The future of metals and steel industry

A joint project between Aalto University and ABB to envision the metals industry in the year 2040 and to paint a picture of coming challenges and solutions.

Metals 2040 - Why is a change needed?

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What will the world look like in 2040?

In the year 2040, drastic shifts in society will be forcing companies to adapt to new industrial standards, tackling problems of the modern era. The metals industry faces great pressure to transform from an environmental, political, and cultural perspective - and this pressure will continue until major action is taken.

The challenges leading up to 2040 include
  • the sustainability crisis
  • rapid digitalization and unlocking the potentials in data
  • shifts in consumer demands
  • the attraction of top talents

How will the future metals plant succeed?

A massive shift in the industry’s operations and strategies must be made in order to tackle the challenges mentioned.

Our vision of the metals industry consists of plants and operations that will be

  • community-oriented
  • digitally-driven
  • constantly developing ecological solutions with the society around it

ABB collaborates with generation Z to create Metals 2040 vision

Metals 2040 Value Chain Infographic

Metals infographic

Metals 2040 full report

By the year 2040 industries will have changed the way they work to tackle the challenges resulting from drastic shifts in society as we know it today. One industry that will face great pressure to transform from environmental, political, and cultural perspectives is metals - and this pressure will continue until major action has been taken. Companies in the industry will face four key challenges leading up to 2040.

Partner with ABB to accelerate your transformation journey towards the future

Why ABB?
  • Experienced provider OT and IT stack
  • Third party and legacy integration
  • Domain knowledge and metals industry knowledge
  • Efficient transformation projects, focus on ROI
  • New tools such as cloud, analytics
  • Development model with partners to jointly develop solutions

>> ABB references in metals industry

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