NLMK expands asset monitoring programme with AI technology

Samotics’ technology is based on electrical signature analysis (ESA), an approach to condition monitoring that offers unique advantages. The SAM4 system captures electrical data remotely, in the motor control center, so there is no need to install sensors on or even near the equipment.

“Most of our machines operate in extremely high ambient temperatures, where most sensors will just burn up,” says Pavel Podyachev, R&M system development manager at NLMK Europe. “SAM4 finally gives us a way to monitor these assets.” SAM4’s use of ESA technology confers two more benefits for NLMK’s overall asset monitoring strategy. All condition monitoring technologies detect a range of mechanical faults; ESA is the only one that can also detect electrical faults, which cause up to 30 percent of equipment failures.

It is also the only technology that can report on energy efficiency. “SAM4 offers detailed energy and performance insights that will concretely help us reduce our environmental footprint,” says Podyachev. “This is a strategic objective in NLMK’s sustainable development goals.”

“We are proud that NLMK is offering us the opportunity to implement SAM4 across Europe,” says Simon Jagers, Samotics’ co-founder. “It’s a testament to the value that our industrial analytics technology provides on a day-to-day basis, and we are delighted to be part of making the steel industry safer, more reliable, and more sustainable.”