� DIGITALIZATION �
has launched the virtual plant, a comprehensive solution consisting of a training center and a software development and testing environment. This innovative offering is designed to improve the level of operator competence to ensure operational efficiency, consistent lifecycle management of automation software, and safety. The virtual plant training center provides a safe space where operators can learn by doing and by making mistakes, helping them become more confident and able to handle complex situations.
The training center enables operators to improve their skills in using different automation solutions, both before the plant is built and throughout its operational life. The result is increased productivity and safety. The center features a replica of the control room and offers various training scenarios to develop different skills. As a result, trained operators are better able to identify problems and find solutions quickly, resulting in more stable and safer operations.
During this transition, digital tools, such as the examples mentioned above, facilitate the integration of alternative production processes. Challenges such as hybrid operations or operations with an inexperienced workforce can be supported with digitalization solutions to ensure seamless adaptation to new production units and operational know-how.
Embracing circularity: The future of steel
Digitalization solutions play an important role in assisting steel producers in mastering the green transformation by optimizing existing production routes and accelerating the ramp-up time of new production routes to achieve target quality. The referenced digitalization solutions help to continuously improve the gate-to-gate performance of a steel plant— from the entry of scrap to the exit of coils. Apart from this transformation within a steel plant, there is another aspect emerging as a vital part of sustainability: circularity. The EU End of Life Vehicle Directive emphasizes the need for circular design, recycled content, and improved governance. The circular economy concept promotes optimal resource efficiency and ensures that resources are allocated to products and services in a sustainable manner. Steel, with its inherent properties, offers significant advantages in a circular economy where products are designed for durability, ease of reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling.
A circular economy for steel requires optimizing processes across systems, organizations, and country borders.
As a result, steel processors, particularly in the automotive industry, are increasingly focusing on reducing the number of steel grades to facilitate recycling and reduce carbon footprints. They are likely to demand more information and transparency from all stakeholders involved in the circularity of a car.
Green Steel World | Issue 17 | April 2025 37