when using manual sprayguns have convinced pilot customers of the advantages of oxygen lance coating on BOF
converters without vapor barrier. With the semi-automatic
coating system an industrial solution has matured from
one prototype.
Enhancing sustainability
To reduce the dust load SMS group optionally offers an innovative converter dome with integrated CLS spray ring.
The specially developed design combines the Clean Lance
System with a nitrogen curtain minimizing the escape of
dust in the converter dome, lance cover and blowing lance,
and protecting the nozzle area at the same time from­
dust exposure. The newly developed non-adhesive coating,
Thixo­Guard, is of water-based nature and thus also protects the environment. In addition to that, the lifetime of the
lances is increased, because thanks to its use skull can be
removed much easily after the melt or even comes off by
Oxygen blowing lance with typical skull accumulation (left), and
after coating with ThixoGuard by the Clean Lance System (right).
Spray ring of Clean Lance System with guardrail and blowing
lance with ThixoGuard coating.
itself. High effectiveness and easy handling of ThixoGuard
could not only be proven in numerous tests carried out in
SMS group workshops but also on first converters in Europe which also promises better chances of success when
in use in other production areas.
Ronald Genßler
ronald.genssler@sms-group.com
41
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
Innovative coatings
for copper molds
Wo rl dw i d e . For exacting process requirements – SMS offers its customers
the UniGuard® mold coating.
In order to achieve a trouble-free process flow in continuous casting and a
cast strand of prime quality, it is necessary to make sure that the mold
plates are in an optimal condition, particularly in terms of heat dissipation
and wear condition. The copper plates,
which act as heat exchangers, must
fulfill two main tasks:
First and foremost, their function is
to form a fault-free and sufficiently
strong strand shell. Defects on the
strand surface, such as longitudinal
cracks, are a major quality impairment and may even result in a failure
of the caster. The solidification processes taking place in the continuous
casting mold are highly complex and
dynamic, as a varying number of solidification phases take place depending on the steel grade. The difference
between ingot casting and continuous
Wasserkasten
mit UniGuard®Beschichtung.
42
casting is that the continuously cast
strand solidifies dynamically due to
the effect of the oscillating mold and a
preset casting speed.
UniGuard® Coating
The second major requirement is to
maximize the service life of the mold
plates, which are exposed to extreme
thermal and mechanical loads. To
minimize wear due to mechanical im-
Water jacket
with UniGuard®
coating.
Upgrades & Modernization
pact, plant operators have been using electroplated or metal-ceramic coated mold plates. Especially the metal-ceramic coating has been proved to provide a significant
improvement in the service life and quality of the equipment. For most exacting process requirements, SMS group
offers the UniGuard® coating. UniGuard® is a tungsten carbide metal-ceramic coating that is applied using the HVOF
(High Velocity Oxygen Fuel) method. During high-velocity
flame spraying (HVOF), fuels are continuously combusted
under high-pressure conditions inside a water- or aircooled combustion chamber. The combustion chamber is
mainly charged with spray materials in powder form. By
means of the carrier gas, the coating particles are accelerated to supersonic velocity resulting in dense spray coatings with excellent adhesion characteristics.
broad faces. Without sufficient wear
protection, the hard material would
grind down the profile of the plates.
This in turn would reduce the dimensional stability of the strand shell
during the primary solidification. The
result would be intensifying and excessive movements and permanent
stresses in the microstructure within
the thin and sensitive strand shell.
Therefore, the SMS group service experts recommend operators of slab
casters that process a mix of critically
solidifying hard steel grades to make
use of the metal-ceramic UniGuard®
coating.
METAL-CERAMIC MATERIAL - TUNGSTEN CARBIDE
Tungsten carbide was originally developed for use in cutting tools because it contains ceramic crystals of only a few
micrometers in size in a shapeable metal alloy compound.
Being a hard, brittle ceramic material, it forms a hard cermet (metal-ceramic) material in combination with cobalt.
The resulting coating excellently withstands the compressive loads and friction stresses acting on the mold during
the casting process and provides appropriate wear and
oxidation resistance at high temperatures. Furthermore,
the tungsten carbide/cobalt material is characterized by
high thermal-shock resistance and therefore is able to
withstand sudden temperature changes. Another highly
valuable property of a cermet material is that it contributes
to an improvement of the product quality. The distribution
of forces and stresses in the strand shell is lower due to
the more homogeneous heat density. This means that the
strand solidifies in a more constant manner and the shell
has homogeneous contact around the circumference of
the mold, significantly reducing depressions with longitudinal cracking.
The UniGuard® coating is highly wear-resistant. This
property is beneficial especially when casting special and
carbon-manganese grades, as these steels are cast at
lower casting speeds. It is not unusual to achieve more
than five-times longer service lives of the narrow and
Oliver Wiens
oliver.wiens@sms-group.com
UniGuard® coating
applied by means
of the HVOF (High
Velocity Oxygen Fuel)
method.
43
INNOVATIONS FOR GREATER
CUSTOMER BENEFITS
Worl dw id e . As from now, modern and economical concepts for oil film
bearings are marketed by SMS group under the name of X-Roll® Oil Bearing.
Customer needs for more maintenance-friendly and production-enhancing roll neck bearings can be fulfilled even more flexibly in the future.
For that reason, the more than 60-year
partnership with Primetals Technologies USA LLC (former Morgan Construction Co.) was rearranged. With XRoll® Oil Bearing SMS group is now
able to offer both well-established and
independently further-developed products on a new technological level.
44
DEVELOPING OWN CONCEPTS
Already in the last few years, SMS employees developed
specific concepts to be able to provide oil film bearing systems in a more process-safe, environmentally- and maintenance-friendly manner. The application of symmetrical
back-up rolls with fixed and guide bearing considerably
contributes to good working results of the oil film bearing
systems of SMS. Tailored to the specific requirements of
different flat rolling mills, the product portfolio today includes effective SMS in-house sealing systems.
“By means of FEM calculations the bearing components
and roll necks are designed by us in a fatigue-endurable
Left: Oil film bearings of SMS group
in use at hot strip
mill of ArcelorMittal/Nippon Steel &
Sumitomo (AM/NS),
Calvert, U.S.A.
Right: Innovative
coating of X-Roll® Oil
Bearing bush with
bearing metal.
way. If requested, our delivery program also provides various fastening systems as modernization package. For extending the inspection intervals of bearing systems, for example the newly developed clearance-free bearing support
is a possible solution,” says Frank Benfer, Head of Oil Film
Bearing Product Unit at SMS group.
SIGNIFICANT SAVING POTENTIAL
The new bearing systems have proven reliability in both new
constructions of flat rolling mills and in modified versions for
older plants. The bearings are adapted to the needs of the
working processes in the rolling mill and the roll shop. When
in use, saving potentials of half of the total operating costs
could be identified. For example, customers confirmed to
SMS group that oil consumption was reduced by up to 90
percent. In addition to that, plant operators benefit from significantly improved work safety and simplified handling.
“We want to further expand the increased benefit of our
concepts. The newly acquired flexibility gives us the freedom
today to cooperate even closer with our customers, to join
forces when pushing developments ahead and to set our own
standards in oil film bearings also in future,” Frank Benfer
added. This enables SMS group to comply with customers’
requirements for complete bearings sets, upgrades, repairs,
spare parts and on-site service even more target-oriented in
future.
