The 9° Regional Steel Challenge, which is organized by The World Steel Association, was held on December 17, 2014. Its purpose is to bring together steel companies worldwide by challenging member companies and regional universities to manufacture steel of a given quality at the lowest cost in 24 hours, using an online simulation methodology.
This regional phase brought together 1,566 teams and 1,922 participants from 34 countries, divided in two categories: “Students” and “Industry.” In the “Americas” region (which includes North, Central and South America), Emiliano Buhlman and Thomas Aagaard, two young men from Universidad Nacional del Sur in Argentina, won the “Students” category.
Meanwhile, the team composed by the Brazilians, Rodrigo Ramos (from Gerdau, a member company of Alacero) and Francisco Necy Alves (a professional from the National Service for Industrial Learning (SENAI/CE), achieved the first place in the “Industry” category.
The regional phase of the Steel Challenge tested participants to produce steel for construction at the lowest total cost and highest quality using a simulation of a basic oxygen steelmaking developed by steeluniversity.org.