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AIS to Extend SteelPlanner Technology for Duferco La Louvière

09/05/2007 - AIS Group will add its Material Flow Coordinator and BetaPlanner MidTerm to Duferco La Louvière’s existing SteelPlanner implementation to strengthen the facility’s planning and scheduling optimization solution.

The AIS Group will supply its Material Flow Coordinator (MFC) and BetaPlanner MidTerm to Duferco La Louvière. The new systems will be added to Duferco’s existing SteelPlanner implementation to strengthen its planning and scheduling optimization solution.
 
MFC will allow Duferco to control and optimize raw materials supply, manage customer orders, minimize costs, maximize throughput, and optimize plant-wide capacity. The implementation will take into account all customer- and supplier-based constraints, thus helping to reduce lead times, increase production flexibility, and improve delivery performance.
 
BetaPlanner MT will help Duferco achieve the longest possible program and the best sequence campaign for the rolling mill while minimizing stocks and optimizing stock mixes within the constraints of slab thickness, width, and hardness. The BetaPlanner MidTerm will also allow Duferco to build an adequate slab inventory in front of the reheat furnaces by extending the horizon of the rolling schedules.
 
“With this project we target to enhance our customer service and productivity through a better optimization of our supply chain,” said Mrs. Appiani, IT Manager and Mr. Havelange, Project Manager of Duferco La Louvière. “We have selected AIS for their expertise in the steel industry and optimization solutions. Our partnership with AIS began many years ago with our first BetaPlanner we are willing to continue this successful relationship”.
 
Integration of MFC and the extension of BetaPlanner should also help Duferco to improve its coordination of plant lines in both the short and medium term.
 
The project started in the first quarter of 2007 and is due to go live in November 2007.
 
Headquartered in Linz, Austria, the AIS Group is a leading supplier of planning and scheduling systems for the metals industry.