90
percent – oil consumption can be reduced
by this amount, depending on the modernization concept.
Sales
oilbearing@sms-group.com
45
Experimental setup in the SMS group workshop.
NEW DEVELOPMENT –
CONVECTION COOLING OF
WORK ROLLS
Germ an y. The new convection roll cooling helps save energy and water up to
an amount of one million Euros per year.
Increased efficiency is in the focus of many developments
by SMS group, with one of the aims being reduction of operating costs by saving energy, for example. The new Convection Roll Cooling (CRC) is such a development and offers
an annual cost cutting potential in hot strip production of up
to one million Euros.
NEW COOLING PRINCIPLE: CONVECTION
Conventional work roll cooling systems operate to the spray
cooling method. They require a pressure between 10 and 12
bars and about 5,000 liters of water per minute and per meter of barrel length for each mill stand. The new work roll
cooling system by SMS group, however, operates to the
convection principle. Here, the cooling effect is generated
46
by water evenly flowing against the work roll sense of rotation. For this purpose, the cooling water stream is rectified
by means of an intelligent device and then led, in a defined
manner, through a nozzle gap to the area between work roll
surface and compact cooling which has a curvature radius
similar to that of the work roll. There is no metallic contact
between compact roll cooling and roll.
Right from the beginning of the design development
phase of the new work roll cooling system, advanced and
efficient calculation methods were used. Compact roll
cooling design, clearances and cooling water volumes, for
example, were checked by means of Computational Fluid
Dynamics (CFD) simulations and optimized in iterative processes.
Upgrades & modernization
Numeric flow
simulations,
so-called Computational Fluid
Dynamics (CFD),
helped develop the
convection work roll
cooling.
SIMULATION AND TESTS ACCELERATE DEVELOPMENT
FAST RETURN ON INVESTMENT
In a next step, SMS manufactured a prototype in its Hilchenbach workshop, which served for checking the proper functioning and the swivel mechanism towards the roll. The
development experts paid particular attention to reproducing the rolling mill surrounding to be able to assess the
cooling water drain behavior in the mill stand. Cooling water supply remained as provided for in the original design.
Supported by the results from simulation and testing,
SMS group succeeded in convincing Salzgitter Flachstahl
GmbH to install the newly developed equipment in one of its
hot mill finishing stands for testing under operating conditions. In early September 2015, SMS replaced the existing
spray cooling of the top work roll by the compact roll cooling system. Since it was possible to use the former fastenings and interfaces, the modification could be accomplished during the regular repair downtime. The only work
to be done in addition to replacing the cooling unit itself
was to adapt the media supply system. The automation system was not affected by the modification.
The patented convection work roll
cooling system offers a fast Return On
Investment (ROI) thanks to savings in
operating costs of up to one million
Euros per year. It is easy to integrate in
existing hot strip mills and CSP®
plants and will perceptibly cut operating costs there as well.
Another benefit with respect to new
facilities is a considerable reduction of
investment costs for the water management system due to the substantially lower consumption of energy and
water. The savings potential here is
approx. Euros 1.5 million.
i
Roll cooling
The new work roll
cooling system is
based on the principle of convection.
Thanks to a reduction in operating
pressure by approx.
80 percent and in
water volume by
30 percent, the new
method achieves
savings of up to one
million Euros per
year.
TESTED IN PRACTICAL OPERATION AT SALZGITTER
FLACHSTAHL
The trial runs were performed from September 5 to October 14, 2015. They remained without failure over the entire
period and confirmed that the new cooling system, operating at a pressure of merely 2 bars and with a 30 percent
lower water volume than before, is able to achieve the capacity required to cool the work roll barrels. This was accompanied by the positive side effect that due to the changes in water supply and process mode almost no cooling
water hit the strip surface. Hence, strip temperature losses
in the finishing mill reduced significantly.
Wolfgang Fuchs
wolfgang.fuchs@sms-group.com
47
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
MEDIA SYSTEMS FROM
ONE SOURCE
Worl dw id e . The portfolio of SMS group includes media systems for
new and modernized facilities, irrespective of the type of plant,
from support in project development to overall process expertise and
up to commissioning assistance by its own staff.
To make sure production is running smoothly and reliably,
media systems used in plant engineering have to be a
combination of precisely harmonized components. Hydraulic controls, oil lubrication systems and machine piping take care that, for example, the energies or lubricants
needed for the production process are accurately distributed. For many years, SMS group has been mastering this
interaction of all sub-components. SMS group provides its
wealth of experience in media systems for new facilities
and modernization projects and offers the pertaining portfolio of products and services regardless of which type of
plant is concerned.
VALVE UNITS IN HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS
SMS group specializes in hydraulic controls and associated
valve units. The company designs and manufactures valve
units in line with the customers‘ demands up to a length of
two meters in different configurations (control columns,
valve tables, media supply rails, individual blocks). Since
the SMS workshop is able to perform multi-axis sloping
boreholes and to use cartridge valve technology an extremely compact design can be implemented. This helps
satisfy system requirements up to the highest dynamic
control level. In-house painting and state-of-the-art corro48
sion protection treatment like carbonitriding, nickel coating or galvanizing
make sure the valve units can be used
over a long period. All controls are
completely factory-wired and tested by
SMS group. The only thing to do on site
is to connect to the terminal box.
PUMP UNITS
Based on the most common load and
performance demands in SMS group
applications, a series of pump units
was developed able to cover all requirements. The individual, but fundamentally standardized units offered by
SMS group are a low-cost alternative
and, combined in a reasonable and
function-oriented way, meet the demands of plant users. Thanks to the
large number of reference sets, SMS
group also has extensive knowledge
and experience in the use of special
fluids. As a unit, the pump stations are
completely factory-wired.
Upgrades & Modernization
Hydraulic pump
station.
i
Setup
The pump stations are modular and comprise:
ank unit
T
The size is graded in steps from 2 to
18 cubic meters according to the tank
volume. The tank is of two-chamber,
rectangular design with direct-priming
pumps, heating elements and manifold.
ecirculation unit
R
In line with the gross tank volume and
the demand, SMS developed different
performance stages with a recirculation capacity between 170 and 1,000
dm³/min. The unit comprises a gear
type or screw spindle pump, 3-μm
filtration with SMS-certified double
filter, water cooling via plate heat
exchanger, filling and draining possible by means of integrated pump and
filter.
ain pump unit
M
The product range of SMS group
includes different pump sizes depending on their displacement: 125 cm³,
180 cm³, 250 cm³. Sizes 355 cm³ and
500 cm³ are under way, other pump
sizes may be supplied on request. The
unit consists of pressure-controlled
axial piston pumps of swash-plate
design (control alternatives on request), modularly equipped pump
block with full-flow pressure filter,
individual shut-off and relief option,
mounted on a baseframe for one or
two pumps, and, optionally, with noise
protection.
eturn-flow filter unit
R
The SMS standard scope includes three
filter sizes depending on the respective
return-flow volume. The unit comprises a double filter with nonreturn valve
on a baseframe.
