Steel manufacturer SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. will deploy German-developed artificial intelligence or AI in its sprawling green steel mill in Calaca, Batangas.

The AI will provide a more efficient way to boost output without increasing its carbon footprint.

SteelAsia signed an agreement, the EAF Performance Improvement Partnership for Calaca, with Germany’s SMS Group to equip its Calaca steel plant with the latest artificial intelligence system for process automation and digitalization.

The latest combustion technology will be employed in the electric arc furnace or EAF as part of Project EPICA and the pollution control system will also be upgraded to support this project.

Engineers and technicians at the SteelAsia plant will be given extensive training on the use of all AI-assisted technologies. With the leading technology expertise from SMS Group, SteelAsia’s Calaca Mill will have higher energy efficiency, allowing it to increase its output and cut emissions as a result of the new AI and state-of-the-art burner system.

Ecology friendly

“We are proud to have Calaca as the Philippines’ first steel plant to be equipped with AI,” Pino Tese, chief sales officer, India and Asia Pacific Region of SMS group said. “The use of renewable energies and efficiency improvements for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, equally supported by recycling, is a vital factor for a sustainable circular economy,” he added.

“It also means higher green steel production for the country as Calaca uses 100 per cent renewable energy for steelmaking,” Benjamin Yao, SteelAsia chairman and CEO added.

The SteelAsia Calaca Mill produces up to 450K tons of rebar annually, which in today’s value is roughly P18 billion. EPICA improvements are expected to increase output in anticipation of higher rebar requirements for infrastructure and housing projects.

SteelAsia operates five other manufacturing plants in Bulacan, Cebu, Davao and Misamis Oriental. It is set to open a seventh plant this year in Compostela, Cebu and increase its output from 2 million metric tons of steel rebars to 3 million metric tons annually.

SteelAsia is the Philippines’ largest steel manufacturer and has been investing to increase Philippine steel self-reliance and reduce import dependence.