� COVER STORY �
networks, handle massive transportation volumes, and require seamless coordination among multiple stakeholders. Both have leveraged digitalization to optimize rail freight and related operations, as well as address emissions challenges. They offer insights that the steel industry can apply as it accelerates its own transformation.
Paper-based processes and phone calls are giving way to integrated digital platforms that centralize tracking, scheduling, and predictive analytics. Thyssenkrupp, for example, has deployed IoT-enabled tracking solutions to increase visibility across their multimodal supply chain and improve resilience and response time to disruptions. Rather than replacing human expertise, these technologies act as force multipliers, increasing visibility, simplifying workfl ows, and enabling smarter resource allocation.
Collaboration is also evolving. The future of steel transport depends on interconnected networks where rail logistics teams, railway operators, and customers not only share realtime data but also synchronize their actions to anticipate and prevent disruptions. By aligning schedules, proactively identifying potential bottlenecks, and dynamically adjusting transport plans, these teams create a more resilient and efficient supply chain that adapts seamlessly to market shifts and evolving customer expectations.
Digital consignment notes are becoming a game changer in the rail sector. Unlike road transport, where they are primarily used to speed up administrative tasks, in rail freight, they enable automated rebooking, faster customs clearance, and seamless multimodal transitions.
In the building materials industry, HeidelbergMaterials has implemented digital consignment notes to increase visibility, speed up deliveries and allow its logistics teams to spend more time on higher-value tasks. This sector has been at the forefront of rail digitization, largely due to its urgent need to address Scope 3 emissions, having already made significant progress on Scope 1 and 2. The steel industry, still primarily focused on Scope 1 and 2, is beginning to follow suit, adopting similar digital innovations to improve efficiency and reduce paperwork-related delays in rail freight.
Agribusiness is also undergoing a transformation in rail logistics. With a strong focus on sustainability, agribusiness companies like Viterra have prioritized digital solutions to enhance efficiency and reduce emissions in their supply chains. Viterra is now using a digital collaborative platform for its rail operations, making its whole rail processes more efficient, from order to invoice. Although dealing with different products and constraints, the steel industry could learn interesting lessons from its neighboring industries and their digitalization journeys to accelerate its own.
Steel transport and rail freight: Become the driver for change
To fully understand the transformation of steel logistics, the focus must shift to rail— the
8 Green Steel World | Issue 17 | April 2025