The largest computer data center in Utah County has been installed at Geneva Steel, bringing greater efficiency through leading-edge computer technology to the plant's steel production processes.
The main component of the center, an IBM 3090-120s processor, has 96 megabytes of storage capacity, supplemented by 45 gigabytes (billions of characters) of storage; the storage capacity of one-third of a megabyte is equivalent to 900 million pages of material. The multimillion-dollar system is capable of processing nearly 8 million instructions per second. It will be used for all information-processing functions and applications at the plant's headquarters in Orem.Despite the massive amounts of storage capability, company officials say they will probably install additional storage banks within a year.
Joe Cannon, company president, said the new system, which was installed over a four-month period, is part of the company's multimillion-dollar modernization plan and is a major investment for Geneva in terms of dollars and productivity.
"Geneva's new data center is very innovative when compared with other systems in the steel industry or within Utah," Cannon said.
Geneva has hired 17 data processing professionals to operate the new system, Cannon said.
The primary function of the system will be to process orders for steel. For example, the system will match orders with manufacturing processes for the type of steel product requested by a customer, including operating parameters to be followed during production, chemical makeup needed for the product and shipping instructions.
Geneva had contracted with computer service centers in New York and San Francisco for its data and information systems but is in the process of moving its data banks to the company's new center. That process should be completed by March 1990. Installation and testing of application software will also be completed by March.
Relocation of the data base within the plant will provide Geneva with data and operational security, more control over order and operation processes, a competitive advantage and a cost savings, said Jay Johnson, director of information systems.
Mike St. Clair, data center manager, pointed out that had the recent earthquake in San Francisco disrupted the plant's computer connection to the service center there, the plant would have been unable to receive product orders and would have shut down production in 48 hours.
E. Wayne Nelson, vice president of administration and corporate communications, said Geneva paid more than $200,000 for computer services at the centers. The company anticipates a return on its investment in the data center within three years, placing the cost of the system at about $6 million. Geneva officials refused to confirm the cost of the new system but said the $6 million figure was "in the neighborhood."
The system, located in the main administration building, is backed up by battery and diesel power sources.