How production was digitalized at Aksu Ferroalloy Plant?
Digital technologies have become a strategic tool at the enterprise: today they allow to improve safety, efficiency and sustainability and, what is most important, to create comfortable and safe working conditions.
- Digitalization issues for Aksu Ferroalloy Plant are no longer a matter for the future—they are on current agenda, Musabek Makashev, Director of the plant, noted opening the meeting. All key divisions of the plant are equipped with automation systems – the entire cycle, from the arrival of raw materials to processing and shipment of finished products has been digitalized. Only for the last year, investments into digitalization at AksFP amounted to more than KZT 1 billion. By introducing digital technologies into production, we strive to use our own developments, reducing dependence on foreign solutions and increasing share of Kazakhstan content.
Among the flagship projects demonstrated during the press tour were IT projects such as the railway transport management system – Dispatch.
- The plant railway division had an urgent need: to monitor railcars movement and location at the premises. Up to 900 railcars per day, including local fleet, can be located at Aksu Ferroalloy Plant only, Dmitriy Rodygin, BTS Project Manager says. Earlier, everything was done manually: Excel, papers, phone calls. The development team quickly created Dispatch, a web application that allows users to see each car's location in real time. Acceptance and delivery agents fill out electronic waybills, receive notifications, and generate reports in 2-3 minutes instead of 40. Everything is recorded, archived, and accessible with a single click.
Railway workers can see all the railcar data in the system, saving time. In the future, they plan to expand the project to all ERG companies. Another big digitalization project is MES ERG. It's a system for managing production processes.
Currently, MES ERG is used at the Aksu Ferroalloy Plant to keep an electronic furnace log. It works on all 26 furnaces in the plant smelting shops and lets them track the work of the furnace operators. Today, with MES ERG support, Aksu Ferroalloy Plant keeps an electronic furnace log that works on all 26 furnaces in the plant's smelting shops and allows to monitor the units' operation. The system provides a complete picture of how the furnaces have operated during the shift or the day.
Moreover, to monitor the operation of ferroalloy furnace electrodes, a series of functional screens have been developed in MES to optimize the production process. Cameras with CV automatically control the electrode paste filling process. All these things together help metallurgists ensure a smooth production process.
Digitalization at AksFP has even reached metal smelting process itself. The company has implemented the automated control system for casting machines. Casting process automation allows to measure and adjust the ladle angle, the conveyor speed, and to determine cross-section of the liquid ferroalloy flow and temperature, thus significantly simplifying the metallurgists work.
In addition to production IT solutions, social digital projects were presented to journalists as well.
Automated medical examinations (AME) have been introduced at Aksu Ferroalloy Plant. Now it takes metallurgists just a few minutes to undergo pre-shift and post-shift examinations.
The project was implemented by BTS, which digitalized the medical examination process and linked it to ERG internal systems. The devices measure blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and the presence of alcohol vapors in exhaled air. The results are immediately sent to the corporate application qollab and to Eurasia Medical Center. If the readings are outside the normal range, doctors receive instant notification and can respond immediately. The project not only reduces risks in the workplace, but also helps to identify diseases at early stages based on examination results.
19 devices have been installed at Aksu Ferroalloy Plant for three divisions. It is planned to cover all workshops by 2026. The new project confirms again that the employees' health and well-being are a priority for ERG companies.
qollab is a digital workplace for Eurasian employees. It is a unified platform with over 60,000 employees already using it today. qollab combines access to over 200 services, documents, chat, and employee profiles, and also provides tools for submitting requests, making doctor's appointments, and tracking transportation. Since 2024, the platform has also been available to the company's partners. All key digital solutions are developed and implemented by in-house IT team of BTS (ERG IT subsidiary) in collaboration with the company's specialists.
