IT and artificial intelligence (AI) can make metallurgy more environmentally friendly and efficient, says Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of the Metinvest mining and metallurgical group

He expressed this opinion at the first B7 Italy 2024 meeting, held on March 13 in Verona (Italy), organized by the association of Italian enterprises Confindustria, which is designed to promote dialogue between the business world and the governments of the G7 countries. The conference was attended by more than 250 guests, including executives and business leaders from G7 countries and international companies, as well as the Italian Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso.

"Participants discussed the main factors affecting industrial productivity and competitiveness in a fast-paced, global economy. Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest Group, was among the speakers on the main discussion panel. In his speech, he addressed the specifics of steel production in Ukraine during the war, the group’s vision of the European Green Deal and the transformation of business processes in heavy industry through the use of new technologies.

"In recent years, we have cared about results and didn't notice the technology. Just to give you a few examples. In 2021, Azovstal outperformed all its competitors in terms of process efficiency due to AI and analytics. Our specialists, using augmented reality, could perform maintenance two times faster than most of our competitors in nearby countries. The “space” computer-based vision system we introduced set new standards for the quality of our products. Finally, an internal data management and communications system allowed us to run the company seamlessly in the middle of the fiercest war in Europe since World War 2. So, there is definitely a place for digital technologies to make a breakthrough in traditional industries. And our company is a very good example, despite everything that has happened to us recently," Ryzhenkov said.

"We've heard today, and we will hear more in the future, politicians talking about the Green Deal. It is on almost every political agenda, not only in Europe but also in the US, China and all over the world. The steel industry is at the top of this agenda as a key actor in the implementation of green technologies. But at the same time, the steel industry is very traditional, with technologies developed a long time ago, and now you cannot make a major breakthrough," he added.

"The path towards the Green Deal is not going to be easy. We are short of IT specialists to work on the transformation. Only five to seven years ago, we were looking for steel engineers to train in IT. Now it's the other way around. We're developing IT specialists that we then teach about the steel industry. And these are the people who will be leading the green and digital transition of our company. This is happening right now, and it is here to stay. We will all be part of this transition, and we better be up to the challenge," the top manager noted.