SeAH Besteel and Everguard.ai Embark on Major Expansion Using Novel Worker-Centric AI™ to Improve Safety

IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SeAH Besteel and Everguard.ai announced today that the top Korean special steel maker has committed to a multi-million dollar expansion of its use of Everguard's Sentri360^® platform and ecosystem to continue increasing safety measures at the SeAH Besteel plant located in Gunsan, Korea. Sentri360, a proprietary worker-centric AI^™ technology, uses artificial intelligence (AI) powered by sensor fusion to gather input and data from multiple sources to continuously assess the workplace and proactively protect workers from incidents and accidents. Combining computer vision (CV) technology, sensor fusion, edge computing, and wearables, Sentri360 is the first truly proactive solution to industrial safety.

In early 2020, SeAH Besteel began an initial trial of the Sentri360 ecosystem, deploying targeted Sensor Fusion Safety Zones^™ within the facility in areas of highest safety concern. Progressively, the Gunsan steelmaker realized substantial gains in worker safety compliance and has committed to expanding the platform, reaffirming its position as an innovator in the steel space. The expansion will focus on using the power of AI and CV to enhance the safety protocols already in place for initiatives such as personal protective equipment (PPE) compliance, virtual fencing of restricted areas, crane-to-crane accident avoidance, crane-to-worker incident avoidance, cobble events, and SOS/fall detection. The three-year deployment plan will cover the entire Gunsan facility, which spans over 10 million square feet.

"To be the world's leading special steel maker, we must continue making the safety of our company the number one priority throughout our organization," said Jun-Doo Park, CEO & Plant Manager of SeAH Besteel. "We've always been at the forefront of utilizing leading technology in our business. The expansion of the Sentri360 platform within our facilities allows us to continue to operate at the highest possible level of safety and efficiency."

The movement of heavy steel products along with the interaction of workers, operators and complex equipment equates to steel mills being an industrial environment with acute safety concerns. Traditionally the steel industry, like all others, has been limited to a reactive approach to safety, using lagging indicators to develop new protocols or take corrective actions. But advanced technologies such as AI, CV and sensor fusion allow leading companies like SeAH to proactively eliminate injuries and accidents before they happen, alerting workers while also gathering data for coaching purposes.

For example, Everguard's Sentri360 platform ensures PPE is worn appropriately and provides proactive alerts to workers via wearables when PPE is not in use. Another critical safety behavior that can be proactively managed by the system involves virtual fencing capabilities that alert an employee who ventures across a digital barrier surrounding moving or functioning equipment. In addition, in environments such as steel mills where line-of-sight is often disrupted, SOS button enabled wearables and autonomous fall detection allows hailing of other workers for help, providing their locations in the event of an accident or fall.

SeAH's Gunsan facility will deploy v2.0 of the Sentri360 platform and ecosystem in the coming months. This version includes capabilities that focus on the movement of heavy loads and products, specifically crane-to-crane collision avoidance and crane-to-worker collision avoidance systems. Specific to the steel industry, cobble detection will also be added to identify and minimize the formerly unpredictable nature of cobbling events. Cobbling in the steel industry is a dangerous occurrence where hot temperature steel deviates from its path or mold, forcing scorching hot steel into the air or onto the floor in uncontrollable movements that are dangerous to both humans and equipment.

"We see proactive prevention happen daily with Sentri360," said a line worker at SeAH Besteel "I am thrilled that we continue to take every necessary step to enhance our safety program and keep our team members safe, while preventing costly line shutdowns."

Everguard's Sentri360 is the only platform and interface industrial environments need to create and manage a proactive safety and productivity program. The technology-agnostic platform collects inputs from disparate industrial sensor technologies, allowing them to interact in ways not possible independently. Millions of sensor data pieces are fed into edge computers for AI analysis and processing in much the same way humans process information gathered by their senses. Sentri360 does not just make sensor technologies work together; it makes them work smarter together.

The platform's cloud-based management portal makes workforce and safety analytics  available in real-time so safety professionals can begin to enable a worker-centric workplace. The prevention of accidents and incidents is highly dependent on a culture of safety that starts with positively encouraging workers' behaviors and attitudes. The coaching module included in the Sentri360 portal allows for that systematic approach to safety compliance, leading to positive behavioral modification among workers.

"We value SeAH's confidence in our technology," said Sandeep Pandya, Chief Executive Officer at Everguard. "After a year of deployment in the SeAH Besteel facility, they have witnessed what Sentri360 can achieve when combined with a strong safety culture that values data and ongoing training. We are thrilled to expand our platform within their facilities to support SeAH in being not only a leader in special steel making, but a leader in safety."

About SeAH Besteel

SeAH Besteel, Korea's No. 1 special steel manufacturer, produces top quality special steel through its optimized automatic system. SeAH Besteel is leading the market with its competitive product quality and world class production capacity to manufacture steel by 2.1 million tons a year. SeAH Besteel has positioned itself as a company specializing in special steel by actively promoting R&D.

SeAH Besteel produces special steel that makes up the core components of automotive, shipbuilding, industrial machinery, construction industries and energy. The company is recognized for its quality products and technology, and has 50% market share in Korea. SeAH Besteel is a leading supplier of the highest quality steel products that are engineered for operational reliability in various industries.

About Everguard.ai

Everguard's mission is to protect companies' most important assets — their people — with the first truly proactive solution dedicated to industrial safety. Their Industrial Health and Safety platform utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and sensor fusion driven by technologies that include edge computing, computer vision (CV), real-time location system (RTLS), wearables and others. Everguard's Sentri360^® solution provides proactive interventions to prevent and avoid industrial accidents and the billions in fees and lost-time incidents they cause.

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