For many industrial organizations, one key performance indicator (KPI) is often “improve quality.” But, in steel manufacturing, it’s not necessarily about arbitrarily improving quality, it’s about delivering consistency. For specialty steel manufacturers in particular, who manufacture materials for construction projects or transformers, the end product must meet specific standards or regulations across the entire order.
The construction steel holding up the tallest buildings in the world has different characteristics than the steel used in jet engines. So, for steel producers, it’s not about improving the quality of those materials, it’s about making sure each order is fulfilled with steel that meets quality standards—every time, whether we are creating new peaks in a city skyline or helping improve aircraft efficiency. If it doesn’t, the result can be costly, both to the manufacturer and their end customer.
Many steel manufacturers produce on demand. So, there are precise quality and chemical specifications for each order. It’s crucial that this chemistry make-up is tracked from beginning to end—again to make sure quality standards are precise. If at any point in the manufacturing process a variation occurs the entire batch must be re-manufactured or sold as a less profitable grade.
