System, method and computer program for controlling a production plant consisting of a plurality of plant parts, in particular a metallurgical production plant for producing industrial goods such as metal semi-finished products and/or metal end products

A method for controlling a metallurgical production plant (3) having a plurality of plant parts (2) for producing metal semi-finished products and/or metal end products,

• wherein each plant part (2) has
• an input quality window (4),
• an output quality window (5), and
• a process window (5),
• wherein the input quality window (4) of a respective plant part (2) defines quality characteristics of an input product that are required by the respective plant part (2), and
• wherein the output quality window (5) of a respective plant part (2) defines permissible quality characteristics of an output product of the respective plant part (2) after processing the input product,
• wherein the output quality window (5) of an upstream plant part (2) corresponds to the input quality window (4) of a downstream plant part (2),
• wherein the process window (6) defines setting values (7) for a plant automation unit of the respective plant part (2) that can be implemented by the respective plant part (2),
• the method comprising:
• detecting current states in the plurality of plant parts (2) by sensors (8),
• adapting the respective process windows (6) of the plurality of plant parts (2) based on the detected current states of the plurality of plant parts (2),
• determining respective setting values (7) for respective plant automation units of the plurality of plant parts (2) in view of all plant parts (2) of the production plant (3),
• such that the determined respective setting values (7) are within the adapted respective process windows (6), and
• such that a product produced in the production plant (3) meets the quality characteristics required by all of the input quality windows (4) and all of the output quality windows (5) of the plurality of plant parts (2), and
• determining an optimized sequence of a plurality of products to be produced in the production plant (3), by taking into account, for each of the plurality of products, respective production steps across the plurality of plant parts (2), including corresponding input quality windows (4), output quality windows (5), and current process windows (6),
• wherein the optimized sequence is determined such that products having comparable or similar quality requirements are produced consecutively,
• thereby minimizing changes in setting values (7) for the plant automation units between successive products.