Corus IJmuiden, The Netherlands, is running the BetaPlanner production planning and scheduling system. The system was recently implemented by AIS Advanced Information Systems, a joint venture between Voest Alpine Industrieanlagenbau (VAI) and MCE.

Corus’ Hot Strip Mill in IJmuiden is now fully automatically scheduled on a daily basis with the use of BetaPlanner, the rolling process application of SteelPlanner^®, generating optimal mill sequences based on existing and forecasted stockyard and all technological and logistical associated constraints. The BetaPlanner MidTerm extension provides Corus with a powerful solution to select the most appropriate coffin/campaign types to produce based on the order book and available and forecasted materials.

Users are now fully acquainted with the system and rely on it to help them in their daily production processes. The major benefits that have been achieved are:

• Discovery of new optimization possibilities in the scheduling process.
• 60% reduction in effort needed for planning and scheduling procedures.
• Standardized slab yard model supported by SteelPlanner.
• Simultaneous scheduling of allocated and non-allocated slabs.
• Last-minute update at shop floor level with BetaPlanner based on latest information on slab availability.
• Substantial increase in production transparency and accessibility of information.
• Selection of best suited coffin.
• Extension of the scheduling time horizon, resulting in more predictable production.

AIS is a leading supplier of planning and scheduling solutions for the metals industry with many references of its SteelPlanner family of products worldwide. Solutions of AIS increase efficiency of capital-intensive heavy equipment by optimizing capacity planning and production schedules. The SteelPlanner family of Planning and Scheduling solutions are implemented and supported throughout the world through the combined efforts of consultants and integration specialists from headquarters in Linz and Brussels, as well as VAI group companies.

Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau (VAI), a company of the listed VA Technologie AG, is one of the world’s leading engineering and plant-building companies for the iron, steel and aluminum industries with a multinational company structure and special focus on technology, automation and services. VAI achieved total sales of 976 million EUR in 2003 and employs approximately 3400 people worldwide.