Conclusion

While global stainless steel production has risen from 21 million tons in 2003 to 62 million tons in 2024, this is certainly due to strong market demand, but also to productivity improvements. These productivity gains stem from several technological developments and breakthroughs:

• the AOD refining process, developed by Linde, a subsidiary of the Union Carbide Corporation, and first used in 1968;

• continuous casting, which has been commonly used for stainless steel since the early 1980s;

• Cold rolling on an integrated continuous line, which reached commercial production in 1998. This process allows for a direct transition from hot-rolled strip to cold-rolled coil.

Potential areas of progress include:

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