Diagnosing and predicting metallurgical defects is just the first way we are ‘making metals simpler’. Volume producers of metals, like in the steel industry are faced with increasing complexity from modern supply chains. In particular, tracking when and if a steel product ends up as a bridge or a block of flats can be difficult because of the number of stakeholders downstream and opaque transactions. So in future, we want to expand our offering to make it simpler to track steel through the supply chain.
The New Iron Age
The Vision
This means we will know whether steel from a decommissioned structure can have a second lease on life, as a residential building or park swing; without remelting it, saving energy. Since steel is the world’s most widely used and recycled metal, tracking it becomes a way of remotely monitoring structures or products and hence their lifetimes — a concept we call ‘iron-dating’. This kind of information will allow societies to more accurately predict supply chain behaviour and materials’ lifecycles and subsequently better plan cities and allocate resources.
Unique Technology
We identify problems in metals production by harnessing manufacturing data to predict when defects will occur before they do. We give operators and managers clear insights that enable them to consistently deliver high-quality products.