49
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
SUPPLY OF ACCUMULATOR UNITS
Bladder accumulators of the following
sizes are available from the SMS standard portfolio: 2 x 32 dm³, 4 x 32 dm³,
2 x 50 dm³ up to 8 x 50 dm³. The accumulators are of single- or doublerow design, with separate safety and
shutoff blocks and with a common
baseblock including fluid energy separation.
SUPPLY OF OIL LUBRICATION SYSTEMS
When oil lubrication systems are ordered, SMS group generally takes care
of the basic and detail engineering.
Here, too, a great variety of standardized components is available, and the
company can present a multitude of
references. This ensures savings in
time and money.
MACHINE PIPING
The design of machine piping suitable
for pre-fabrication on the basis of isometric drawings and of piping modules adapted to the machine permits
exactly fitting units to be shipped,
which are easy and fast to install at
the jobsite.
50
Controls in column
design for media
modules.
Upgrades & Modernization
Controls configured
as valve table.
HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS TEST FIELD
At its Hilchenbach location, SMS group has one of the most
modern testing facilities for hydraulic systems. At the end
of the hydraulic systems manufacturing and assembly line,
all of the hydraulic controls produced by SMS are subjected
to an extensive test. For this purpose, three test stations are
available. They satisfy all requirements imposed by today’s
safety and environmental standards. The progress and the
results of the exactly defined, reproducible and partly automated test procedures are electronically recorded and so
are the valve presets.
Hydraulic consumer groups, combined with the possibilities of modern measuring and control technology, ensure optimum function tests to be performed for the multitude of different hydraulic controls. This effort pays off as
flawless hydraulic controls only will be supplied to construction site, and commissioning will be shortened significantly.
i
Portfolio
SMS group media systems
imensioning and calculation of
D
the facilities
Valve block design
(Detail) Design pump stations
iping concepts based on modular
P
components
Assembly drawings
anufacture of all kinds of valve
M
control stands
Pump stations
ccumulator stations /accumulator
A
units
lectrical controls as required for
E
the respective facility
Bench tests of the valve control
stands
ervice and commissioning
S
worldwide
Andreas Löhr
andreas.loehr@sms-group.com
51
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
Very quickly brought to
“as new” condition
POLAND . SMS group has generally overhauled the core components
of a wire rod mill of ArcelorMittal in Poland. Normally, it takes
about four weeks to restore ten mill stands including transfer case to
mint condition. SMS group made it in half the time.
ArcelorMittal delivers wire rod to the automotive industry worldwide e.g. for safety components.
52
Upgrades & Modernization
Manufacturing site at the SMS Mönchengladbach location where the wire rod blocks were
overhauled.
Every step fits: Fitter during final touch of
repaired units.
At ArcelorMittal in Sosnowiec, Poland, SMS group has
brought a finishing block of a more than eight year-old twostrand wire rod mill to “as new” condition in a very short
time. It took the metalworkers of SMS two weeks in the
Mönchengladbach workshop to replace the anti-friction
bearings and remachine the bores of the stands such that
wire rod blocks as good as new were available in the end.
The plant originally supplied by SMS group in 2007 is a tenstand finishing block arranged in K-shape on which ArcelorMittal is producing wire rod of special quality. Main customer of these grades is the automotive industry, producing
safety components from it, such as helical springs, highstrength connection or steering parts.
Parts arranged on the car chassis are exposed to particular stress. Therefore, only quality steel is used. The
feedstock for automobile customers is produced by ArcelorMittal on the wire rod mill in Sosnowiec at speeds up to
100 meters per second. This enables the company to sell
about 1,000,000 tons of material produced on the wire rod
mill to the international car industry. ArcelorMittal thus operates the plant in 20 shifts per week.
RELIABLE PARTNER SMS
Production on site is running at full capacity. ArcelorMittal
needs a reliable partner in order to be able to deliver the
large quantity in a steady and consistent quality. Thus,
they assigned SMS group with the modernization task.
The convincing time schedule had an significant impact on
this decision.
SMS had planned the revamp during the regular shutdown period of the plant. Accordingly, the machine capacities in Mönchengladbach were planned half a year in
advance. The offer for overhauling plant parts in Mönchengladbach is interesting not only for customers within
Europe but also in North and South America. Who, on the
other hand, is located in Asia, may choose an SMS workshop from a worldwide manufacturing network. In recent
years, SMS has expanded international workshop, service
Intermediate step, opened case with a view
to the gearbox.
and production capacities ensuring its
customers quick and uncomplicated
services everywhere.
In the case of ArcelorMittal the plant
technicians dismantled the plant on
site and sent the parts to Mönchengladbach. The bearings were then renewed,
bores repaired, and stands reassembled and appropriately adjusted. After
return shipment and reassembly at ArcelorMittal, cold commissioning was
carried out. While the stands were in
Mönchengladbach for rework, the plant
technician team stayed on site overhauling the transfer case and changing all drive couplings.
In Sosnowiec, production now runs
again as with a new plant. “The tolerances which we promise for these
grades are between +/- 0.15 and 0.2
millimeters,” says Frank Isken from
SMS group Service. “After our modernization the unit can again be operated
reliably and with high availability.”
Technical Service
service@sms-group.com
53
Vertical coil compactor.
Coil compactors –
a single solution with
a great effect
Worl dw id e . Thanks to the long engineering tradition of SMS group,
coil compactors have been developed to help produce the best
shape, secure and quality coil. A total of 190 coil compactors have
been sold since 2008 – a huge success story.
SMS coil compactors are incorporated into all our new
wire rod mill projects and have secured a leading position
in the wider market. Numerous orders have been obtained
worldwide to supply compactors to new rolling mills, replacing old machines or installing additional compactors
and for tailor made applications.
“The modernization competence of SMS for wire rod
mills and the successful installation and commissioning of
the two earlier compactors was the main reason why we
decided to order the third coil compactor from SMS. The
54
state-of-the-art technology combined with our assessment
of the life time cost convinced us that selecting the SMS
compactor is the best value decision. One of the technological benefits of the new compactor is the feature for applying 4 or 8 equi-spaced ties on each coil and along with
maximum 8 mm tie wire, this is now proven to ensure our
quality coils are transported to our valued customers in the
best possible condition,” said Ukrainian wire rod producer
ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih.
Upgrades & Modernization
Interview
“We understand the
entire process”
Top: Horizontal coil compactor in operation.
Bottom: Electrical binding head, alternativly
wire or strap binding.
i
BENEFITS
The advantages of the design
of horizontal and vertical coil
compactor
Short cycle-time
MI with integrated trending and
H
trouble-shooting
tandardized hydraulic pump
S
station
Internal wiring and cabling
Short installation and start-up
E conformity as necessary incorC
porating the safety systems
Mr. Briggs, you are for many years quite active in the market of wire rod and experienced in coil handling and coil
compactors. Could you please tell us a little bit about the
history of coil compactors at SMS?
SMS decided to re-enter the market directly in 2008,
launching a state-of-the-art range of coil compactors and
associated coil handling equipment. Such systems have
become increasingly sophisticated and automated in recent
years. The coil compactors have been at the forefront of this
trend to provide enhanced coil quality with higher operating
availability for a steadily reducing level of CAPEX and OPEX.
