The Steel and Foundry industry operates in the harshest manufacturing environment on earth.
You are dealing with molten metal at 1,600°C, massive vibration from rolling mills, and conductive dust that kills electronics.
In this sector, OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) is a battle for Availability.
If the cooling water system on a Continuous Caster fails, you don't just lose production time; you risk a breakout that can destroy the machine and endanger lives.
Standard OEE tools that count "widgets" are useless here. You need software that understands Liquid Metal Logistics, Refractory Management, and Energy Intensity.
Here are the 6 best OEE software tools specifically suited for Steel Mills and Foundries.
1. Fabrico (Best for Asset Reliability & Ladle Management)
Fabrico is built to keep the "Iron" running.
In a foundry, the bottleneck is often the Ladle. If you don't have a hot, pre-heated ladle ready when the furnace taps, you lose temperature and quality.
Fabrico treats Ladles, Tundishes, and Molds as trackable assets. It links OEE to the maintenance lifecycle of these consumables.
Key Features for Steel & Foundry:
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Ladle Tracking: Tracks the number of "Heats" per ladle. Triggers a "Re-Line" or "Patch" work order automatically when the refractory life limit is reached.
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Vibration Monitoring: Connects to sensors on Rolling Mill gearboxes and Descaling pumps. Detects bearing wear early to prevent catastrophic seizures.
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Hydraulic Health: Monitors fluid temperature and pressure in the massive hydraulic packs that drive the presses and casters.
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Digital Rounds: Digitizes the dangerous manual inspections (e.g., checking EAF electrode length), ensuring safety compliance.
Best For: Mills and Foundries focused on Mechanical Uptime and Refractory Management.
2. PSI Metals (Best for End-to-End Steel MES)
PSI Metals is the undisputed global standard for Steel MES.
Used by giants like ArcelorMittal and Tata Steel, PSI manages the entire chain: Melt Shop -> Caster -> Rolling Mill -> Finishing.
It excels at Metallurgical Quality. It tracks the chemistry of the heat from the scrap yard to the final coil.
Its OEE module is deeply integrated with Production Planning. It optimizes the "Casting Sequence" to minimize grade transitions (mixing steel types), which is the biggest source of yield loss.
Best For: Integrated Steel Mills requiring full supply chain management.
3. iba AG (ibaPDA) (Best for Process Data Acquisition)
iba is known as the "Flight Recorder" of the steel industry.
It captures high-speed data (microseconds) from the drives and automation systems.
In a Rolling Mill, if a strip breaks at 1,000 meters per minute, iba can show you the exact torque spike and tension drop that caused it.
It is an engineering diagnostic tool. It doesn't manage work orders or spare parts, but for Root Cause Analysis of a breakdown, it is unmatched.
Best For: Electrical and Automation Engineers troubleshooting drive faults.
4. QAD (Best for Foundry ERP)
QAD is a strong ERP player in the automotive supply chain, making it popular with Foundries (Casting suppliers).
Foundries have unique ERP needs: Scrap Management.
You remelt your own runners and risers. QAD tracks this "Revert" material accurately so your OEE cost calculations aren't skewed.
Its asset management module is decent, focusing on the financial impact of downtime.
Best For: Automotive Foundries needing strong ERP/Financial integration.
5. Broner (Best for Supply Chain Planning)
Broner Metals Solutions focuses on the Supply Chain and Scheduling.
In steel, OEE is often killed by poor scheduling. If you schedule a narrow coil after a wide coil on a Hot Strip Mill, you cause uneven roll wear (coffin shape), forcing a roll change.
Broner optimizes the "Coffin Schedule" to maximize the life of the mill rolls.
This increases OEE by extending the run time between maintenance stops.
Best For: Planning departments trying to optimize rolling schedules.
6. TMEIC (Best for Drive & Automation Control)
TMEIC (Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric) builds the massive drives that turn the rolling mills.
Their software is focused on Energy Efficiency and Control.
They monitor the power consumption of the EAF and the Rolling Mill. Their OEE metric is often "Energy per Ton."
They ensure that the automation is tuned perfectly to prevent cobbles (steel jamming in the mill).
Best For: Plants with TMEIC drives focusing on energy reduction.
Comparison: The Heat is On
Which tool handles the melt?
| Feature |
Fabrico |
PSI Metals |
iba |
QAD |
Broner |
TMEIC |
| Primary Strength |
Refractory & Reliability |
Production Flow (MES) |
Data Capture (High Speed) |
Financial (ERP) |
Scheduling (Rolls) |
Automation (Drives) |
| Asset Focus |
Ladles, Pumps, Mills |
The Whole Plant |
Drives/Sensors |
Inventory/Scrap |
Roll Scheduling |
Motors/Energy |
| Maintenance Link |
Native (CMMS) |
Module |
None |
Module |
None |
Limited |
| OEE Metric |
Availability & Life |
Flow Efficiency |
Technical RCA |
Cost Efficiency |
Schedule Efficiency |
Energy Efficiency |
| Environment |
Rugged/Mobile |
Control Room |
Engineering Lab |
Office |
Planning Office |
Control Room |
Conclusion: Keep the Metal Liquid
In Steel and Foundry, once the metal is hot, you cannot stop.
If your challenge is Metallurgy and Flow, PSI Metals is the industry king.
If your challenge is Drive Diagnostics, iba is the engineer's choice.
But if your challenge is the physical reality of the plant—Ladle Refractory, Hydraulic Failures, and Mechanical Breakdowns—Fabrico is the only tool that bridges the gap between the heat and the maintenance shop.
Ready to extend ladle life?
See how Fabrico tracks heats and manages refractory maintenance.
Book a Demo with Fabrico Today
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