Leoben, Austria — April 2026. Belgin Mutlu, Area Manager of Area Analytics, and Thomas Kristan, PhD Student in Area Analytics, represented Pro²Future at the ESTEP “AI4Steel” Conference, held on 15–16 April 2026 at Live Congress Leoben, Austria.
The two-day event, organized by the ESTEP Focus Group Smart Factory, brought together researchers, technology providers, and steel producers from across Europe to explore the growing role of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in the steel industry.
Trends, opportunities, and challenges across the steel value chain
The workshop addressed the full breadth of AI applications in the steel sector — from data-driven process modeling and digital twins to autonomous control systems and tools designed to enhance human operators’ capabilities. Topics spanned the entire steel value chain, covering ironmaking, steelmaking, downstream processing, and cross-cutting themes such as decarbonization and resource efficiency.
Exchange with industry and research partners
A special highlight was the Gala Dinner, which offered excellent opportunities for personal exchange, including discussions with Alexander Thekale from Primetals Technologies, a long-standing partner in ongoing joint projects, and Lukas Morand from Fraunhofer IWM.
Pro²Future’s work in the AI4Steel community
Pro²Future has been working on applied AI research for the steel industry for several years. Our Area Analytics team applies Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Visual Data Science, and Causal Data Science to real-world challenges across the steel value chain, including quality prediction, process optimization, and AI-assisted decision support for human operators.
With our long-term projects in the steel sector, we feel strongly connected to the AI4Steel community and the cross-disciplinary collaboration it represents.
Related posters and projects
About ESTEP
ESTEP is the European Steel Technology Platform, connecting researchers and industrial partners working on innovation across the steel sector. The Focus Group Smart Factory coordinates activities around digitalization, AI, and smart manufacturing. Learn more at estep.eu.