We have sold 190 coil compactors over this time which is a
remarkable market endorsement of our products and technology. The customers decided for SMS because we understand the entire process of wire rod production.
Steve Briggs
expert for coil
compactors at
SMS group.
Please explain the design philosophy of coil compactors.
What is special?
Our coil compactors are designed for optimum incorporation within new coil transport systems and for integrating
into existing applications. They are also of modular design,
for example selected parts of the vertical and horizontal
coil compactors are identical. Depending on the mill operators’ requirements, they can be equipped for wire tying or
steel or plastic strapping. Development focusses on critical
areas for instance minimizing coil damage and our enhanced anti-scratch unit ensures optimal quality.
From your point of view: What are the challenges wire rod
producers are facing in their daily work with coil compactors and what are the demands?
All wire rod producers are faced with a common set of challenges. Focus is required in numerous directions in order to
increase safety and quality and reduce operating costs and
environmental impact. For example, considerable effort
has been invested to eliminate oil leakage or contamination
hence the all-electric strapping head and design optimized
wire binding head.
Steve Briggs
steve.briggs@sms-group.com
55
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
Automated die
adjustment for reproducible quality
Worl dw id e . The advantages: Reduced workload of operating staff while
increasing occupational safety at the same time.
56
Upgrades & Modernization
»With the automated die adjustment from SMS we are able to
attain clearly improved process transparency. Moreover, the adjustment of
the die is significantly improved which also has a positive effect on
the occupational safety of the machine operator.«
Andreas Sieber, Plant Manager, Steeltec AG, Emmenbrücke, Switzerland.
i
CHARACTERISTICS
The new automated die adjustment
Hardware:
Stand for setting up the measurement laser
Laser for detecting the wire rod position
In plant operation, drawing of bright steel with a drawing
machine requires manual die adjustment. In this case,
adaptive frequency and reproducibility of the setting parameters and thus the product quality are operator-dependant. The automated die adjustment newly developed by the
Technical Service division of SMS group starts precisely at
this point. Modernization services by OEM: reduction of rejects and in operator workload.
The solution for which a patent application has been
submitted automates the alignment of the die holder,
whereby adjustments become reproducible. This has a positive influence on product quality reducing the reject rate.
The workload of the machine operator is reduced due to the
automation. In addition, occupational safety is enhanced
because of reduced intervention in plant operation.
Simple solution, pragmatic implementation
By installing a control circuit of the actual wire rod deflection
downstream of the shear to achieve the target deflection, a
motorized die adjustment is automated. As a result, the
straightness of the drawn products is optimized by the automated die adjustment, based on wire rod deflection already
before straightening. Furthermore, the process data for
quality assurance can be output to the operator.
Installation:
Laser connected to motorized die adjustment
Calibration and commissioning of the system
Motorized die adjustment and sufficient space required for
installation
Touchpanel for visualization and operation
Features:
isualization including illustration of target and actual
V
wire rod position downstream of the shear
Display of material diameter
Operation per touchpanel
Hardware and software control using latest technology with TIA Portal
Optional: Documentation of process parameters
i
BENEFITS
Customers benefit in more than one way
Reject reduction, even at coil head and tail end
Improvement of material straightness already before straightening
Reduction in operator workload
Increase in occupational safety
Reproducibility of setting parameters of die
Displaying quality fluctuations in primary metal
Johannes Kahlen
johannes.kahlen@sms-group.com
Enhancing process reliability
57
sms group newsletter 04 / 2016
With touch panels
the operation of the
plant becomes more
convenient.
Touch panels for bright
steel processing lines
Worl dw id e . Increase of production reliability through upgrading the
control electronics of Schumag and Kieserling.
Product innovation cycles are becoming ever shorter. This also applies to
the control electronics of machines
and plants. Once older type series are
discontinued it is difficult to get a replacement. Properly functioning control electronics is, however, of central
importance for production – without it
the complete plant comes to a standstill. Therefore, SMS group recommends replacing old PCs in the machine control with new touch panel
technology in good time.
The plant and machine manufacturer offers an upgrade of operator
and monitoring systems (HMI) in drawing lines, straighteners, peeling machine, bright steel centers and wind58
ers. Here, Visitec panel PC’s are
replaced with compact 15“ touch
panels. With the new technology the
plant is easier to operate and reliably
achieves a high product quality.
The new technology features the
programming of specific applications
through S7 / TIA as well as the integration of existing ARCNET interfaces
via modern communication and open
software modules. Operator control is
intuitively understandable.
For upgrading hard- and software
of the control points the proven
SCHUMATRONIK is coupled accordingly. Various diagnostics options and
fault monitoring systems round off the
offer.
i
benefits
Benefits of new technology
Schumag und Kieserling:
high level of operator convenience
numerous diagnostics options
fault monitoring systems warn the
operator
use of parameterized devices
independence of OEM due to
market software
Johannes Warns
Johannes.Warns@sms-group.com
Upgrades & Modernization
Modernization
of drawing lines
Wo r ldw id e . Higher availability and maximized output.
SMS group revamps drawing lines and
brings machines up to date – mechanically, electrically, and electronically.
This also applies to SCHUMAG equipment: SMS group has taken over the
Mechanical Engineering Division of
the traditional brand offering all components and services in OEM (Original
Equipment Manufacturer) quality. Existing machinery and equipment are
upgraded to increase productivity and
product quality.
The requirements for drawing
speed, drawing force, and material dimensions are becoming constantly
more demanding. Nevertheless, plant
operators are still producing competitively even years after commissioning
of their drawing line, tapping into new
markets with improved products – because SMS group offers a number of
modernization measures that can specifically enhance individual characteristic values and plant parameters. The
pre-straightener of a drawing line, for
example, may be retrofitted to a sturdier model. In addition, we upgrade the
drawing unit by replacing the assemblies or converting the drawing jaw
control. For the straightener, SMS Service experts are able to provide professional advice with regard to questions
on suitable rolling corrections and reduce setup times through automation
of the straightening roll adjustment.
Moreover, various modernizations can
be performed in the finishing processes. In this way, for example, individual
storage concepts or optimizations of
the sawing and chamfering units may
be carried out subsequently and individual assemblies may be replaced or
re-engineered.
devices for drawn and straightened
bar material. The drawing lines ensure highly accurate dimensions and
a flawless surface quality. The dimensions range from two to 60 millimeters. With drawing forces up to 450 kN
and drawing speeds up to 250 meters
per minute, the machines set standards – SMS group Service experts
make sure that this remains over the
entire lifetime of the machine.
Sebastian Schulz
sebastian.schulz@sms-group.com
i
SERVICES
Well serviced
The product portfolio of SMS group
Services covers the complete production process: it ranges from handling
of the feedstock in the form of bars or
coils up to the testing and bundling
Reduced downtimes
Improved process reliability
easonably priced and available
R
spare parts
Left: Drawing
carriage after
repair – well-proven
technique in modern
design.
Right: Chamfered
bright steel processing lines of high
quality – straightness and precision for finishing
processes thanks to
upgraded equipment.
