AI Automates Scrap Metal Sorting at OMK’s Vyksa Plant
Machine vision now handles a task once done manually, improving safety and consistency in steel production.
Engineers at United Metallurgical Company (OMK) have developed and deployed a machine vision system to sort scrap metal at the Vyksa plant’s casting and rolling complex. The system can automatically assess contamination levels in materials headed for recycling. The shift reduces human error during intake and improves safety, as inspectors now operate at a distance from the unloading zone.
The role of inspectors has changed as well. They now focus primarily on tuning the system and refining the AI-driven algorithms that power it.
Automation is expected to save hundreds of millions of rubles annually (roughly several million U.S. dollars), while also reducing waste and cutting greenhouse gas emissions from furnace operations.
The OMK-developed system received positive reviews at the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence 2026 in Singapore.
