CMC/SMI HEADLINESSteel Producers /
CMC/SMI
CMC Arkansas Implements QMOS as its MES System
Aug. 13, 2008 CMC-Arkansas recently became the second Commercial Metals Co. rolling mill to implement Quad Infotech’s QMOS (Quad Mill Operation System).
According to Quad, one of the interesting challenges of this implementation was managing the setup and monitoring of the 3-high stand. The QMOS system ensures that the right rolls are being used, and that roll and pass usage are tracked accurately.
The installation also had to accommodate the CMC-Arkansas mill’s tendency to use rails as raw material. The various pass combinations and setups associated with rolling different products by slitting many different sizes and weights of rail are all now selectable, as QMOS is able to differentiate between each singular slit strand produced from a single piece of rail.
The QMOS system offers a modular architecture that allows the user to choose from a wide variety of tools and functions such as sales order entry, rolling mill and meltshop scheduling, inventory management, shop management systems, full process monitoring and control, and more.
Toronto-based Quad Infotech Inc specializes in the development of industrial MES systems as well as information visibility and awareness solutions. The company’s QMOS system has experienced increasing acceptance throughout the North American Steel Mill industry, with implementation in more than 25 steel mills. QMOS has become the MES standard for corporations such as Gerdau Ameristeel and CMC Steel.
Quad Infotech also developed the APEX web portal and dashboard system for providing total information visibility and awareness by incorporating advanced methods for gathering, processing and broadcasting information.
CMC Arkansas produces small bar mill products primarily re-rolled from used rail, including fence posts and reinforcing bars. The facility also rolls billets into angles, rounds, squares, flats and other special shapes. CMC Arkansas also includes four fence post finishing shops of Southern Post Co. and the rail salvage operations of CMC Rail.