Demographic change and the demand for higher efficiency are among the most pressing challenges facing steel plants worldwide. As a pioneer in the steel industry, Primetals Technologies Limited has addressed these challenges with the development of the Central Operation Cockpit (COC). This solution enables AI-powered, intelligent centralized supervision and assisted control of entire plant areas by a single operator - an important step toward fully autonomous steel plants. Through intuitive visualization, context-aware guidance, and multimodal operator support, the COC assists operators during complex tasks while ensuring consistent decision-making. Developed through close interdisciplinary collaboration combining deep process knowledge, automation expertise, and advanced digitalization capabilities, the COC acts as a technological flagship for Primetals Technologies and the global steel industry. It demonstrates how innovation and domain-specific artificial intelligence can fundamentally transform steel production.