59
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
Hydraulic impact
shear for ZOLLERN
Ge r ma n y. Precise cutting at speeds of 150 m/min.
For the ZOLLERN Group in Sigmaringendorf, Germany,
SMS group has integrated a new hydraulic impact shear
into the existing production line where long products are
cut to pieces three to eight meters in length during ongoing production. To make sure that the production process
is not interrupted, the shear accelerates to a material
speed of up to 150 m/min, shears off, decelerates and returns to starting position. Such cycle is completed within
just 1.5 seconds. Thanks to the technology and control
know-how of SMS group, it was possible to control both the
external inertia of masses and to comply with a very close
Ready for delivery. Hydraulic impact shear in SMS group’s workshop.
60
tolerance of only a few millimeters
during shearing. At high cutting rates
of up to 150 m/min, the shear has to
cut within a timeframe of only 400
nanoseconds to be able to achieve the
desired length tolerance of one millimeter.
Sebastian Schulz
sebastian.schulz@sms-group.com
Upgrades & Modernization
Straightener of type Sutton KTC.
Mold plate with the new “bionic-textured mold” surface.
Conversion
in a fortnight
SMS molds
last longer
USA . Straightener back
in reliable operation.
WORLDWID E. The new surface texture, known as
“bionic-textured mold”, lengthens the service lives of
copper plates.
In only two weeks SMS group converted a Sutton 2 KTC Straightener for the
straightening of tubes and long product components for the leading steel
producer in Ohio this June. The reconstruction work was performed around
the clock including weekends. SMS
sub-supervised the subsequent new
start-up at the plant. It was the second conversion of this straightener;
the first was carried out in 1989 at the
former SMS Sutton manufacturing
plant in Bellefonte. The steel producer
is now operating five KTC straighteners of the Sutton type in Shelby, all in
use for the straightening of welded
tubes with diameters between 2 3/8
and 12 inches. At this location, the
company manufactures welded tubes
for varied industries, among them automotive, industrial, and building industry equipment.
For its customers, SMS group has developed a new idea as to how the
molds necessary for continuous casting achieve a longer service life: the
specially designed texture “bionictextured mold surface” improves the
flow rate of steel and reduces the
thermal and mechanical loads on the
mold plates. A mold in continuous
casting consists of water-cooled copper plates or tubes. Liquid steel in the
mold is cooled to such an extent that it
forms a thin shell while it is shrinking.
This solidification in the mold is crucial for the quality of the end product
– it is only with a flawless strand shell
that a slab is formed, which can be
further processed into high-quality
flat steel bars. A bionic-textured mold
surface achieves different roughness
values. The casting powder accumulates in the cavities and is evenly distributed between mold and strand
shell – i.e., less powder is needed. Also the heat distribution is enhanced,
mainly in the mold level area. The slab
service@sms-group.com
can thus be pulled out of the mold using less force and the risk of cracking
is diminished. Since time-consuming
and costly polishing work is eliminated thanks to the innovatory rough surface, maintenance time and costs are
less compared to a smooth mold.
Apart from this new texture, SMS
offers special coatings for mold
plates, increasing service lives by up
to 100 percent. A global service network with specially trained expert
staff offers coating, servicing, and refurbishing of mold plates.
Oliver Wiens
oliver.wiens@sms-group.com
61
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
Robot enhances
efficiency
Germ a n y. SMS group modernized 40-year-old extrusion press at
SG Extruded Products Group in Bittterfeld, Germany.
Last year, SMS group modernized a 42.5-MN extrusion
press from 1972 of customer ST Extruded Products Group
(STEP-G) in Bitterfeld, Germany. Owing to the billet extension from 1,000 millimeters to 1,350 millimeters and the
extrusion force increase from 42.5 MN to 50 MN, the plant
output is significantly higher than before. The extrusion
press is employed for the production of forging stock and
aluminum profiles. The ugrade also included the use of a
new billet loader robot. Due to a restricted space situation
within the plant, conventional loading facilities for the
press were not an option. The seven-axis robot cares for
billet loading and ensures that the billets are safely and
quickly positioned in the press center. Due to shorter distances and quicker loading, temperature losses in the billet are minimized and energy efficiency of the whole process is enhanced. Using a robot for billet loading in the
Bitterfeld plant was absolutely new to
the customer. “Looking back, the decision proved to be perfect,” said Ingo
Hennig, Plant Manager at STEP-G
(Bitterfeld).
i
PLANT
STEP-G in Bitterfeld
ST Extruded Products Germany
GmbH
Manufacture of extruded
aluminum profiles
The robot at the
Bitterfeld plant.
In 1916, establishment of
Bitterfeld site
Approx. 120 employees
2 presses: 20 MN/ 50 MN
Final applications in the automotive industry, trade, mechanical
and structural engineering
Technical Service
service@sms-group.com
62
Upgrades & Modernization
CVC® shifting device
for Outokumpu
Drum shear will be
overhauled
Fi n l a n d . Order received from
Outokumpu.
Germ any. SMS group
supplies to ArcelorMittal.
Outokumpu from Finland has ordered from SMS group a
new work-roll bending and shifting system for its Tornio
based Steckel mill. Furthermore, the blocks will be
equipped with an additional lubrication system for the wear
plates. So far only manual relubricating of the wear plates
during roll changes has been possible and caused relatively
fast wearing down of the plates. For the additional lubrication, the new wear plate and the CVC® block will be equipped
with additional lubrication holes through which grease is
pumped during operation. The system will be connected to
the existing millstand grease supply system. The grease
metering blocks with four outlets currently existing on the
mill stands only have to be replaced with metering blocks
that have six outlets. With this new equipment Outokumpu
will increase the service life of its mill.
In early 2016, ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany,
has commissioned SMS group to upgrade a drum shear
cassette of its hot strip mill. To achieve this, SMS group
staff members dismantle the shear weighing about 82
tons into its individual parts. In the course of this, they determine which components remain unchanged, or have to
be refurbished or replaced so that the shear fulfils its
function in the production process after the overhaul. Rust
and deposits are removed and anticorrosive is re-applied.
Delivery of the upgraded shear is scheduled for December
2016. For its customers, SMS group repairs all shears in
steel or aluminum lines. Shears are core units – if they do
not function properly the complete production process is
affected. At ArcelorMittal two shear cassettes are therefore alternately used between overhauls. On the hot strip
mill in Eisenhüttenstadt steel is produced for special applications in the automotive industry.
Technical Service
service@sms-group.com
Technical Service
service@sms-group.com
63
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
Modernized strip accumulator systems
in HF-tube welding lines ensure continuous
operation of the entire plant.
Service packages for
ERW-tube welding AND
PROFILING LINES
WORLDW IDE . Minimizing downtimes due to wear by modernizations.
SMS group as the largest supplier of machines and plants
for tube production worldwide has built more than 2,100
reference plants and machines since 1960, including more
than 350 tube welding lines. It is one of the world’s few
companies offering all core components for the production
64
of longitudinal seam-welded pipes and sections. The plants
cover a production range for diameters from 10 to 660 millimeters and variable wall thicknesses. As reliable life-cycle partner of the customers, the service experts accompany the tube welding and profiling lines, as well as the
Upgrades & Modernization
downstream finishing lines. The services range from specific equipment checks for analyzing the plant condition
through erection and commissioning and training of the operating staff up to technical assistance. In the course of
this, the service experts accompany the customer with
their OEM know-how when optimization measures are
performed and offer solutions according to his needs.
