Method for creating a direct hot charge rolling production schedule at a

Abstract

A scheduling method suitable for use in a primary steel production area operating in either direct rolling or direct hot charge rolling modes, collectively referred to as synchronized rolling. The steel production area comprising a continuous caster, for input of slabs to a hot strip mill. An order load for some finite period (e.g. one week) is received as input to the method. The method generates a caster schedule and a hot strip mill schedule which fills the order load with the objective of operating the continuous caster and the hot strip mill with minimal interruption. The generated schedule works within the constraints imposed by both the continuous caster and the hot strip mill. The schedule generation process also considers key operating constraints of individual facilities as well as those on which the facility has dependencies. The schedule also addresses objectives such as maximizing throughput, maximizing on-time delivery, and minimizing operating costs.