Gerdau Works with GE Digital to Transform its Industrial Operations
September 19 2016 - 10:51AM
Business Wire
- A first in the global steel industry,
the initiative will help Gerdau boost the competitiveness of its
operations
- The Brazilian steel producer will
reduce its maintenance costs by adopting advanced data analytics
and remote monitoring and sees immediate ROI in the pilot
project
- GE’s SmartSignal and Historian software
to connect 600 assets across 11 plants
GE Digital (NYSE:GE) and Gerdau announced today that the two
companies have agreed to work together to transform the steel
producer’s industrial operations in a first-time initiative for the
global steel industry. After proving the value of the solution
through a small-scale deployment, Gerdau has decided to rollout GE
Digital’s software and services to connect 600 assets in 11 plants
across Brazil.
GE’s Asset Performance Management (APM) solution for Gerdau
consists of GE’s SmartSignal and Historian software, services, and
remote monitoring and analytics expertise out of GE’s Industrial
Performance & Reliability Center (IPRC) in Illinois.
SmartSignal, which is part of GE’s APM Solution Suite,
identifies impending equipment failures well before they
happen—often weeks or months in advance. With this added lead time,
companies can transition from reactive to preventative and
predictive maintenance processes and help avoid unplanned equipment
downtime. SmartSignal works by leveraging existing data, stored and
gathered by GE’s time-series data Historian software to provide
early and actionable warnings of impending equipment and process
problems – allowing operators to focus on fixing problems, rather
than looking for them. The Industrial Performance & Reliability
Center (IPRC) helps bridge powerful new technology and maintenance
engineers on the ground with mature predictive analytics to prevent
unplanned downtime.
Gerdau embarked on a proof of concept monitoring 50 of the
company’s assets. Gerdau worked with GE’s IPRC and was able to
realize two “catches” of potential asset issues that could be
addressed through early planned maintenance without impact to the
business. The savings resulting from these preventative actions
were equal to the cost of the pilot; as a result, Gerdau received
value immediately and the proof of concept was validated.
“Gerdau is incorporating greater agility and autonomy in
operational decisions via digitalization. We are focused on
creating value and enhancing the competitiveness of our operations
and our partnership with GE will definitely provide important
support for this challenge,” said Andre B. Gerdau Johannpeter, CEO
of Gerdau.
“Every industrial company must undergo digital transformation,”
said Bill Ruh, CEO, GE Digital. “While many companies have already
built a strong tech foundation, continued investment the
‘traditional way’ will not guarantee growth for an industrial
organization. Businesses like Gerdau are thinking about cloud, Big
Data, mobile, platforms and even talent differently. Digitization
and a focus on outcomes, facilitated by analytics, is a
solution.”
About Gerdau
Gerdau is a leading producer of long steel in the Americas and
one of the largest suppliers of special steel in the world. In
Brazil, it also produces flat steel and iron ore, activities that
are expanding its product mix and boosting its competitiveness. It
is also the largest recycler in Latin America and around the world
it transforms each year millions of tons of scrap into steel,
reinforcing its commitment to sustainable development in the
regions where it operates. Gerdau's shares are listed on the São
Paulo, New York and Madrid stock exchanges. For more
information, visit: www.gerdau.com; www.facebook.com/GerdauSa;
@gerdau (http://twitter.com/gerdau).
About GE Digital
GE Digital connects streams of machine data to powerful
analytics, providing Industrial companies with valuable insights to
manage assets and operations more efficiently. World-class talent
and software capabilities driving big gains in productivity,
availability and longevity. For more information, visit the website
at www.ge.com/digital.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160919005951/en/
Media:GE DigitalEllie Holman,
+508-698-7456ellie.holman@ge.comorGerdauLucila Ribeiro,
+55-51-3323-2170lucila.cestariolo@gerdau.com.br
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