Primetals Technologies has completed an automation upgrade at the hot finishing mill of Ulsan Aluminum in South Korea.{alcircleadd}
Ulsan Aluminum recently gave the Final Acceptance Certificate (FAC), marking the completion of the project.
The upgrade included the virtualisation of automation servers, reducing maintenance requirements and allowing faster expansion of digital services. According to the companies, the new basic automation system has improved operational stability and maintainability at the plant.
As part of the project, the process automation system database was migrated from Oracle to Microsoft SQL Server. This helped to reduce software licensing costs and simplify system support.
A new Level 2 human-machine interface (HMI) has been installed to give operators better guidance and a clearer view of the process. Primetals Technologies also added a diagnostic plug-in for continuous performance monitoring and quality assurance.
The software was upgraded and improved during the migration to meet current standards. The plant now uses updated software, better IT security, and stronger antivirus protection.
Jihwan Jung, Hot Mill Engineering & Automation Team Leader at Ulsan Aluminum, said, “The dedication to supporting our plant during demanding situations has further reinforced our confidence in Primetals Technologies as a trusted and reliable partner.”
He said the experience would serve as a foundation for continued cooperation between the two companies.
To minimise risks during commissioning, Primetals Technologies used a shadow-mode approach, operating the existing and new Level 2 models in parallel. This allowed model optimisation and verification of pass schedules before the final switchover.