CBMM and IHM Stefanini
CBMM reduces its energy consumption with AVEVA solutions
CBMM is the world's leading supplier of niobium, producing 70 to 80% of the global supply of this strategic metal used to strengthen high-strength steels. With no system to manage and standardize furnace power curves, operators relied on their intuition, which resulted in wasted energy and resources, scrapped products and equipment failures. In partnership with HMI integrator Stefanini, CBMM built a new industrial monitoring system based on AVEVA PI System, AVEVA InTouch HMI and AVEVA Production Management to implement, standardize, manage and automate power curves in furnace operations. The benefits match the energy stakes of the process: 5.5% less energy consumption on one furnace, $140,000 in annual energy optimization savings across three furnaces, a 7% gain in cycle time, and a significant improvement in both operational efficiency and safety. CBMM thus demonstrates that a standardized, automated approach can transform the performance of highly energy-intensive industrial operations for the long term.
Integrated AVEVA software
AVEVA PI System
CBMM and HMI Stefanini use AVEVA PI System to oversee niobium production in Brazil. This platform collects mining data in real-time, enabling optimization of extraction and refining processes.
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AVEVA InTouch HMI
CBMM deploys AVEVA InTouch HMI to control its niobium production facilities. The graphical interface allows operators to visualize critical parameters of metallurgical processes in real time.
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FAQ
How does AVEVA help standardize power curves for electric arc furnaces?
CBMM ran its electric arc furnaces intuitively, without a standardized framework for managing power curves. With AVEVA PI System, AVEVA InTouch HMI and AVEVA Production Management deployed by IHM Stefanini, best practices are formalized, automated and applied consistently. Industrial supervision eliminates operator variability, makes furnace operation more reliable and enables continuous improvement based on comparable data from one cycle to the next in niobium production.
What role does AVEVA PI System play in an energy-intensive industrial operation?
AVEVA PI System collects real-time process data from CBMM's furnaces (power, temperatures, energy consumption) and contextualizes it for analysis. This data infrastructure feeds AVEVA Production Management to automate power curves and AVEVA InTouch HMI for control room operations. In niobium production, where energy is a major cost item, PI System makes it possible to pinpoint savings opportunities and measure the impact of each optimization.
What financial results does standardizing operations deliver?
CBMM, which supplies 70–80% of the world's niobium, achieved a 5.5% reduction in energy consumption on one furnace, $140,000 in annual energy efficiency savings across three furnaces and a 7% reduction in cycle time thanks to the AVEVA solution deployed by IHM Stefanini. On top of this come less scrap and fewer equipment failures. These gains show that a standardized, automated approach lastingly transforms the performance of highly energy-intensive operations such as niobium metallurgy.
How does industrial monitoring improve operator safety?
Manual processes expose operators to greater risks when they work on equipment with very high temperatures and high electrical power. With AVEVA InTouch HMI and AVEVA Production Management, CBMM automates critical power curve sequences and gives operators a clear view of furnace status. Human intervention is focused on value-added actions, errors are reduced and the overall safety of metallurgical operations improves significantly.
Why involve an integrator like IHM Stefanini in an AVEVA project?
IHM Stefanini brings CBMM the industry expertise and in-depth knowledge of metallurgical processes needed to configure AVEVA PI System, InTouch HMI and Production Management for the specific requirements of electric arc furnaces. An experienced integrator speeds up deployment, secures change management and ensures that AVEVA software capabilities match business needs. This vendor-plus-integrator combination is a key success factor in complex industrial projects in the mining and metals sector.