SMS group provides spare parts procurement worldwide or
offers preventive concepts of spare parts storage to the
customer to minimize downtimes.
Efficient service packages for ERW-tube
welding lines
Whether precision tubes, OCTG tubes (Oil Country Tubular
Goods) or structurals – the markets demand first-class
quality within close tolerances. SMS group Service supports plant operators in meeting these high market requirements. With targeted repair and modernization measures of highly stressed components susceptible to wear
of an ERW-tube welding line the plant remains competitive. Here in particular, the plant components for strip
preparation, the mill stands and the HF generators for
forming and welding, the MF seam-annealing systems for
normalizing the weld area, and the components for rollpass design and cut-off are in the focus of the service experts. For these and other core areas of the ERW-tube
(Electric Resistance Welding) welding and profiling lines
SMS group provides efficient service packages. For customers this means: calculable cost and scheduling reliability and guarantee for upgraded plant components. SMS
group also supports modernizations and services for
plants from other suppliers.
Examples of modernization in strip preparation
With the knowledge of the plant manufacturer, SMS group
upgrades all individual components in strip preparation:
from uncoiler up to horizontal spiral strip accumulator
within the scope of a service package. It is the task of the
spiral strip accumulator to ensure that the strip is continually transported into the cross welder. With the modernization, the customer receives a reliable and low-maintenance
accumulator system contributing to an increase in productivity and an improvement of plant availability.
The cross welder in an ERW-tube welding line serves to
connect head and tail end of the strip to form an endless
strip. It is arranged between strip leveler and spiral strip
accumulator and is also regarded as sensitive issue in tube
production since the entire manufacturing process may be
endangered by defective welding processes or failing welding power sources. SMS group Service makes sure that this
scenario is prevented by modernization measures per-
formed in a timely manner. Depending on the condition, it
may be a complete replacement or partial upgrade of mechanical, hydraulic or electrical plant components.
Renewal of forming and welding areas
The precisely formed open-seam pipe is welded in a welding scaffold of an ERW-tube welding line by means of the
HF process while the pipe is positively locked by weld rolls
compressing the heated strip edges with a defined upsetting pressure to ensure that the welding process is properly executed. The inductive heat input of the HF weld into
the strip edges requires permanent cooling of the weld
rolls by means of water emulsion. The welding scaffold
needs to be modernized completely or partially when individual plant components are worn, e.g. the upsetting forces
of the weld rolls on the pipe circumference, by the heat input of the HF welding process or by scale accumulation.
Here, bearings for side rolls, top rolls and bottom rolls, but
also guide elements on the change plates for roll adjustments may be affected. A modernization is also useful
when an existing welding scaffold should be expanded by
the CSS-Quicksetting® (Computerized Setting System). The
system speeds up product changes by automatic, reproducible roll adjustments. Depending on the degree of wear
or the customer’s targets, SMS group Service performs
partial upgrades of mechanical, hydraulic and electrical
plant components or replaces an existing welding scaffold
completely.
Modernizations for roll pass design, profiling
and cut-off
Also for the final production processes in an ERW-tube
welding line SMS group offers suitable modernization
modules. A good example of this is the travelling section
tube cut-off unit. This configuration features a multicut
system. Cutting almost without burr is carried out with two
carbide saw blades rotating around the tube in an orbital
way. Since the travelling cut-off unit is operated continuously during tube production it may be necessary to have a
complete or partial modernization performed by SMS
group. Through continuous operation, individual plant
components are under remarkable stress and are thus
subject to heavy wear. This includes in particular the guide
units for longitudinal movements of the complete cut-off
unit and the guide units for orbital motions. Due to the
technological progress in certain time intervals, the electrical equipment such as PLC control and automation
should also be brought up to date.
Heinz-Werner Kloppenburg
heinz-werner.kloppenburg@sms-group.com
65
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
Local Support
I nd iA . Refurbishment of tilt drive gearbox in SMS group
workshop, India for SAIL – IISCO.
The SMS group recently refurbished 165 tons converter tilt
drive gearbox of the indian customer SAIL-ISP (IISCO steel
plant). The modernization took place in the SMS group’s
workshop in India with the technical support and supervision from SMS group, Germany. The scope of work included
detailed inspection to assess the damage in gears, pinion
shafts & housing and form a repair strategy that tailor
made to suit the customer in terms of reliability, cost and
delivery.
refurbished parts were assembled and
gear contact pattern was re-adjusted
under the supervision of SMS tilt drive
specialist. The final gearbox assembly
was properly loaded on a suitable platform and safely delivered to the customer within the repair timeframe.
The customer could install the delivered gearbox which is now running to
their full satisfaction.
Thorough Repair
All core components of the gearbox were dismantled,
cleaned and thoroughly inspected for formulating the repair plan. Since the taper bore of the tilt drive which sits on
the converter trunnion pin was damaged, SMS group machined the gearbox taper bore and consequently new taper
sleeve was adapted to suit the revised dimensions of the
bull gear bore. The taper sleeve was manufactured and adopted to suit the machined dimensions. All the bearings
seals, lubrication piping were replaced with new ones. The
The Indian team with
technical support
and supervision
from SMS group,
Germany.
66
Ganesh Bayari
ganesh.bayari@sms-group.com
Upgrades & Modernization
SMS group workshop in Bhubaneswar, India.
Dr. Martin Ney (second from left) taking a tour of the workshop.
Hot strip mill pinion
stand gearboxes
modernized
Important visitors in
Bhubaneswar
In d i a . Tata Steel Limited relied on
SMS for refurbishing its hot strip mill.
Indi a. German ambassador at
SMS workshop.
Indian customer Tata Steel Limited, Jamshedpur recently
got its hot strip mill pinion stand gearboxes refurbished.
The hot strip mill pinion stand gearboxes for the finishing
stands, F1 & F3 were modernized in the SMS group workshop in Bhubaneswar, India.
The scope of work included complete dismantling of
the gearboxes, inspection of components and refurbishment including change of components in consultation
with Tata Steel.
The heavy shrink fit couplings were removed by oil injection, the old bearings were removed from the gear
shafts, the damage in gears, pinion shafts & housing were
inspected in detail to make necessary repair measures
under the supervision of drive specialist from SMS group,
Germany. All lubrication header and nozzles were cleaned
and rectified for abnormalities. The refurbished parts
were then assembled and gear teeth contact pattern,
backlash and axial float were checked, adjusted and verified by gearbox expert-technician from Germany for
achieving the optimum contact of the mating pinions. The
modernized gear boxes were dispatched back to the customer safely within the contract delivery period.
Dr. Martin Ney, German Ambassador to India, accompanied by Olaf Iversen, German Consulate General, Kolkata,
and Sabina Pandey, Regional Director, Indo-German
Chamber of Commerce, Kolkata, visited SMS group’s
workshop in Bhubaneswar this July.
The workshop that was put up in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, in the year 2014 is a perfect example of the most modern facility built with German investment in the state.
