Production and logistics in perfect harmony

Pesmel’s unparalleled logistics expertise combines with world-class engineering to deliver industry-leading productivity and efficiency increases for new and existing mills.

Traditional metal production can be said to be 20 years behind the paper industry in terms of technology and progress. Conventional metal production has several challenges in terms of technology and progress. Poorly connected production phases are subject to inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and high WIP (Work In Progress). Pesmel has successfully applied its Material Flow How® to a wide range of brownfield and greenfield mills for more than 40 years. By balancing production and logistics, the material flows, buffering, and storage are optimized, throughput is increased, and lead times are significantly reduced.

Pesmel’s Material Flow How

• The ability to understand customer needs
• The ability to find alternative options for the mill layout
• Concept simulations
• Flexible solutions and services
• The solutions cover the whole material flow, from slitter winder deck to the shipping dock
• FlowCare software (IoT) included in the delivery to optimize the operation of the mill

In order to achieve high levels of mill efficiency, a true understanding of the big picture – meaning what is really needed, and why – is essential. Once these needs are understood, the finer details can be considered. These include space-saving layouts that minimize material journeys and facilitate smooth material flows, along with other details such as optimal equipment choices and possible future expansion. Every mill is unique, so the solution must be too. Pesmel’s extensive knowledge of processes and engineering allows us to create layout concepts that dynamically map out internal logistics and materials flow through the mill.

As a full scope service provider, Pesmel delivers solutions that optimize mechanical, electrical PLC and ICT systems in a perfectly balanced, innovative offering. Whatever unique challenges a particular project may have, Pesmel has a proven track record of delivering material and information flows through seamlessly integrated production and logistics that raise overall mill efficiencies by up to ten percent per annum.

Defining production and logistics needs

The main goal of any mill is to produce high-quality products for customers. Internal logistics are therefore crucial to ensuring smooth material flows, avoiding production bottlenecks, and eliminating errors. In order to do so, we begin by helping our customers to define the absolute necessities for internal logistics: specific grade-related handling requirements, the amount of buffering capacity needed between production and shipping, packing method selection based on the mill’s actual needs, as well as the preferred automation level. Our solutions aim to deliver full, real-time information and control of all materials and material flows in the mill, fast and accurate material transfers between processes, flexible buffering functions between processes, and seamless integration with production. We are able to deliver tailored solutions that optimise all aspects of a mill’s material flow processes by forming strong relationships with our customers. These relationships help us to make the right decisions from an early stage that move projects along the right development paths.

Material Flow How® solutions 

Pesmel separates itself from its competitors by offering dynamic 3D modelling of its mill architectures. By mapping out equipment types and layouts, Pesmel is able to demonstrate and test solutions in a tangible manner. Three-dimensional layout concepts give shape and context to possible solutions, and are the first steps along a path that can end with full-scale simulations with actual production data. In this way, multiple possible layouts can be tested, allowing us to help our customers optimize investment plans and make wise investment choices before breaking ground.

In practical terms, simulation studies accurately assess product measurements, capacities and equipment layouts, enabling our customers to analyze the total capacity of the mill. This information acts as guidance for deciding on the type of internal logistics, which packing and dispatching system that should be built, as well as forming the basis of an upper-level control system for the entire process.

Total integrated solution provider

Pesmel has an unparalleled range of in-house experts that deliver fully-formed automation solutions that are more closely adapted to our customers’ needs than our competitors. All the phases of the delivery, from system engineering, manufacturing, and assembly of the machinery, to the installation of the system, are overseen by Pesmel personnel.

We utilise a range of innovative equipment to enable smooth material flows within the mill. Our automated coil carriage systems provide a fast, accurate means of transporting coils between production lines and single layer buffer storages, enabling the continuous operation of production functions. We also employ automated high-bay storages that can act as finished goods storage as well as intermediate storage for buffering and sorting functions. At one third of the footprint of regular storage warehouses and with three times more handling capacity than overhead crane storage solutions, our automated high-bay storage eliminates delivery errors and damage caused by excessive handling.

A modern mill also needs a modern control structure. Pesmel is able to integrate all levels of production and logistics control, from electrification to automation, monitoring, factory planning and management, and business planning and logistics into one full chain, comprehensive platform.

Our innovative, fluid engineering process delivers solutions that dovetail perfectly with all aspects of production. By using one supplier for all levels of automation, Pesmel can deliver high-level feedback for all production processes.

Each delivery includes Pesmel’s FlowCare software solution. FlowCare facilitates the collection and exchange of data between various objects on the mill and provides remote monitoring and control functionalities. The collected data can be refined through analysis into powerful insights that can, in turn, be used to create reports and other resources that help improve the mill’s production and cost-efficiency, as well guiding the allocation of various maintenance needs.

Tangible results

In the face of stiff global competition, efficiency of operations is crucial to our customers’ survival. Pesmel has a proven track record of delivering efficiency gains for both greenfield and brownfield sites. Our ability to understand our customers’ needs, optimize mill layouts, simulate production, and provide solutions that take in all aspects of a mill’s material flows can help our customers achieve up to ten percent raises in overall efficiency on an annual basis.

What our customers get in return is higher quality production. Handling and damages are reduced, errors in shipping and tracking due to the removal of human error are minimized, employee safety is increased, and there is full traceability. In one case, a customer was able to reduce invoicing times by an average of seven days due to the increased efficiency provided by Pesmel’s automated systems. Another customer managed to increase sales by 15 percent due to shorter delivery times and being able to fulfil order deadlines that other companies were unable to meet. Pesmel’s philosophy is that there is a solution to every problem.