6.7M tonnes of steel 24/7, each year

The Challenge

• The steelworks must run 24/7, 365 days a year: Any shut down causes a knock-on effect. When the flow is broken, the furnaces immediately start to cool down and can take 1 to 2 days to get back up to the correct smelting temperatures.

• European laws compliance: Reduce the amount of dust in the atmosphere on-site, as well as emissions to the Dunkirk region.

The Solution

Improving the dusting process for better steel quality, process reliability and working condition with EcoStruxure TM Plant
   Apps, Analytics & Services: Modernization services
   Edge Control: Modicon M580 automation system

• 20 years of partnership and experience in the steel industry have helped Schneider Electric to provide the correct solutions in the right environments.

• EcoStruxure Plant architecture brings advanced connectivity for a better control of the entire process from the foundry to the management offices.

• Modicon M580’s CCoF (Change Configuration on the Fly) feature allows maintenance and engineering teams to modify the automation control system without stopping the process.

• Ethernet connection makes the M580 more flexible, simple to install and easier to control remotely.



Key Facts:

• ArcelorMittal’s Dunkirk plant is the largest steel factory in Western Europe.
• Every year, it manufactures 7 million tons of steel for a host of international customers, including automotive, construction and food and beverage packaging industries.
• Consistent steel quality is critical to ArcelorMittal – and so is high availability as it can take up to 2 days to get the furnaces back up to their high smelting temperatures after an interruption.

Benefits

• ArcelorMittal’s Dunkirk plant has achieved greater flexibility in its operations. Its staff can now perform maintenance and make changes to the process without having to slow down or halt production.

• Dust levels are supervised in real time, so steel quality is constant and the working conditions on-site have improved.

• Thanks to Schneider Electric’s IoT-enabled solutions, the Dunkirk steelworks has secured the continuity of manufacturing and increased its overall productivity to deliver strong, reliable steel 24/7, both today and tomorrow.