ERP system for the metal industry

The metal industry includes the various industrial sectors engaged in the manufacture of basic metals and producing metal products. The metal industry is Finland’s largest single branch of industry, as the metal industry’s share in Finland’s total industrial production amounts to a whopping 40%. 

Why is ALMA a good enterprise resource planning system for the metal industry?

The metal industry is a large-scale basic industry in which the equipment fleets required for production tend to be extensive. Because of this, keeping the production plants running also requires significant investments in maintenance activities and asset management.

Especially in the manufacture of metal products and basic metals, certain factors place high demands on the enterprise resource planning system used for asset management.

● A metal industry company, particularly a company involved in the manufacture of basic metals, may have a smelter where the raw material is melted and a concentrator where the ore is chemically processed, as parts of the same facility. In addition to this, the end product may require mechanical processing, storage, and logistics. The production chain may include several different processes, in which case the management of the whole requires high-quality data management.

● In the metal industry, the equipment fleets are extensive and thus require planned and efficient data management, as well as maintenance planning and management.

● Processes in the smelting and concentrating plants place high demands on the safety of the personnel, safety of the area, process safety, and environmental safety.

● In case of basic metals manufacture, processes must run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. This places great demands on the maintenance of the facilities.

● At present, manufacture of basic metals is characterised by extensive processing and advanced technology, and the use of energy and raw materials must be as efficient as possible. This often also requires efficient digitalisation of the operations. On the global scale, Finland is among the leading countries regarding many basic metal manufacturing processes.

Reliable management of the extensive equipment fleet and closed or open processes cannot be achieved manually; instead, asset management requires efficient data management, preventive maintenance, successful investment projects, and strict safety assurance. 
 
ALMA solves these challenges by facilitating ERP and data management of metal industry facilities throughout the entire life cycle of the facility. ALMA consists of five standard product modules, which we will configure for our customers to be ready for use.

ALMA’s features are suitable for managing the entire life cycle of a metal industry facility:

● You can document an entire plant into a database starting in the design or construction phase already.
● You can classify the facility’s various equipment, processes, systems, human resources, and quality and safety functions under their own subdivisions.
● With the help of clear asset classification, you can create a seamlessly integrated system representing the entire facility in the database.
● A clearly visualised and documented integral system facilitates trouble-free use of the system and ensures that data are not isolated in silos.
● Preventive maintenance and planned care are easier to arrange if the entire plant has been clearly documented.
● Faster response to malfunctions as the data can be found and are forwarded to the right people without hindrances.
● Ongoing necessary investment projects are more profitable if implemented based on high-quality and up-to-date data.
● Inventory management for raw material flows, production equipment spare parts, and moving forward in the processing chain.