Service Centers
Zekelman Invests in AI System to Increase Shipping Safety
Written by Sandy Williams
October 21, 2020
Zekelman Industries is partnering with Everguard.ai to use artificial intelligence and sensor fusion to increase safety at the company’s steel facilities. The companies will bring Everguard’s Sentri360 platform to Zekelman’s Atlas Tube facility in Blytheville, Ark., for a proactive approach to preventing workplace injuries and accidents.
Loading of heavy steel products on trucks and tarping them in place makes shipping bays one of the highest risk areas of a steel facility. Atlas Tube previously invested in a truck tarping safety system for its bays to mitigate the risk to workers from falls and injuries while loads are being tarped on semi-trailer beds.
Everguard’s Sentri360 platform uses AI powered by sensor fusion to proactively alert team members and plant management when the tarping safety system is not properly in use. Sensor fusion collects inputs from many different technologies, including computer vision (CV), real-time location system (RTLS), and wearables. Sensor data is fed into edge computers for AI analysis and processing in much the same way that humans process information gathered by their senses. The system provides near-real-time alerts, notifying managers and works of safety threats before accidents occur.
“Safety is the number one priority throughout our organization,” said Barry Zekelman, executive chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries. “We’ve always embraced emerging technologies in our business. This innovative new AI platform has the potential to further assist us in operating at the highest possible level of safety and efficiency.”
Sandy Williams
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