CASA_FRIULI_DEL_15_06_2021 Giampietro Benedetti Danieli

It's a plant — to use a common term — a 4.0 plant. The concept is that thanks to high automation, it can change products easily, quickly, and automatically. This allows us to serve clients in short times, even when producing different types and qualities of steel. In the control room, which is also equipped — there's practically a prototype that works well, it started working in June — with artificial intelligence, it allows for zero 'man on the flow.' Practically, there's no personnel on the production line. Personnel are in the control cab and in the adjacent area that prepares everything needed to automatically feed the line. So there's remote control that makes the plant safe. Beyond speed, quality, and so on, the plant is certainly safer for operational personnel since they don't intervene in the production phases. There's also great attention to sustainability throughout the entire production process. Sustainability here comes from a new type of reheating furnace that recovers energy, recovers the heat from water, and special burners that emit less CO2.

So, technicians, technical graduates, and engineers — practically the vast majority are technical graduates and engineers. There are 350 people. But it's also interesting to note that a plant like this has a 1-to-3 ratio with external services, which consequently feeds external service, maintenance, and digitalization providers — about another 400 to 450 people. So it's a significant structure.

Delicate, yes. There are few engineers and technical graduates. Today we're helped by the ITS — higher technical institutes — which have developed a pathway somewhere between a technical graduate and an engineer in terms of preparation and competence, but with a practical orientation. Fundamentally, there are few engineers. In general, we have about 30 percent of our EU personnel who are university graduates. So I would say a suggestion: schools need to pay more attention — schools and society in general. There's today a mismatch between productive needs, the needs of companies, and the education system. I believe we need to work on reducing this by guiding young people. We give a lot of credit — we've been doing this for 15 years — the BIMBO program at Danieli. We host teachers and students from technical institutes and universities, involving them in concrete projects. This way, young people can understand where their talents can be best expressed, with everyone's satisfaction. We've given a push toward technical specializations that ensure immediate employment. Before the end of the year, 95 percent of ITS graduates are hired, just like the specialists from the renaissance programs. This is a problem, but one that should also be stated positively: we're collaborating much better with universities than before to optimize these orientations in relation to the needs of the territory.

Yes, I believe this is mainly because there's a mismatch between school and the needs of the territory and the job market.

I believe it has decreased. We were at 30 percent of the regional GDP of Friuli Venezia Giulia. The regional GDP itself has decreased because of the technical offices we've had to establish abroad — in Russia, China, and the United States — for reasons of cost and proximity to clients. Today, I believe we're around 15 percent of the GDP here in the region.

Very much so. What you're highlighting from a technical perspective is correct — you mentioned reduced processing steps, and that's precisely one of the innovations we at Danieli are pushing: what we call 'direct production.' This eliminates the hot-cold-hot steps and their related energy, water consumption, and emissions. It's like a house that heats efficiently. We're working on this with great satisfaction. BS, which we also use as a showcase for our clients, is important both technologically and as a driver to make it as advanced as possible. It's a showcase for Danieli, and we want it to be a showcase for Italy as well. As a point of pride, BS is one of the few European steelworks — the only one in Italy — that has planted a forest around its rolling mill, with CO2-absorbing plants. From an aesthetic and image perspective, beyond this, we're seeing progressive reductions in energy consumption, water use, and emissions. We even have an algae production facility that will be used to feed animals — the algae grow using warm water heat and absorbing CO2. Instead of emitting CO2, we're producing algae.