BILSTEIN GmbH & Co. KG, Hagen-Hohenlimburg, Germany, has placed an order with SMS group www.sms-group.com covering a comprehensive modernization of its four-stand tandem rolling mill. The main objective of the upgrade is to ensure future production and plant availability. In times of ever shorter innovation cycles and fast-changing components in the field of automation, it is indispensable to be accompanied by a reliable partner. SMS group will support BILSTEIN GmbH & Co. KG as a strategic partner and adviser the same way as practiced in the previous supplies.

Within the scope of the modernization measures at BILSTEIN GmbH & Co. KG, SMS group will upgrade the system platform to the current state of the art without changing the applications software. This will be possible using the X-Pact® ProBAS automation platform which comprises hardware, operating system, system layer and applications software for the basic automation systems. The platform is an integral part of the X-Pact® electrical and automation system covering the entire range for metallurgical plants and rolling mills - from basic automation to production planning.

The hardware at BILSTEIN GmbH & Co. KG will be changed from the X-Pact® CPCI motion systems to the X-Pact® Embedded hardware platform.

X-Pact® Embedded controllers are based on Intel® multi-core processors and provide the required computer capacity for all applications. Including the real-time ethernet components of EtherCAT®, SMS group offers a complete solution allowing complex arithmetic operations and control algorithms to be performed.

The application software will remain unchanged. All improvements and optimizations carried out jointly with SMS group over the last few years will be retained. The modernization concept allows the conversion measures to be implemented within short shutdown periods and the plant to be restarted at minimum risk.