The Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) has expanded its use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track the movement of transport and equipment. The system now covers the railway section between the blast furnace and the electric steelmaking shop.
RFID readers have been installed along the railway tracks, and pig iron ladles are now equipped with RFID tags containing antennas and chips. These high-temperature-resistant readers collect data at control points, enabling the company to track the location and delivery time of liquid pig iron as it moves through the production process.
MMK first implemented RFID technology in 2015 to monitor mixer trucks transporting molten iron to the oxygen converter shop. According to Samat Minikaev, process engineer at the blast furnace shop, the integrated system has improved efficiency by providing real-time tracking of mixer trucks and pig iron ladles along their routes, reducing downtime and preventing delays in the production cycle.
