PRODUCTION DATA TREATMENT FOR DECISION-MAKING USING POWER BI: EVIDENCE AT A STEEL MANUFACTURING

Abstract

Brazil is one of the largest steel-producing countries in the world, and its steel industries are responsible for exporting raw materials to approximately 100 countries. In the quest to improve the quality of its production, a Brazilian steel company in the state of São Paulo collected data on rejected materials in quality inspection and data on the disposal of this material. The study company operates its machines and equipment with the help of automated software and, in some cases, data pointed in the system by production employees. This research identified the points for improvement and to direct the involved areas to address opportunities and remove these unwanted variations in the company's production, improving productivity, cost, market competitiveness, and customer relations. With Microsoft's Excel and Power BI tools, it was possible to identify the niche of materials that most present quality problems, so that the company can create containment and continuous improvement plans to transform the process, improve productivity, reduce costs with non-conformity and ensure that the material is delivered to the customer on time. Once we had used Excel combined with Power BI, important data showed us opportunities to improve productivity in the production line under analysis. This research article can be used as a guide not only for steel company and for others in different segments.