Restarts hot strip production with modern automation
SMS group renewed and upgraded the complete electrical and automation systems for hot strip mill no. 1 at PT Krakatau Steel (PTKS) in Cilegon, Indonesia. After a prolonged shutdown, the upgraded mill produced its first sellable coil on December 30, 2024. The project enabled PTKS to resume hot rolled coil production with improved process control, stable product quality, and integration of new automation with retained existing DC drive systems.
The modernization was initiated as a recovery plan and expanded from a repair of damaged finishing mill automation and drive cabinets into a comprehensive upgrade to next-generation automation technology throughout the entire hot strip mill. SMS group supplied proven X-Pact® level 1 and level 2 automation systems on the X-Pact® ProBAS platform with X-Pact® Embedded controllers, providing improved diagnostics, connectivity, and control performance. The scope also included process models for pass schedule calculation, strip cooling, and profile, contour, and flatness control, supporting reliable adherence to thickness and flatness tolerances across a broad product portfolio.
A key technical aspect of the project was the seamless integration of the new automation architecture with the mill’s existing DC drives in selected plant areas, allowing PTKS to modernize efficiently while preserving usable installed equipment. With an annual capacity of 2.4 million tons and product dimensions ranging from 1.8 to 25 millimeters in thickness and 600 to 2,080 millimeters in width, the mill is positioned to supply a wide range of steel grades for structural, pipe, tube, and automotive applications.
SMS group acted like a partner in every sense, and we worked as a team. We are delighted that SMS could achieve our milestone of starting up the plant within 2024. It was a huge challenge of putting a new automation system on the existing machinery.
