Digitalization Halves Manufacturing Time for Nuclear Power Plant Components
TsNIITMASH, part of Rosatom's Mechanical Engineering Division, has deployed a suite of digital tools to speed up the production of embedded parts.
These massive steel structures serve as the mounting base for key nuclear power plant equipment. Process optimization and automated planning have cut production times by 1.5 to two times.
Role of Embedded Parts
These components are complex steel structures permanently embedded in the concrete floors, foundations and walls of reactor and turbine buildings. Heavy process equipment is later welded and secured to them, including reactor vessels, steam generators, main circulation pumps and turbine-generator sets. The accuracy and timely delivery of these structures affect all construction and installation work at the site.
A delay in producing even a single batch can bring the entire process to a halt. The range of components is also extremely broad, with individual items weighing several tonnes. Production requires a sequence of operations involving thick-plate cutting, complex three-dimensional welding, machining on heavy-duty machine tools and the application of anti-corrosion coatings.
Nuclear engineering requires strict compliance with geometric tolerances and ultrasonic testing of welds. Planning previously relied on static spreadsheets, which resulted in machine downtime. Moving to more flexible production management required an in-depth audit of the entire manufacturing cycle and the deployment of modern IT tools to monitor every stage of the process.
Bottleneck Analysis and Resource Reallocation
During the project, TsNIITMASH engineers analyzed bottlenecks at every stage of steel structure production. After identifying operations that were slowing production flow, they redistributed workloads among machining centers, reducing uneven utilization across the workshops. The sequence of manufacturing operations was optimized as well. Engineers revised the routes that workpieces take through the shop, cutting the time spent on internal logistics and work-in-process storage. The design department, procurement team, workshops and nondestructive testing laboratory now operate as parts of a single system.
The approach eliminated lost time, cutting production times for some components by 1.5 to two times. Construction teams at nuclear power plant sites are expected to receive the components they need on schedule, allowing uninterrupted installation of primary and secondary circuit equipment.
Automating End-to-End Network Schedules
Automating end-to-end network schedules for contract execution has also accelerated the overall project. A unified digital environment tracks the status of every component from metal procurement through shipment of the finished product to the customer. The system collects real-time data on completed operations through shop-floor terminals and automatically recalculates the completion date for the entire contract.
That allows production controllers to adjust workloads quickly when unexpected problems arise. If a particular machine breaks down or component deliveries are delayed, the algorithm immediately proposes alternative production routes without jeopardizing the final deadline. In effect, this shifts production management from a reactive to a predictive model.
The tools are integrated with corporate enterprise management systems. When priorities change, the software automatically generates new shift assignments for workers and purchase requests for the procurement department. Data transparency prevents information from being distorted, helping the company meet its commitments to nuclear power plant construction sites accurately and on schedule.
Scaling Digital Practices Across the Division
Deploying digital tools in nuclear power plant equipment manufacturing has significantly improved the efficiency of Rosatom's Mechanical Engineering Division. TsNIITMASH's successful experience is establishing a new industry standard for managing production orders.
Looking ahead, the division plans to roll out its network-schedule automation and shop-floor logistics optimization tools at other plants, including Atommash, ZiO-Podolsk and Petrozavodskmash. A unified digital ecosystem is designed to synchronize equipment production across multiple sites and enable more flexible management of the division's manufacturing capacity.
Faster production of auxiliary and embedded components directly affects overall nuclear power unit completion schedules. This is particularly important for Rosatom's active portfolio of international projects, including Akkuyu NPP in Turkey, El Dabaa NPP in Egypt and Rooppur NPP in Bangladesh. The digital transformation of Russia's nuclear engineering plants reinforces the country's position as a global leader in nuclear power.
