What's your plan for steel?" is a question Bill Gates always uses whenever someone pitches him an idea of how to stop global warming [1]. Agriculture and the industry are responsible for almost half of the gas emissions worldwide and the steel industry is a major contributor. We encounter steel everywhere in life. I guess most of you are reading this article sitting on a steel chair – and for a good reason. The adaptability and durability of steel are unique and it is used to construct cars, buildings, gas pipelines, electrical transmission towers, and tools that we use on a daily basis.

What is'platformisation' and how does it relate to digital manufacturing? How can cloud-based design help steelmakers improve efficiency and reduce costs? How far can we go with'deep machine learning' without losing our grip on ethical responsibility and what exactly is'knowledge engineering'? These are all questions that need to be answered if steelmakers are going to gain a greater understanding of the world surrounding Industry 4.0 and its associated technologies. Augmented reality, robotics, cyber-enabled design and manufacturing – they are all subjects that need to be'top of mind' in the steel industry of the future.