Group photo | © Lea Ecker, IfaS
On 23 June 2026, students from the International Material Flow Management (IMAT) and Sustainable Business and Technology programmes (SBT double degree program with Foshan University) visited the Dillinger steel plant. On a warm summer day, we were welcomed in Dillingen by Stephan Krutten, who guided us through the steelworks and shared insights from his nearly 50 years of professional experience.
During the tour, the students were able to follow the entire steel production process: from coke and pig iron production in the blast furnaces to steelmaking and the manufacture of heavy plate. The enormous glowing “Bramme”(slab), the steel plant’s main product, left a particularly lasting impression. As the slabs passed through the rolling mill, they heated the surrounding air to around 50°C, making the outside temperature of 32°C in the shade suddenly feel pleasantly cool. The exceptionally large slabs produced at Dillinger enable the manufacture of high-quality steel products with long, continuous sections of material, which are used, for example, in the offshore industry.
Having been in operation for 222 years, Dillinger combines long-standing technical expertise with significant investment in the future of steel production. A new direct reduction plant (HDRI) and an electric arc furnace will gradually replace the coal currently used with hydrogen, significantly reducing CO₂ emissions. In addition, Dillinger aims to return by-products and production residues to the production cycle wherever possible in order to conserve resources. Water is also reused and treated several times, reducing both freshwater consumption and wastewater generation.
The excursion demonstrated how traditional industry, modern technology, and sustainable future concepts can work together, while highlighting the key role that steel plays in the energy transition and international value chains.
Further information on steel production at Dillinger is available here:
https://www.dillinger.de/