Some 400 employees work on a total area of 21,000 square
meters, producing the core components of metallurgical
and non-metallurgical facilities – from sophisticated
welded structures to mechanically manufactured parts.
Dr. Martin Ney was quite impressed by the state-of-theart facility of SMS group and thanked the plant head
Manoranjan Mishra for the excellent briefing of the workshop provided to him. He wished SMS group all success in
its future endeavors.
67
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
SMS group was
awarded the
modernization
project by Impol,
Slovenia.
Modernization at Impol
S lov e nia . Impol awards contract for expansion
of a Blaw-Knox aluminium cold mill to SMS group
Technical Services (UK) Ltd.
The four-high mill of a non-reversing design was originally
installed in 1966 and is now in need of modernization so as
to ensure competitive production, improve product quality
for their customers, as well as enhancing mill output flexibility.
The entry and exit coilers will be replaced to handle an
increased coil weight from 5.5 tons at present to 11.2 tons
after upgrading, leading to increased mill productivity. The
strip width will be increased from the current 1,473 millimeters to 1,550 millimeters and the strip thickness will increase from the current 6.5 to 9.0 millimeters.
hydraulic equipment will also be supplied including high
and auxiliary pressure power units and auxiliary pressure
valve stands. A complete new mill automation system will
be supplied for both gauge and flatness control. Some cost
savings will be realised by re-using the existing mill motors
which will work in conjunction with the new change speed
entry, exit and main drive gearboxes to suit the upgraded
mill’s requirements.
Due to the extensive modifications required for both the
equipment and foundations, it is envisaged that the total
mill shutdown period will be four weeks.
Comprehensive Innovations
In addition to this, SMS group Technical Services (UK) Ltd.
will also supply a new belt wrapper which will allow both
under and over coiling, and a new exit tucking roll, enabling
Impol to produce tread-plate (alloys 1000, 3000 and 5000)
for the decorative and construction markets. All new mill
68
Alan Richards
alan.richards@sms-group.com
Technology that impresses. The participants from ANC touring the digital workshop.
Exciting know-how
U .S . A . Big River Steel is convinced of SMS TECademy’s
“Train the Trainer” concept.
Just as important as it is to keep the plant and machinery
up to the latest technical standards is it to provide the employees with the corresponding know-how in order to fully
utilize the machine’s potential. The more know-how the operator teams have and the better they understand the processes and machine functions, the smoother and more efficient the customer’s production becomes. Big River Steel
is also convinced of this and invests continuously in the
know-how of its personnel. In cooperation with the Arkansas Northeastern College (ANC), Big River Steel is planning
intensive training for its employees in order to prepare them
for future challenges. The steel company thereby applies
the SMS TECademy’s proven “Train the Trainer” concept.
Dynamic learning
The goal of the training is to convey technical know-how in
a vivid and comprehensible form, because learning processes and groups have their own dynamics. For successful
conveying of know-how it is therefore important to be able
to recognize, understand and control such processes. Three
lecturers from the ANC therefore spent ten days in Germany in June 2016 preparing themselves in detail for their
future teaching activities in the field of modern steel processing, and expanding their own know-how of metallurgical plants and processes and rolling mill technology.
The basis for determining the specific training contents
was the broadly diversified annual program of the SMS
TECademy. Big River Steel selected ten technical training
courses from the three major topic areas technology, maintenance and plant technology. The training participants
from the ANC were therefore faced with a tightly packed
program. The great benefit of the TECademy “Train the
Trainer” seminar for BRS and ANC lies in the detailed plant
know-how of the speakers from the
respective business areas of the SMS
group. “The practical experience of the
trainers helped us a lot, particularly
when in some cases some very complex contents had to be covered and
discussed in detail. Both the organization of the whole training program and
the training infrastructure were firstclass,” says Robert Semmel, training
specialist at the ANC.
The highlight of the 10-day training
visit was undoubtedly the “Digital
Workshop” that allows a plant to be
toured in real-time. Virtual reality simulates the entire process chain and
depicts the production process dynamically. True to the motto: “A picture
says more than 1000 words – and the
digital workshop says more than 1000
pictures”. The training participants are
all highly impressed by the modern
technology and are now considering
integrating a similar methodology into
their own curriculum. “All in all we are
very satisfied with the training. The
technical expertise and the equipment
used highly impressed us,” emphasised Robert Semmel at the end of the
“Train the Trainer” seminar.
i
Big River Steel
In Mississippi County, Arkansas, Big
River Steel together
with the SMS group
is building the most
modern steelworks
in North America.
The new works is
designed for sophisticated products
such as tube grades
for pipelines, silicon
steels for electronic
sheet and AHSS
grades.
SMS TECademy
tecademy@sms-group.com
69
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
Experts from Mahshahr Pipe
and SMS group.
Building on
Experience
I ra n . Maintenance audit at Mahshahr Pipe Mill Company (MPM).
Improved organization, higher availability, more efficiency: To be able to
reach these economic goals, experts
from SMS group have carried out a
maintenance audit at a large-diameter
pipe plant in Mahshahr, province of
Khuzestan, Iran.
Seven experts – seven days on site
– one firm goal: to provide MPM with a
solid evaluation of the current condition of their complete facility/equipment. This evaluation also included
70
areas such as production, maintenance, management, administration as well as health and safety regulations.
Detailed recommendation list
With a highly experienced team, SMS group and MPM audited the current maintenance situation not just against
standards but against known world class performance
figures. The comprehensive know-how of MPM’s team
complemented well with the longstanding experience of
the SMS group experts. A detailed list of recommendations was drawn up in a report and discussed with MPM
afterwards. The report is divided into various disciplines
i
MPM
As subsidiary of Sadid Industrial Group,
MPM is a leading
manufacturer of
thick pipes above 24
inches mainly used
in gas pipelines.
Consulting & Training
Technology training
successfully completed at Turkish steel
producer Erdemir
Tata Steel Limited relied on SMS for
refurbishing its hot strip mill.
and includes measures for substantial
improvement.
“Even high quality equipment and
machines need to be examined regarding their future operational safety, because market requirements and production processes are continuously
changing. Especially the maintenance
personnel must get the best performance from the machines and detect
improvement potential at an early stage,“ says Matthias Burrichter, Senior
Maintenance Consultant, from SMS
group.
Thus, minimal downtimes and servicing costs can be achieved through an
individual maintenance concept. To do
this, the SMS group experts not only
plan the assignment of personnel, tools
and spare parts but also assist with the
preparation and implementation of
maintenance schedules if desired. “In
the end it is important to us that our
customers know that we will flexibly
adapt all services to their individual requirements,” adds Oleg Vilents, Senior
Maintenance Consultant, from SMS
group. Whatever is needed, MPM can
be sure to be supported by a team of
experts who cover the whole spectrum
- from pipe production related activities
up to great expertise in new business
development.
Service
service@sms-group.com
In December 2015 and January 2016, TECademy of SMS
group conducted training measures for Turkish steel producer Erdemir at the Eregli location, each lasting three
days. Contents of this further education event were the
situation and the market development of the steel sector,
the process and systems technology for manufacturing
hot and cold strip products, the theoretical foundations of
rolling on flat ground and quality monitoring as well as
adapted process measuring techniques in hot and cold
rolling mills. The participants, twelve male and female engineers each, rated the training event as entirely positive.
