Why is sustainability important in the ferrochrome industry?

The sustainability phase allows the industry to pioneer major challenges such as stand-alone off-grid solutions through renewable energy, process efficiency, and the introduction of new steel production technologies. This research has not been done before in the ferrochrome industry of South Africa.

How does technology affect the ferrochrome industry?

The ferrochrome industry needs to research technologies that will assist it to compete for market share in a way that achieves and sustains competitive advantage. Corporate investments in technology affect organisations and their performance, including their supply chains, the society, and their environment .

What is the ferrochrome industry's roadmap?

The roadmap developed through this study addresses the South African ferrochrome industry's challenges through three phases: stabilisation, digitisation, and sustainability. A stabilisation phase avoids the typical hype about the fourth industrial revolution being an immediate solution to all the industry's challenges.

Does the ferrochrome industry need a digitisation solution?

The latter applies to the ferrochrome industry. Taking into account the challenge of increasing electricity costs for ferrochrome producers in South Africa, and the potential increase in energy consumption with the adoption of digitisation, an obvious short-term solution for the industry is to tackle the issue of energy cost.

Can ferrochrome processing reduce the energy crisis?

These authors suggest that the recovery of waste energy is of utmost importance to mitigate the energy crisis; and an opportunity to do this is present in the ferrochrome processing industry in the form of, off-gas thermal energy that is generated by the process.

How can technology intelligence help the ferrochrome industry?

The technologies discovered through technology intelligence need to be evaluated for their feasibility and success in the ferrochrome industry. Digitisation needs to be incorporated into new technologies to align the South African ferrochrome industry with the fourth industrial revolution.