Association For Iron And Steel Technology

TITLE: DEVELOPING THE TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR IRON AND STEEL MANUFACTURING: REVOLUTIONIZING U.S. GLOBAL LEADERSHIP FOR A SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY CHAIN PURPOSE STATEMENT: TO OVERCOME FOREIGN CHALLENGES AND TO BOLSTER THE U.S. STEEL INDUSTRY'S ROLE AS AN INNOVATION LEADER IN MANUFACTURING, THE ASSOCIATION FOR IRON & STEEL TECHNOLOGY (AIST) PROPOSES TO LEAD A LARGE-SCALE INDUSTRIALLY DRIVEN AND CONSORTIA-BASED EFFORT TO DEVELOP A TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR IRON AND STEEL MANUFACTURING WITH THE GOAL TO REVOLUTIONIZE U.S. GLOBAL LEADERSHIP FOR A SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY CHAIN. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE ROADMAP IS TO ADDRESS HIGH-PRIORITY CHALLENGES IN STEEL MANUFACTURING THAT ARE BROADLY DEPLOYABLE TO A DIVERSE SET OF MANUFACTURING SECTORS. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: AIST WILL CONDUCT A SURVEY TO COLLECT INFORMATION TO IDENTIFY ISSUES AND BARRIERS THAT INHIBIT THE APPLICATION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, HOLD INDUSTRY-LED WORKSHOP-BASED WITH MANUFACTURERS, MATERIALS SUPPLIERS, EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS, LOGISTICS ORGANIZATIONS AND UNIVERSITIES TO DRIVE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE ROADMAP. THE WORKSHOPS WILL BE BUILT AROUND THE ROADMAP THEMES AND STRUCTURED TO DRAW OUT SPECIFIC INFORMATION BASED ON THE SPECIFIC ANTICIPATED AUDIENCES. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: THE EXPECTED IMPACTS FROM THE PROPOSED STEEL MANUFACTURING CONSORTIUM ARE FAR-REACHING, TRANSFORMATIONAL MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED BY STEEL COMPANIES AND SUPPLIERS ACROSS THE SUPPLY CHAIN TO IMPROVE OPERATIONAL AND PROCESS EFFICIENCY, LOWER THE COSTS OF PRODUCTION THROUGH FEEDSTOCK IMPROVEMENT, ENHANCE REACTOR DESIGN AND PRODUCT REUSE AND VALORIZATION, AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND DIVERSITY OF CURRENT AND FUTURE STEEL MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE DRIVING GROWTH FOR AN ESSENTIAL U.S. MARKET. THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE (1) IMPROVING FUEL CONSUMPTION, (2) REDUCING POLLUTANT EMISSIONS, (3) DECREASING DOWNTIME, (4) LOWERING PRODUCTION COSTS, (5) REDUCING THE SKILLS GAP AND INCREASING DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION BOTH THROUGH FOCUSED NEW TRAINING AND RETRAINING EFFORTS FOCUSED ON WORKFORCE, AND (6) INCREASING THE PARTICIPATION AND INNOVATION OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN THE STEEL SECTOR VALUE AND SUPPLY CHAINS. FINALLY, IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS OF THE ROADMAP AND PROJECTS WILL BE USED TO CHANGE THE IMAGE OF STEEL MANUFACTURING, ATTRACTING MORE YOUNG TALENT TO STEEL MANUFACTURING, AND MOTIVATING K-12 STUDENTS TO PURSUE MANUFACTURING CAREERS. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: IRON AND STEEL MANUFACTURERS WILL BE THE DIRECT BENEFICIARIES OF THIS ROADMAP AS IT WILL ADDRESS HIGH-PRIORITY CHALLENGES IN THE MANUFACTURING OF STEEL AND IRON PRODUCTS. ENVIRONMENT WILL BE A SECONDARY BENEFICIARY SINCE IF SUCCESSFUL THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES WILL LEAD A DRIVE TOWARD CARBON NEUTRAL PRODUCTION. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: THE RECIPIENT DOES NOT PLAN TO SUBAWARD FUNDS TO EITHER SUBRECIPIENTS OR CONTRACTS.

ASIA PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP STEEL TASK FORCE TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE