UrBC, Magnitogorsk, July 16, 2019. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) introduced sixteen different robotic software applications at the plant that can all perform the functions of actual employees. By the end of the year, the robotic process automation (RPA) will cover thirty-two production processes all in all, the company’s press service reports.

Head of MMK InformService Project Office Valeriy Rybolovlev gave a talk on the results of the plant’s RPA efforts at the Digital Transformation in Metallurgy Conference during Innoprom 2019 Exhibition in Yekaterinburg.

It is reported that MMK launched its first robotic software program at the plant’s Commercial Directorate last year: the RPA application is now in charge of liaising with the scrap metal suppliers. For one, the program processes emails, completes search queries within Russian Railways’ database, and creates reports for MMK’s departments. This year, MMK intends to look into sixty-nine more production processes to see if they can get RPA-ed as well.

The focus on RPA technologies is currently one of the aspects of MMK’s Industry 4.0 Concept: a comprehensive digitization of business processes in order to make the entire production more efficient. According to Valeriy Rybolovlev, computer models and digital twins are going to become the key drivers of the digitization process in the next five to ten years. To develop and introduce these, a computer modeling and systemic research group has been set at MMK’s R&D Center.