FLEX

November 9, 2017

Program Manager: Ingmar Baarman
Contact: ingmar.baarman(at)tammet.fi

Schedule: 2017-2019
Budget: 4,36 M€

DIMECC FLEX program

Metals production is facing major economic and environmental challenges. The main requirements for
competitiveness in the future are the capability for a flexible response to changing demands and the
ability to produce metals at high cost efficiency. In addition, the planned reduction of CO2 emissions
requires drastic changes to the current process practices. These demands cannot be met with the existing operation paradigms, but requires implementation of new flexible approaches.

The vision of the project is a paradigm shift from stiff and reactive production to flexible and proactive operating mode, while moving the Finnish metal industry towards circular economy with zero waste plant concept and CO2 lean metal production. The shift necessitates digitalized and interlinked information flows at various levels of the production chain.

The program is divided to three work packages:
– Proactive Metal Production
– Adaptive Refining Metallurgy
– Intelligent Rolling

The aims of the FLEX project are:
– zero waste plants in accordance with circular economy; increase internal recycling of by-product fines by 20% by new recycling methods for challenging by-products,
– digitalized metal production; increase process efficiency by 5% by implementing interlinked simulation and measurement tools.

Program company partners: SSAB Europe Oy, Outokumpu Stainless Oy, Outotec Finland Oy, Casim Consulting Oy, Luxmet Oy, SFTec Oy and Sapotech Oy.
Research institutes in the program: University of Oulu and Aalto University

Initiated by DIMECC

FLEX