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ThyssenKrupp Steel Taps RFID for Multi-site Slab Identification
Steel producer to rely on Sybase iAnywhere solution to streamline logistics for more than 100,000 slabs per year between Brazil and Germany
Dublin, CA — June 8, 2007 — ThyssenKrupp Steel has tapped a radio frequency identification solution from Sybase iAnywhere as part of a system for slab identification at its new Brazilian steel mill and at a German sea harbor and local harbor to identify steel slabs automatically and to speed up the unloading process.
The first steel producer in the world to use RFID technology, ThyssenKrupp Steel has selected Sybase iAnywhere's RFID Anywhere solution for use at its mill in the Bay of Sepetiba, Brazil, as well as at the harbor at Duisburg, Germany.
Sybase iAnywhere is a subsidiary of software company Sybase. The subsidiary provides mobile and embedded databases, mobile management and security, mobile middleware and synchronization, and Bluetooth and infrared protocol technologies.
Tagging Slabs
Working with consultants from Accenture, ThyssenKrupp Steel recently completed successful pilot trials with 1,000 slabs sent from Brazil and marked with RFID tags. Custom-made software applications based on RFID Anywhere were used to tag the slabs in Brazil and identify them at various points throughout their journey. At the harbor in Duisburg, slabs hanging on a crane were identified in a fully automated fashion while being unloaded.
The Brazilian steel mill is currently under construction and is slated to start production of five million metric tons of steel per year in 2009. Overall, a total of 250,000 slabs will be transported every year, 100,000 of which will be processed at ThyssenKrupp Steel's German plants — a highly complex logistics process for which ThyssenKrupp Steel will rely on Sybase iAnywhere RFID technology, according to the solution provider.
"Using RFID to tag steel slabs enables us to read data over large distances and automatically transfer the information to our IT systems for further processing, all without the need for physical contact," said Gerhard Thiel, a project manager at ThyssenKrupp Steel. "The solution developed with the help of Accenture and Sybase iAnywhere enables us to significantly shorten unloading times and thereby achieve cost savings."
Managing Disparate Devices
Accenture recommended RFID Anywhere for ThyssenKrupp Steel's application based on its ability to manage a range of devices, including mobile and fixed RFID readers as well as RFID printers that are deployed at different locations around the world, and integrate these into existing IT systems.
The first steel producer in the world to use RFID technology, ThyssenKrupp Steel has selected Sybase iAnywhere's RFID Anywhere solution for use at its mill in the Bay of Sepetiba, Brazil, as well as at the harbor at Duisburg, Germany.
Sybase iAnywhere is a subsidiary of software company Sybase. The subsidiary provides mobile and embedded databases, mobile management and security, mobile middleware and synchronization, and Bluetooth and infrared protocol technologies.
Tagging Slabs
Working with consultants from Accenture, ThyssenKrupp Steel recently completed successful pilot trials with 1,000 slabs sent from Brazil and marked with RFID tags. Custom-made software applications based on RFID Anywhere were used to tag the slabs in Brazil and identify them at various points throughout their journey. At the harbor in Duisburg, slabs hanging on a crane were identified in a fully automated fashion while being unloaded.
The Brazilian steel mill is currently under construction and is slated to start production of five million metric tons of steel per year in 2009. Overall, a total of 250,000 slabs will be transported every year, 100,000 of which will be processed at ThyssenKrupp Steel's German plants — a highly complex logistics process for which ThyssenKrupp Steel will rely on Sybase iAnywhere RFID technology, according to the solution provider.
"Using RFID to tag steel slabs enables us to read data over large distances and automatically transfer the information to our IT systems for further processing, all without the need for physical contact," said Gerhard Thiel, a project manager at ThyssenKrupp Steel. "The solution developed with the help of Accenture and Sybase iAnywhere enables us to significantly shorten unloading times and thereby achieve cost savings."
Managing Disparate Devices
Accenture recommended RFID Anywhere for ThyssenKrupp Steel's application based on its ability to manage a range of devices, including mobile and fixed RFID readers as well as RFID printers that are deployed at different locations around the world, and integrate these into existing IT systems.
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