SES, LLC required a deterministic, failsafe wireless communications system capable of coordinating more than 50 automated coil cars and overhead cranes across a 100-acre steel mill footprint without interruption. The system needed to overcome extreme challenges including high metal density, wireless channel congestion, severe temperature swings, heavy dust, and the strict timing requirements of industrial PLC and safety watchdog systems. Conventional mesh Wi-Fi was evaluated and rejected due to variable latency, lack of traffic prioritization, and higher cost. The goal was continuous, synchronized coil logistics to prevent costly production stoppages and protect worker safety.

Siemens provided industrial wireless and automation technologies that SES integrated—alongside Janus Automation—into a cohesive communications architecture built on SCALANCE W Industrial Wireless LAN (IWLAN). Each coil car was equipped with a SIMATIC S7-1500F failsafe PLC communicating via PROFINET with a PROFIsafe overlay, while SCALANCE W786-2 access points and W734-1 client modules provided the physical network. The patented Siemens iPCF (Industrial Point Coordination Function) scheduler ensured deterministic, sub-500 ms response times by polling client modules in a fixed sequence, eliminating watchdog timeouts. All programming was performed in the Siemens TIA Portal, and Siemens supported the project through system design, validation, installation, and commissioning.

SES, LLC is headquartered in Alliance, Ohio, and specializes in engineering automation and manufacturing equipment for the metals and aerospace industries. The reference project was executed at a large U.S. multiline mini mill spanning more than 1,300 acres, with electric arc furnaces producing nearly 6 million tons of steel annually and a greenfield expansion that doubled the plant's capacity.