Introduced in PSImetals Release 5.20, state-of-the-art embedded Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards can now be integrated as part of the PSImetals application screens, improving online visibility and data-driven decision support. Dashboards are easy to edit and configure, without the need for coding or in-depth SQL/query language know-how.

At a glance:

• State-of-the-art embedding of BI dashboards within PSImetals screens
• Online and transparent data synchronization
• Enhanced visibility and data-driven decision support
• Sharing of objects selections and filters between BI dashboard and PSImetals based on dedicated APIs
• Triggering of specific PSImetals actions based on selected BI objects

The framework component AuditTrail provides highly configurable data change auditing functionality, together with a push mechanism to notify potential listeners about the changes. It thereby supports seamless data synchronization and transactional data consistency between two or more PSImetals or 3rd party instances and is a core enabler of co-existing PSImetals solutions, e.g. involving both PSImetals 5 and PSImetals Service Platform components.

At a glance:

• Configure source objects to be tracked
• Configure mapping to target DB tables and attributes
• Changes to synchronized objects processed through asynchronous & sequential message queuing

With the PSImetals AutoTest framework, fully automated test scenarios can be defined, including the processing of test messages and GUI actions as well as the comparison with preset reference results and the automatic generation of pass/fail test reports. You can define automated tests that correspond to your specific PSImetals business workflows on site. 

PSImetals 5.20 brings substantial enhancements to Caster Scheduler’s model, solvers, and GUI in order to fully support hot/direct charging for all types of mini mills, CSP, and ESP configurations. 

At a glance:

• Management of multiple slab types (cold charged, hot charged, or direct charged) and mill rolling sequence as part of the business model
• A new interactive view displaying the mill rolling sequence, synchronized with parent caster(s) and strand(s)
• New re-shuffling heuristic and dedicated solver steps to handle a pull-push hot & direct charging cycle

PSImetals Demand Manager core functions with Release 5.20 are supported by the new web-based PSImetals Service Platform (SP) DM service, which additionally includes an inquiry entry and a management set of functions. At the heart of the Demand & Sales Planning functional processes, PSImetals SP DM service can be seamlessly integrated with Order Dressing, S&OP and DDQ components to respectively verify inquiries feasibility and dress their possible production routes, ask for ATP quota calculation, and trigger ATP/CTP checks.

With the introduction of a new concept of the "time bucket range", it is now possible in PSImetals Master Planner to define independent cumulative flow constraints for several time windows. Instead of a unique calculation of the cumulative flows - globally or by product - from the beginning of the planning horizon, the cumulative flow at the beginning of each bucket range or time window is reset to zero and the minimum and maximum cumulative flow constraints only apply within the time bucket range in which they are defined.

As one of the first services developed based on the PSImetals Service Platform (SP), the PSImetals SP Reactive Cutting Plan Service (RCS) allows a close to real-time re-optimization of casting cutting plans in reaction to production deviations predictions/alerts received from the caster’s process control system. 

As the final quality of a material is affected by numerous factors, it is essential to continuously monitor quality decisions, QIs, and their rule sets. In some cases, it may be necessary to adapt the applied rule sets in order to ensure improvements in the assessment of QIs and the resulting quality decisions. In PSImetals Release 5.20, we introduce the new PSImetals QI Simulation functionality allowing you to test different QI rule sets and simulate their effect on the quality evaluation based on historical production and quality data! 

Quality problems occurring during production sometimes require additional production steps. Besides the insertion of an additional production step and the modification of subsequent production parameters, PSImetals Release 5.20 offers a further possibility to compensate for identified defects: the Future Rework functionality. It enables you to plan a rework step after certain scheduled production steps and lets the system create an additional material-related production order describing the changed future production route up to the final quality decision. 

At a glance:

• Creation of rework steps for affected material
• Adopt and modify Future Rework route at anytime during production 
• Consideration of actual/expected material condition

With Release 5.18, PSImetals already provided a basic functionality for Statistical Process Control (SPC). Release 5.20 goes one step further, introducing advanced process control in the form of 3 new dialogues inside SPC GUI. Hereby we extend the well-known SPC tool for qualified process control and analysis by SPC Issue Tracking functionality providing an overview of all detected process deviations that happened within the last time period. 

A new screen dedicated to hot rolling mill scheduling is provided to PSImetals Schedule Execution Management (SEM) component, including the visualization of rolling schedule attributes profile through proportional cell background colorization and a specific slab pile view. This screen helps adapting schedules with minimized impact on slab assignment quality and unpiling.

Improved user interactivity is brought to PSImetals Online Heat Scheduler (OHS) through drag & drop support of heat production order steps to alternative resources in the Gantt Chart.

In production, there are cases in which machines cannot assess the actual material condition and on-site personnel expertise is irreplaceable. For this type of situation we have developed the Optional Production Sequence (OPS) function in Release 5.20.

Already in PSImetals Release 5.18 is integration of 3D graphics into yard management to provide you a simple and intuitive overview of the yard. With the new Release 5.20 comes the freedom to integrate 3D graphics into nearly all PSImetals screens to support your daily work further! 

With the new PSImetals Release 5.20, crane operators are now able to see the same crane views on their mobile devices that PSImetals users were already able to see in the Office GUI.