Companhia Siderúrgica Paulista (Cosipa) has selected Broner Metals Solutions’ advanced dispatch scheduling software to help improve its delivery processes for both home and export markets.

Broner developed the Dispatch Scheduler to meet Cosipa’s needs for a solution that would improve many aspects of the dispatch process, including load optimization, allocation of work between different transport companies and minimizing the number of plate movements when loading from a stack plates. The Dispatch Scheduler is now in production and delivering the expected benefits to Cosipa.

Cosipa has reduced transport costs as a result of the new scheduling software, as trucks are now loaded closer to their maximum weight and loads are shared more fairly between different transport companies through better scheduling. The dispatch process is more responsive to change, with rapid re-scheduling allowing improved on-time delivery. Greater efficiencies in dispatch scheduling have also led to a reduction of time spent on scheduling efforts and a shorter lead time to manage and organize the dispatch process.

Broner Dispatch Scheduler is a multi-mode transportation scheduler that builds optimized truck, train or ship loads based on available and predicted finished stock. Using constraint-based programming, it optimizes load creation, considering business objectives together with operational and route restrictions. It creates detailed, synchronized schedules based on finished goods inventory, and creates transport loads based on dimensional and weight constraints, shipment route and off-loading points. The system considers positional constraints for coils, plates, slabs according to axle weights, and safety space requirements, and allows for interactive schedule editing.

Cosipa is an integrated steel mill with a capacity of 4.5 million tonnes of liquid steel, operating near Sao Paulo, Brazil. The mill is dedicated to the production of uncoated flat steel products including slabs, heavy plates, hot-rolled and cold-rolled steel for both local and export markets.

Broner Metals Solutions provides Supply Chain Planning, Scheduling and Manufacturing Execution Systems to the steel and aluminum industries. Broner’s product range includes Demand Management, Sales and Operation Planning, Availability to Promise, Capability to Promise, Advanced Planning and Scheduling and Manufacturing Execution solutions. Broner Metals Solutions is part of Hyperion Systems Engineering Ltd.