BY VEDANT PATHAKDigital transformation in a steel plant: the first 90 days
Short answer: Steel plants don't need a big-bang ERP. They need three numbers they can trust every morning. Here's how I start.
Most steel plants I walk into already have data: weighbridge slips, furnace logs, dispatch registers, Excel MIS. The problem isn't missing data. Nobody trusts it.
Days 1–30: find the three numbers
Ask the plant head one question: "Which three numbers decide your day?" It's usually production tonnage, power consumption per tonne and dispatch vs. orders. Everything else can wait.
- Map where each number is born (shop floor, weighbridge, SAP/Tally, register)
- Find who touches it before it reaches management
- Note every manual re-entry. That's where the errors are
Days 31–60: one source of truth
Bring those three numbers into one clean table with automated refresh. No new software yet, just Power Query and discipline.
If the number on the dashboard doesn't match the number in the meeting, the dashboard loses forever.
Days 61–90: earn the right to go bigger
Once leadership opens the dashboard every morning, you have the trust to talk about ERP modules, mobile data capture and automation. Transformation is 70% process and people, 30% tools.