Belgo Bekaert chooses Cassotis Consulting for optimization project

In the second half of 2021, Belgo Bekaert chose Cassotis as the consultancy responsible for carrying out the scheduling project at its Contagem plant (Minas Gerais - Brazil). The work consists of creating and implementing mathematical models to assist in scheduling the production of low-carbon steel wires. 

Scheduling optimization consists of mapping and defining production activities over a time scale, allocating them to available resources, and defining the order in which they will be carried out. In this case, the modeled problem presents the following features:

Set of Production Orders / Planned Orders (PO), operations, and workstations.

Therefore, all stages of the production flow have been mapped and are being addressed in the model that is under construction by Cassotis consultants together with Belgo experts. The scope involves pickling, drawing, annealing, cutting, and packaging processes. In addition to modeling intermediate product stocks, as well as finished product stock. 

The model aims to optimize different aspects related to the scheduling quality, how to increase productivity, ensure delivery within the deadlines set by the PO, and minimize potential delays.

Project differential

Each sector of the production chain has a manual scheduling job. The modeling that Cassotis is creating rethinks all the process steps in a unique way, developing a specialized tool for an integrated scheduling analysis. Accordingly, the planning of each step, which was previously defined locally, is now seen as a whole and in a globally optimized way.

Using the model after project completion

Once defined and validated the model will be hosted in an interactive and intuitive interface that users are able to create and analyze the scenarios created through the desired parameters with data manually changed in the application and/or imported from their control systems. The mathematical model accurately built and customized will consider all the variables and restrictions of the process and won't generate any constant dependence on specialized consultants.