KG Steel Taps Primetals for AI-Driven Mill Upgrade
KG Steel has selected Primetals Technologies to modernize the pickling line tandem cold mill at its facility in Dangjin, South Korea. The 18-month project will include a complete upgrade of the line’s basic and process automation systems.
The new process automation system will use artificial intelligence to support physical models used to determine target values for strip thickness and flatness. Primetals will also implement an advanced pickling model designed to support consistent product quality and operating efficiency.
According to Primetals, the modernization will allow KG Steel to produce a wider range of cold-rolled products, including galvanized and tin plate steel as well as pre-coated metal products sold under its XTONE brand.
Other upgrades include a new human-machine interface, server virtualization and a “shadow mode” commissioning approach that allows the new system to operate alongside the existing system before the primary shutdown. Primetals said the approach is intended to reduce downtime during the transition.
Once completed, the modernization is expected to increase equipment availability and productivity while allowing additional digital technologies to be integrated in the future.
The investment connects advanced automation and AI-enabled process control with the production of galvanized and pre-coated steel, where substrate consistency and surface quality are critical to downstream coating and finishing performance.
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