How will the metals industry look in the decades to come? Which developments, innovations, and technologies will prevail? Primetals Technologies is asking questions like these today so that the company, together with its customers and partners, can play a key role in “creating the future of metals as one”—the company’s slogan.
If you want to create the future, you have to have the right ideas and solutions today. For this reason, Primetals Technologies has examined multiple trends, considered hundreds of hypotheses, and, over several years, held discussions with some 80 metals producers, their customers, researchers, industry experts, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and industrial partners worldwide. With this information, it has become clear where the metals industry is heading. A preeminent goal of Primetals Technologies is to develop long-term strategies that support customers to remain competitive and successful. The company’s comprehensive portfolio of technologies, modernization packages, products, and services that cover the entire lifecycle of a metallurgical plant – combined with integrated automation and environmental solutions—helps producers optimize plant performance and costs and meet increasingly rigorous standards for environmental protection and energy efficiency. This is the best starting point for a sustainable future. In the following pages, a preview of the future of the metals industry is presented based on expert analyses and in-depth research that show how ongoing developments will shape the future.
Raw Materials, Recycling, and Sourcing
2040: The metals industry has found ways to overcome the increasing scarcity and lower quality of raw materials. All material sources are tapped, and advanced technologies and solutions are applied, such as sensor systems, artificial intelligence, and biological processes. New technologies for material extraction and beneficiation are utilized, and radical solution approaches have been adopted.
New raw material sources
Society must still rely on the raw materials found in nature. Subsea mining is practiced, as it provides access to new raw materials and sources deep within the ocean. Required materials are also sourced from “extreme mining,” that is, mining in areas characterized by extreme conditions, such as remote regions of Siberia, the Antarctic, or deep underground.
Biomining processes
Biomining is used to extract copper and other metals from mine tailings and industrial wastes using bacteria. Various biological processes are also being optimized to extract metals from lower-grade ores.
100% recycling
The metals industry fully leverages the potential of recycling. Consider an old car or any appliance. It consists of carbon fibers, plastics, glass, and metallic components. After being completely disassembled, self-learning robots and automated sorting systems separate the parts down to the smallest pieces, which are recovered. This provides the basis for optimal reuse of base materials returned to the production process.
Urban waste is fully recycled and serves as another important source of reused materials. Through urban mining, anything that has become trash or rubbish is automatically broken down and sorted. Tracing and tracking systems support this process and provide detailed information on where reused materials are located within their respective lifecycle.
Green Production
2040: The accelerated growth of the world's population and the progressive changes in the global climate demand a radical rethinking and transformation of industrial production processes. The metals industry has therefore adopted ultra-efficient measures and solutions to ensure wide-scale green production aligned with local market requirements and regional developments. Concepts such as cradle-to-grave and lifecycle product assessments are already employed to enable economically sustainable, environmentally compatible production plants and processes.
Material and energy efficiency drive the economy
Prices for raw materials, fuels, and electricity have steadily risen – even faster than the general inflation rate. Sustainability, eco-friendliness, and production costs have become paramount. Energy consumption per unit of material has dropped to unprecedented levels since the onset of the industrial revolution, yet it remains vital that further improvements be adopted globally. Recovering 95% of waste heat is state-of-the-art. Taxation and government subsidies strongly support public awareness of energy-efficient solutions, the use of renewable energy sources, smart-grid systems, and the intelligent linking of metal-production steps. The same applies to waste consciousness and wastewater avoidance. All metallic scrap is now collected, and yield losses during metallic production processes have been slashed by 50% over the past two decades by the best-in-class producers. Any remaining CO₂ generation is mainly used in artificial photosynthesis systems to produce and utilize bioenergy.
Fully integrated and highly flexible production units
The depletion of most high-grade ore and mineral deposits has led to the need to mine low-grade material deposits. Metal producers have already adapted to cope with lower- quality input materials, and technology suppliers have developed the required plant technologies and systems. Operational complexity has increased due to the need for greater plant flexibility to process raw materials of varying quality and to utilize different energy sources. The latter includes renewable energy, hydrogen generation (with on-site storage), shale gas and oil, as well as artificial CH₄ from surplus renewable energy. These energy sources are interconnected via a smart grid and an energy-management system. Different material and energy sources are used interchangeably – depending on price, availability, and targeted metallic yields. All of this is controlled by advanced information and communication systems that are remotely cloud-monitored using mobile interfaces.
Holistic Plant Operation
2040: Plant operations are increasingly simulated in a virtual world using cloud-based solutions. Cyber-physical machinery is now standard in metallurgical production processes. Current plant operations are monitored and controlled through continuous data exchange between the real and virtual worlds in real time. Operators can supervise processes in parallel with the virtual world, verify forecast reliability, and intervene in ongoing operations as needed.
Lean automation structure
Virtual plant operation has redefined applied control technologies. Parameters for quality, capacity, and productivity are permanently measured and accurately simulated in real time. The continuous exchange of data and setpoints supports the application of a lean automation structure backed by a connected knowledge database. Highly sophisticated content and feedback loops characterize the database itself.
Seamless analytics and robotic systems
Online product quality and process analytics, including self-learning robots that support plant operations, are widely applied. They work autonomously during small-cycle loops and provide the required general information to enable holistic plant operation and production control. The robots are used in hazardous areas and for all routine maintenance work. They can self-adapt to production mode changes and significantly facilitate plant operators' work.
Online monitoring assures reliable operations
Production plants consist of a series of standardized mechatronic modules with embedded intelligence that enable nonstop plant monitoring. Integrated, highly sophisticated sensors and the associated communication technologies transmit a steady flow of data and information about the status of the installed mechatronic equipment throughout the entire production process. This makes it possible, for example, to flexibly adjust operation modes and parameters when machine or component wear becomes apparent. Necessary maintenance work is automatically scheduled just in time. Plant installations worldwide are remotely operated and controlled from a central station. This allows operators to determine if process technologies and equipment are functioning similarly at different sites. Furthermore, support is provided to identify conditions that enable systems to perform better or produce higher-quality products. Since all plants are fully interlinked, plant capacities and product dispositions are easily and quickly adapted to current requirements.
Service Models
2040: Central service sites capable of remotely managing operations and maintenance have become commonplace. Available around the clock, they regulate operations in real time from remote locations. Metal producers have at their disposal a wide range of services, from metallurgical support to the supply of spare parts. The increased availability and efficient management of plant data provide the basis for several new service models.
Maintenance from a distance
Proactive maintenance activities based on data from condition-monitoring systems are state-of-the-art. These systems not only predict specific events and perform predictive maintenance, but they also optimize overall plant operation. Remote access and plant control increase machine availability and reduce on-site staff work. Robots and automated systems are remotely controlled and support production operations and maintenance activities.
Spare parts just in time
Optimized spare-part logistics and just-in-time delivery mean reduced capital expenditures for producers. Additive manufacturing technology is one solution. Drawings are provided on demand to enable customers to produce certain spare parts or temporary exchange parts when needed. The spare-parts management system is linked to the predictive maintenance system to optimize the overall process holistically.
Managing the flood of data
Massive data volumes are managed intelligently. Data analytics and on-demand knowledge-based services are available anytime, anywhere with cloud computing. Numerous apps covering various aspects of the value-added metals production chain, including metallurgy, logistics, and cost management, can be downloaded to immediately support operators. Managers can access and analyze operational data and know-how at any time.
A virtual marketplace
The virtual marketplace for distribution and consulting serves as a platform for the automatic distribution of raw materials, energy, new and used parts, and even new plant technology and communication software. Agents automatically supply customers with raw materials or energy according to customized parameters.
