Ternium Brazil won five positions among the top ten places in the SteelChallenge-16 Americas, which took place in November 2021.
Associates Diego Meyrellis, in the TOP 10 for the third consecutive year, Laryssa Ramos, placed in the ranking twice in a row, Alana Machado, Thaísa Silva, and Heber Gomes won important positions and were among the top ten contestants in the competition.
The World Steel Association’s 2021 competition sought to produce a specific steel grade at the lowest cost possible, using an electric arc furnace simulator and a Secondary metallurgy simulator to refine it. SteelChallenge-16 is recognized by the global steel community as the main competition to engage students and industry professionals.
“It was my first participation in this competition, and it certainly won’t be the last. There were 24 uninterrupted hours and the more time passed by, the more you wanted to try. It’s not a simple competition, it’s a contest that adds value and knowledge, and so we are able to develop ideas of new opportunities to produce quality steel at a lower cost,” said Thaísa Silva, Operations Specialist at Ternium Brazil.
If for Thaísa it was a debut, for Steel Pan Preparation Coordinator Diego Meyrellis SteelChallenge-16 is an old friend. Diego was in the TOP 10 for the third year in a row, and in 2020 he won the bronze medal: “I began participating in 2019 when I moved to the Melt Shop. This time it was a little different from the other times because since I was more experienced, I was in charge of teaching the training in the simulators to all Ternium and help organized the Ternium Brazil team on the day of the competition.” Meyrellis also discussed the support the company offers competitors: “The participation in this event is always a mix of stress about the competition itself and the nice atmosphere to interact with other participants from different company plants. I’m always very happy with the support Ternium gives competitors, like theoretical and practical training and the availability of the entire structure necessary for us to compete for 24 hours,” he said.
Diego Meyrellis
Despite the competitive climate of dispute, a consensus among participants is to be able to spend a day with people from different plants and cities, resulting in a great exchange of knowledge and expanding each one’s horizons. According to Ternium Brazil Process Analyst, Alana Machado, being among the top places is just a detail: “What is really important is the teamwork and the opportunity to learn more about new steel production areas through a simulation. To participate in the SteelChallenge-16, to me, was incredible”, she concluded.
Laryssa Ramos
According to Heber Gomes, Melt Shop Process Control Coordinator, during the November challenge Ternium managed to gather a good workgroup of about 24 people, to work in-person with the simulator, following all COVID-19 protection standards and requirements: “On the site, we were able to exchange experiences and good practices immediately, contributing so that we could achieve top placements and continuing evolving year after year. I feel honored to be able to organize this meeting for the challenge every year, not just with the Melt Shop team but with all multidisciplinary teams of Ternium as a whole,” he added.
Heber Gomes
SteelChallenge-16 happens in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Oceania geographies, and only one representative from each region qualifies to the final stage. In the 2021 edition, more than 50 companies and 90 universities participated. Out of the 1,480 participants, 45.2% were members of the industry and 54.8% were students.
Alana Machado
Laryssa Ramos, who figured for the second consecutive time in the TOP 10 of SteelChallenge-16 Americas, joined Ternium in 2019 as an Intern and in November 2020 became a Trainee. Laryssa is responsible for process quality and the development of new steels in the continuous casting area. She expressly recommends everyone to have an opportunity to participate in a competition at this level: “It is always an enriching experience because during the event we have the chance to meet new people who work at other areas within Ternium itself, which ends up contributing to everyday work later, creating higher ease of information and exchange of experiences through those connections created. Besides, it’s very good to have the chance to experience other steps in the metalworks process through the simulators and to learn from that experience. Ternium offers a lot of incentive and support, which makes the experience even better.”