Data Science-Based Equipment Anomaly Detection System at Hot-Rolling Mills — Machine Productivity Improvement

 JFE Steel Deploys Data Science-Based Equipment Anomaly Detection System

at All Hot-Rolling Mills

—Designed to improve productivity by preventing equipment faults—

JFE Steel Corporation announced today that it has deployed the J-dscom® system, which uses the latest data science technologies to detect signs of equipment anomalies at its steelworks and hot-rolling mills. The company plans to roll out the system for other manufacturing processes going forward to prevent equipment issues ahead of time and thereby boost productivity.

The system has effectively reduced faults equivalent to over 50 operational hours per annum (over 30,000 metric tons of steel production) at the hot-rolling mill in JFE Steel’s West Japan Works in the Kurashiki District, where it was first deployed back in FY2018. So far, the company has installed the system at all of the hot-rolling mills in its West Japan Works (Kurashiki and Fukuyama Districts) and East Japan Works (Chiba and Keihin Districts). JFE Steel is working to build an optimal model across the entire company by deploying the same system in all locations, making it easy to share fault-monitoring models. Going forward, it will also utilize the system for its other manufacturing processes, including iron- and steel-making.

This system uses big-data analysis techniques to efficiently and comprehensively analyze vast amounts of data on operating conditions, including electrical current, pressure, flow rate, temperature, and vibration. It produces an anomaly score that indicates the degree of deviation from the normal baseline, making it possible to prevent not only the sort of faults that have previously occurred but also unexpected issues (Figure 1). Moreover, it is possible to immediately identify the part of equipment or system component experiencing an anomaly by using the heatmap display where the magnitude of anomaly score is mapped over time (Figure 2).It helps engineers to take appropriate maintenance action.

JFE Steel aims to make innovative productivity gains and achieve operational stability by actively engaging in DX (digital transformation), including opening the JFE Digital Transformation Center (JDXC®) and deploying CPS (cyber-physical systems) at its steel mills and across the company as a whole. JFE Steel continues to contribute toward building sustainable societies by finding solutions to issues facing all aspects of manufacturing through DX.

https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/en/release/2021/210929.html