Smart Factory: Ternium strengthens digital transformation

Technological advances boost transformations in all aspects of human life, and Ternium does not stay behind.

Ternium is strengthening a technology base which extends its connectivity and data processing capacity to become increasingly more productive and efficient.

The company is moving towards a digital transformation in 3 stages. First, it made efforts to integrate the different technologies used, enabling greater data availability and simplifying the information flow.

Then, Ternium sought to extend these systems to the rest of the value chain, both customers and suppliers. This meant using technology, networks and devices that ease the integration with the customers (Webservice, Web Link y B2B). In turn, the company implemented generalized mobile tools, maximizing accessibility and productivity.

At present, the third stage is under way; it entails the building of an 'S.M.A.R.T. Factory.' This new phase seeks to automate and simplify administrative tasks focusing on mobility, connectivity and user's experience. Algorithms and predictability are key elements at this stage.

What is a S.M.A.R.T plant?

The initiative aims to take the office to a mobile platform. The acronym hints at a better understanding of the concept:

• Social: collaboration enables the different actors to be informed and interconnected.
• Mobile: it enables users to interact from any place or device, extending their experience to multiple platforms.
• Analytics: algorithms allow the classification of data through patterns which are later organized into indicators. This activates the predictive analysis to understand patterns and to define the best course of action. One example is the analysis of video channels in real time in order to detect unsafe situations.
• Robots: automation is possible thanks to the interaction between people and machines. It is the stage in which the algorithms lead to action: autonomous drones which take pictures in order to analyze what areas need to be repaired, thus avoiding people moving to the site.
• Things: Internet of things (IOT) refers to the digital interconnection of objects through Internet. For instance, it allows to know where the products are located without moving there. This eliminates risky situations for workers and reduces significantly delivery times and stocktaking.

'It is a whole new paradigm in order to understand the future, and understanding it is important in order to shape our actions in the present,' explains Roberto Demidchuk, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Ternium.