Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-08-14 Origin: Site
The 2050mm hot rolling line of Pangang Group Xichang Steel & Vanadium Co., Ltd. is a landmark project for the group's industrial upgrading, producing high-strength pipeline steel, automotive panels, and energy machinery steel.
Prior to the intelligent transformation, the slab yard faced multiple constraints:
Information Silos: The steelmaking and hot rolling operations were managed separately, with critical parameters communicated via phone calls, leading to decision delays.
Manual Dependency: Slab number recording, stockpile verification, and MES entry all relied on manual labor in high-temperature environments—error-prone and occasionally causing slabs to be sent to the wrong reheating furnace.
Outdated Equipment: Roller tables and cross-transfer cars were entirely manually controlled without positioning detection; slab deviation often led to equipment collisions. Cross-transfer cars relied on manual jogging for positioning, resulting in poor accuracy and severe mechanical impact.
Inefficient Dispatching: Crane operators communicated with ground personnel via walkie-talkies, and stockpile allocation depended entirely on operator experience, leading to chaotic stacking and delayed charging.
These issues severely constrained efficiency and the hot charging ratio. Pangang decided to implement a comprehensive intelligent upgrade across 10 overhead cranes (4 cranes in 2 spans of the steelmaking area, 6 cranes in 3 spans of the hot rolling area).
Wuhan FORWARD Technology Co., Ltd. undertook the core technical implementation for this project, delivering a high-precision positioning system and collaborative control solution for all 10 cranes.
The system consists of a Warehouse Management System (WMS) and an intelligent control layer. The WMS interfaces with MES planning information and centrally manages yard dispatching, crane work orders, roller tables, and cross-transfer cars, enabling full-chain coordination between steelmaking and hot rolling. The system covers six core modules: material identification, yard management, collaborative dispatching, crane onboard terminals, roller table PLC control, and external system interfaces.
Wuhan FORWARD Technology holds patents and software copyrights related to Gray Code Bus positioning technology and is certified under ISO quality, environmental, and occupational health management systems.
（1）Intelligent Stockpile Allocation
A multi-factor correlation algorithm-driven stacking model recommends the optimal stockpile location for each slab, considering constraints including steel grade, current inventory, rolling schedules, slow-cooling process requirements, crane availability, slab dimensions, and hot/cold material status. The rules ensure that slabs scheduled for later dispatch are never placed above earlier-dispatch slabs, and that non-scheduled slabs are never placed above scheduled slabs—reducing the need for restacking at the source.
（2）Automatic Roller Table Transport
The originally manual roller tables were retrofitted with through-beam photoelectric sensors, enabling precise slab positioning via motor speed feedback. The system supports both automatic and manual modes. In automatic mode, the PLC controls speed based on tracking information to deliver slabs precisely to the target roller group.
（3）Wuhan FORWARD Technology Crane Positioning & Collaborative Control
All 10 cranes were deployed with Wuhan FORWARD Technology's independently developed Gray Code Bus High-Precision Positioning System, establishing a full-scene spatial positioning network covering both steelmaking and hot rolling yards. The system employs electromagnetic coupling and Gray code encoding technology for non-contact position measurement. Key advantages include:
Positioning Accuracy: ±5mm – no cumulative error, providing a reliable data foundation for precise operation.
Non-Contact, Maintenance-Free – eliminates failures caused by encoder wear or slippage, ideal for high-dust and vibration environments.
Extreme Environment Adaptability – operating temperature range of -50℃ to +85℃, perfectly suited for high-temperature slab yard conditions.
Dual-Purpose Cable – a single Gray Code Bus cable serves both positioning and data communication, supporting mainstream industrial bus protocols for seamless PLC integration.
Each crane was upgraded with a new Siemens S7-1200 PLC, working in coordination with the Gray Code Bus system. The onboard terminal displays real-time work instructions, crane coordinates, roller table status, and provides navigation guidance, deceleration alerts, position verification, and out-of-range warnings.
（4）Crane-Roller Table Safety Interlock
When a crane lifts a slab from or places a slab onto a roller table, the corresponding roller group is automatically locked. The lock releases automatically once the slab is lifted to a safe height or the spreader has cleared the position after placement. This mechanism eliminates safety risks caused by communication delays in traditional manual operations.
（5）Steelmaking-Rolling Coordination & Full Material Tracking
Information barriers between steelmaking and hot rolling were eliminated. Full tracking is established from continuous casting cut-off, covering slab ID, steel grade, chemical composition, cut time, hot delivery category, and other critical parameters. Coordination across the casting–rolling interface enables dynamic matching of plans and actual production, supporting hot charging ratio improvement.
（6）Automatic Control of Cross-Transfer Cars & Transfer Tables
The steelmaking cross-transfer car was retrofitted with laser distance sensors and PLC control, achieving precise positioning and automatic operation with three operating modes: local manual, remote manual, and automatic. The transfer tables were also upgraded for automatic control.
Following full system deployment, the 2050mm line achieved remarkable results:
Production Breakthrough: By October 2025, output exceeded the plan by 149,300 tons, with hourly production up 2.2% year-on-year—an all-time high.
Key Metrics Optimized: Restacking rate reduced by 3%, charging speed significantly accelerated; rolling speed for high-grade steels such as X70/X80 pipeline steel increased from 15 to 20 pieces per hour, with improved yield.
Energy & Cost Reduction: Electricity consumption reduced by 10.9%, monthly gas consumption decreased by 2%, achieving a cost saving of RMB 1.37 per ton of steel.
Quality & Reliability Gains: Defect rate reduced by 30%, equipment failure rate decreased by 15%, and quality-related losses reduced by RMB 2.82 per ton of steel.
This project delivers a replicable value framework for intelligent slab yard upgrades in the steel industry:
Efficiency Leap: Automation frees yard management personnel from intensive dispatching, shifting focus to overall optimization. Operators work with clear guidance, eliminating repeated verifications.
Energy Saving & Emission Reduction: Steelmaking–rolling coordination maximizes the hot charging ratio.
Information Integration: Logistics and information flows are synchronized in real time.
Precise Logistics: Wuhan FORWARD Technology's ±5mm positioning accuracy ensures accurate crane operations, eliminating chaotic stacking and information lag.
Intrinsic Safety: Equipment interlocking and separation of personnel from hazardous zones significantly reduce safety risks.
The intelligent transformation of Pangang's 2050mm hot rolling slab yard is a successful case of digital transformation in the steel industry. Wuhan FORWARD Technology Co., Ltd. provided the core technical foundation—from design and supply of the Gray Code Bus positioning system, PLC collaborative control retrofitting, to onboard terminal integration—delivering an end-to-end positioning and collaborative control solution. The system continues to operate reliably in high-temperature, high-dust environments, validating the reliability of domestically developed industrial positioning technology.
The project supports Pangang's journey toward becoming a "world-class in equipment, products, efficiency, and management" smart factory, while offering a proven Chinese solution and practical reference for intelligent slab yard upgrades in the global steel industry.