Dr. Michael Degner, responsible for handling the event on
the part of SMS, praised particularly the hospitality and
openness of the customer Erdemir besides the professional preparation by TECademy and said: “It is a great pleasure
to see so many smiling faces and shining eyes, which documents the success on both sides to a sufficient degree.”
The further education event of TECademy took place at Turkish steel
producer Erdemir at the Eregli site.
71
SERVICE
1.55
million tons of steel will be the plant’s total
capacity once the final construction stage
has been completed.
Above: The customer’s personnel take
an active part in the
Plug & Work Tests.
Left: The participants
are prepared for
their future tasks at
the original control
pulpits.
72
Consulting & Training
Plug & Work
also possible
in 3D
Ve n e z ue la . SMS group trains a
customer’s operating personnel before
the actual commissioning on-site.
SMS group has been commissioned by the Brazilian construction company Construtora Andrade Gutierrez S.A. to
build an integrated steel plant for the state-owned Venezuelan steel company Siderúrgica Nacional (SN). The complex to be erected in Ciudad Piar in the Venezuelan state of
Bolivar will comprise an electric steelworks, a continuous
casting plant and a heavy-plate mill. A second construction
phase will see the addition of a ladle degassing station and
a Steckel mill. The product range will consist of heavy plate
and hot strip for the domestic industry. In order for the future operators to be familiar with the supplied equipment
and the associated operating elements before the commissioning of the plant, a great number of Siderúrgica Nacional employees took advantage of the opportunity to actively
participate in the Plug & Work tests parallel to a training
course organized as part of the SMS TECademy.
Interview
Mr. Ortiz, how would you rate our test
fields?
To say it in one word: excellent. The atmosphere was highly professional. The
SMS group experts were always available and ready to answer our staff’s
questions and explain how solutions Manuel Ortiz
can be found. In other words, the col- Project Manager at
laboration was very good.
Siderúrgica Nacional
Had you heard of our Plug & Work
concept before?
Yes, indeed. A few years ago, I had the
opportunity to attend an integration test
in Hilchenbach. At that time, seeing the
complete automation system tested
prior to its installation at the customer’s site had been an entirely new experience for me. I had never thought that
such a thing would be possible. Last
but not least, training the customer’s
operating personnel at the original
control pulpits had also been a very extraordinary service.
(SN).
Plug & Work tests in 3D
The Plug & Work tests for the electric steelworks, the continuous caster, and the heavy-plate mill were conducted in
the presence of the future plant operators. That involved
the visualization in 3D of the caster and the rolling mill.
Compared to 2D, Plug & Work in 3D provides an enhanced
and easier-to-comprehend view of the complex functions
and processes represented. Manuel Ortiz, Project Manager
at Siderúrgica Nacional (SN), is highly satisfied with the effect of the Plug & Work tests.
Peter Waldhoff
peter.waldhoff@sms-group.com
Has it been helpful for your employees to see the processes visualized in
3D during the integration test?
Visualization in 3D helps us to understand the mechanical components of
the plants and the way they operate
even better. This is particularly beneficial in situations where operators are
presented with the new equipment for
the very first time. Also the individual
process steps within a plant are much
more comprehensible in a 3D visualization.
73
SERVICEsms group Extracts Newsletter 2016
Seminar in Brazil
B r a z il. In Belo Horizonte, SMS group provided
information on integrated service.
After two successful events organized
by Paul Wurth do Brasil in 2008 and
2013, SMS group held an integrated
service seminar in May 2016 in Belo
Horizonte, Brasil. About 150 delegates
from the entire steel industry of Brasil
joined the event. SMS group demonstrated the competence of its Technical Service division through various
presentations covering local Brazilian
and also global service projects. In the
current, difficult market situation of
the Brazilian iron and steel industries
the solutions shown to improve pro-
74
duction and quality and to minimize costs were perceived
with high interest. SMS group do Brasil has a long tradition
in serving the clients in Brazil and also assisting other markets in South America by its offices and workshops.
SMS group’s objective of organizing this seminar was to
further strengthen its presence on Brazilian and South
American market for technical services.
Kontakt
service@sms-group.com
Consulting & Training
Efficient
learning
with SMS
TECademy.
Combining theory
and practice
E x p e r t t rai ni ng cou rses. The
SMS TECademy program for the year 2017.
Overview of SMS
TECademy 2017
expert training
events
www.sms-group.
com/expertise/
sms-tecademy/
Operating, maintaining and repairing
machinery and plants properly – this
is possible with the training courses
of the SMS TECademy. Next year, too,
interested parties may choose their
specialist training from a great variety
of selected topics relating to engineering, maintenance and repair as
well as plant technology.
The SMS TECademy trainers are
experts in their fields and know the
right answers to the questions of the
participants in the events. All training
measures are practice-oriented and
aim to apply the respective content in
the daily routine. The learning result is
supported through the usage of virtual
reality technology. In the digital workshop, the participants experience real-time simulated plant inspections
and understand digital models of
equipment, components and processes on the basis of 3D visualizations.
The e-learning modules offer high degree of flexibility. Whether interactively per simulcast of training units via
webcam (webinar) or independently
by developing the contents online
based on video series (webucation) –
time and location may be selected by
the participants themselves. In addition to standard trainings, the SMS
TECademy experts are pleased to prepare, upon request, individual training
courses specifically tailored to the
customers’ needs. Reservations for
the SMS TECademy events for the
year 2017 may be placed now.
Imprint
Technical Service – Extracts
Newsletter 2016
Publisher
SMS group Corporate
Communications, Eduard­Schloemann-Straße 4
40237 Düsseldorf, Germany
Responsible under Press
Law: Thomas Isajiw
Phone +49 211 881-0
E-mail: communications@
sms-group.com
www.sms-group.com
Printing and prepress
processes
Druckhaus Kay GmbH
Hagener Strasse 121
57223 Kreuztal,
Germany
Published on
March 1, 2017
© SMS group
The information provided
in this magazine contains
a general description of the
performance characteristics of the products concerned. The actual products
may not always have the
characteristics described
and, in particular, these
may change as a result of
further developments of the
products. The provision of
this information is not intended to have, and will not
have, legal effect. An obligation to deliver products
having particular characteristics shall only exist if expressly agreed in the terms
of the contract.
Karsten Weiss
karsten.weiss@sms-group.com
75
We transform …
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Our cutting-edge technology and expertise as a manufacturer has made us what we are today: the leading service
provider in the entire metallurgical process chain.
We maximize your productivity and ROI by offering spare
parts packages, maintenance, repairs, training and consulting, and modernizations.
SMS group GmbH
Ohlerkirchweg 66
41069 Mönchengladbach, Germany
Phone: +49 2161 350-3508
Fax:
+49 2161 350-1980
service@sms-group.com
www.sms-group.com
With our broad product portfolio and global presence,
we offer the capability and flexibility of our service team
to provide the solid basis for a long-term partnership
with you.
That’s because, as your partner, we never rest. Since
service solutions that are good today are old tomorrow,
we are always forging ahead.