ABSTRACT
The steel industry has been characterized by rapid technological developments with new processes such as strip casting, post-combustion of iron carbide, and coal-based production of liquid iron. It is this re-engineering of the steel industry which is making technology transfer possible. "What most companies are trying to do is cut the cycle time from when the customer decides he wants some steel to the time he gets it delivered," 77 says Allan M. Rathbone, general manager of research at US Steel. He states that this goal sounds innocent enough, but it can involve drastic physical changes. In his capacity as the head of technology of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Rathbone is well positioned to spot broad trends. Rathbone points to the immediate future where "maybe what we need to do is put our computers in the customer's plant."
