Microsoft, Tenova collaborate on system to bring Industry 4.0 to iron and steel industry

Microsoft and Tenova, a Techint Group company based in Castellanza, Italy, that serves the metal and mining industries, have announced their collaboration on an integrated system enabled by Industry 4.0 technologies to promote digital transformation in the iron and steel industry and increase competitiveness.

The system is based on three key elements—sensors/actuators, decentralized intelligence, and supplier-customer interaction—with the objective to improve business productivity in the steel and manufacturing sectors.

With this system of multiple integrated sensors and actuators, plant machines will be enabled to manage the specific productive process and provide the operators or AI algorithms with specific information on their own conditions—detected autonomously—through dedicated measurements and reporting with respect to specific events.

Decentralized intelligence, by evaluating the information derived from sensors, will elaborate in real time the possible behavioral scenarios, providing functions of monitoring and predictive maintenance. The system also can make available the opportunity to reset specific configurations automatically or to modify functioning parameters to achieve the optimal plant configuration.

Through network connection, data from machines and plants is used to optimize production and prompt remote assistance is ensured for minimal downtime.

Through the partnership with Microsoft, Tenova will be able to provide more efficient and innovative metals production plants, compliant with the strict regulations on safety and environmental sustainability, the company reports.

“The goal is to make plants always more intelligent and connected, to offer services of high added value by analyzing the data from machines to optimize production, and to help our customers to achieve their business objectives,” said Andrea Lovato, Tenova CEO.