Construction of the biggest Smart Factory of its kind in China is now underway at Rizhao Steel in the Shandong Province.

The factory’s investment will cost USD 137.81million and its production target is 20 million tonnes a year.

It is the latest hi-tech development at Rizhao, which has made major strides towards new growth drivers and digital, smart transitions since 2021.

The factory will feature CISDI’s latest industrial internet platform, which provides artificial intelligence, machine vision and big data algorism tech.

The platform will utilise Rizhao’s production management experience and its existing information and technological results to create integrated upstream ironmaking, integrated steelmaking, rolling and management and control.

Over one million data points will be collected while developing around one thousand smart modules, which will be used in ironmaking, steelmaking, rolling, equipment operation, logistics, energy usage, HSE and cost reduction.

Data will play a driving role in integrating the plant’s production, operation and management.

In the matrix-like platform architecture, all vertical data transmission links and all streamlining procedures will be interconnected.

The Factory will see continuing improvement in productivity and is expected to achieve an average per capita output of 2,000 tonnes of crude steel a year.

Rizhao Steel’s eco-friendly and smart ideology is imperative to CISDI’s objectives – it will strive for full-process smartness encompassing automated equipment, IT-applied business, internet-based service and intelligent ops management.

Artist’s view of Rizhao Steel Smart Factory – a demo for China