In a statement, Tenova said the project, dubbed Acciaio_4.0, is backed by EUR12 million in funding from the Italian government. The project aims to equip the plant with Industry 4.0 technologies, integrating them throughout the entire steelmaking process and making the plant more efficient, flexible and sustainable.

“(The coronavirus pandemic) will widen the gap between those who invested in innovation and those who did not, favoring the first ones in a market outlook that promises to be very competitive,” said  Tenova chief executive Roberto Pancaldi.

“The implementation of a platform for advanced digital services based on big data analysis and machine learning technologies, integrating the entire value chain, is the key to manage steel plant operations in the safest and most efficient way,” he said.