Participants discussed key factors influencing industrial productivity and competitiveness in a rapidly developing global economy. One of the speakers on the main discussion panel of the conference was General Director of Metinvest Group Yuri Ryzhenkov. He spoke about the peculiarities of steel production in Ukraine during the war, the company’s vision of a green course and the transformation of business processes in metallurgy thanks to new technologies. Here are the main points of Yuri Ryzhenkov's speech:
On business management during war
— I am from Ukraine and spend most of my time in heavy industry. My last exposure to digital technology was when I graduated from university 27 years ago as a software engineer. Typically, managers are not interested in technology, but in results. In recent years, we have been focused on results and overlooked technology. Let me give you a few examples. In 2021, thanks to AI and analytics, the Azovstal plant was ahead of all competitors in terms of process efficiency. Our technicians, using augmented reality, were able to perform maintenance twice as fast as most of our competitors in neighboring countries. The implemented “space” computer vision system has set new standards for the quality of our products. Finally, our internal data management and communications system allowed us to run the company smoothly in the midst of the worst war in Europe since World War II. So there is definitely room for digital technologies to disrupt traditional industries. And our company is a very good example of this. Despite everything that has happened to us recently.
About the implementation of the Green Deal
— Today we hear and will continue to hear politicians talking about the Green Deal. It lies on almost every political table, not only in Europe, but also in the USA, China, and around the world. The steel industry is at the top of this course's agenda as a major actor in the implementation of green technologies. But at the same time, metallurgy is a very traditional industry, the technologies were developed a long time ago, and now it is impossible to make a big breakthrough. You can only gradually improve the system. And when it comes to incremental improvement, this is where digitalization and artificial intelligence come in. And this is what can make the industry not only more environmentally friendly, but also more efficient and competitive. That is why many managers of heavy industry enterprises are now talking not just about a green transition, but about green and digital transitions for our industries.
About IT specialists in metallurgy
— Transition to a green course it won't be easy. After all, we do not have enough IT specialists to work on the transformation. Just five to seven years ago we were looking for metallurgical engineers whom we could teach IT. Now it's the other way around. We prepare IT specialists, whom we train in metallurgy. And these are the people who will be in charge during the green and digital transition of our company. This is already happening. We will all be part of this transition, and we better be ready for the challenge.
