IE Tools for Boosting Competitiveness in Iron and Steel Industry: A Review

Abstract

Integrated steelmaking operations, from ironmaking to final steel categories/forms, are a complex industrial system. Decision-makers, in addition to the domain knowledge, need to understand many facets related to operations management, process execution, involved risk factors and material handling aspects, etc. The solution approach must address trade-offs, uncertainties, multiple stages, multiple objectives, many decision variables, and constraints. Literature has presented several Industrial Engineering approaches like multi-objective optimisation, heuristics, evolutionary algorithm, Simulations, lean sixsigma, etc., to address the iron and steel industry's complex problems like integrated production planning. The manuscript reviews recent application of these IE tools/solution approaches in iron and steel industries to enhanced productivity/competitiveness. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology has been adopted. The review will help the practitioners and academicians to know the different problem areas about iron and steel industries discussed in the literature, and the solution approaches used to solve the problem. Keywords Industrial Engineering Á Optimization Á Iron and steel industry Á Productivity improvement Á Solution approaches 1 Introduction Industrial Engineering (IE), also referred to as Industrial and Systems Engineering or Industrial Engineering and Management or Management Science is a multidisciplinary branch that covers several productivity improvement techniques. The branch of knowledge started developing in the early twentieth century when F. W. Taylor invented principles of scientific management, and Henry Ford implemented assembly lines to improve productivity at reduced costs in manufacturing processes. Over a period, developments like Industry 4.0, predictive analytics, Operations Research, Toyota Production Systems, TQM & Six Sigma, Ergonomics, and Human Factors Engineering, created a vast body of knowledge creation/dissemination. Institute of Industrial Engineers in January 2019 created a document representing a repository of essential knowledge areas for Industrial Engineering [1].

Applications and Developments of Thermal Spray Coatings for the Iron and Steel Industry

“…Figure 3 [ 19 ] shows that steel production integrates five processes: (i) iron making, (ii) steel making, (iii) continuous casting, (iv) rolling, and (v) main products shaping. Surface modification by thermal spray processes plays a major role in steel making, casting, and shaping.…”