KTR No.43 / Nov. 2025

The distinctive strengths of the KOBELCO Group lie in its diverse technological and business assets accumulated through engaging in various businesses. Additionally, the group possesses interactions and touchpoints with customers in diverse fields of demand, enabling the group to understand industry trends and customer needs. KOBELCO’s concept of digital transformation (DX) involves combining digital technology and data with these unique assets to solve societal challenges and create new value. This article introduces the concept of and approach taken by KOBELCO’s DX.

The utilization of data is becoming increasingly important in the art of manufacturing. Kobe Steel is an early adopter of IoT and big data, which has contributed to product development and service improvement, but lacked a unified platform for efficiently utilizing data across the company. To meet this challenge, a data analysis platform, DataLab^®, has been established. This platform enables efficient collection and analysis of large amounts of data and leverages advanced analytical tools to provide new insights. The purpose of DataLab^® is to provide centralized data management, flexible infrastructure, advanced analytical capabilities, strict security, and user-friendly operability. This paper introduces the DataLab^® initiative through material development and equipment diagnosis examples.

To ensure the stable operation of the No.2 Bloom Mill at the Kakogawa Works, a data acquisition apparatus has been introduced to develop a system for detecting signs of equipment abnormalities. To accurately capture the signs of abnormalities in the No.2 Bloom Mill, where diverse operating conditions and patterns exist, a method has been adopted that enhances the versatility of models by extracting, learning, and analyzing data at suitable intervals for evaluation. This has led to the development of a system, Mode Oriented Novel Anomaly Detector (MONAD), which enables the steps from data preprocessing to model creation without the need for programming. Standardization of the flow from the model creation to maintenance work using MONAD has enabled the set-up of a system that can be operated by technicians and operators without expertise in machine learning. Efforts to improve the accuracy of the model are being made through its operation at the manufacturing sites.

In a processing plant with a multiple-variety mixed-flow production system, a single worker handles multiple machine tools. The traditional human-dependent management method, however, is facing difficulty in efficiently operating the entire factory. As an attempt to solve such issues using process data obtained from machine tools, an IoT platform has been constructed to monitor the status of the machine tools by utilizing IoT technology. This paper details the construction of a system that analyzes process data from machine tools in real-time and detects abnormalities for automation, including the machine-stop command. It also discusses the implementation of this system on machine tools and provides examples of analysis and utilization by combining worker position information with machine operation information.

In a changing business environment, it is necessary to promote Digital Transformation (DX) by utilizing digital technology. Additionally, for DX business transformations, which are highly uncertain, it is recommended to apply agile principles. On the basis of this recommendation, Kobe Steel has implemented a business transformation in the production management operations of its titanium plant. This has been achieved through the application of simple business support tools and the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle for continuous improvement. As a result, it has been confirmed that agile principles are valid for the business transformation of legacy production management operations, which still have numerous constraints and accumulated know- how.

This study focuses on the logistics planning of fuel for thermal-power generation from its unloading to being supplied for boilers. A new concept simulation system has been developed and implemented, which utilizes both logistics models and human judgment bidirectionally. This system utilizes diverse historical and planned information such as ship allocation, silo inventory, power generation, fuel composition, and process data. Its core is a simulator that calculates the logistics of storage from ships to silos, transportation from silos to boilers, and circulation among silos in a time series manner. Additionally, this system can incorporate human judgment in switching logistics during simulation. Furthermore, it is possible to backtrack to any chosen point in time after execution and modify or add judgments for switching, enabling re-simulation. These capabilities allow for the seamless incorporation of irregular operations that are difficult to model, while basing logistics planning on standard conditions derived from data and models.

Materials Informatics/Materials Integration (MI) technology is gaining attention as a method to advance the development of new materials efficiently. Kobe Steel is actively utilizing MI technology, exemplified by AI and simulations, in developing and utilizing a wide range of metal materials and their associated technologies. This article explains some representative cases: one involves using AI to predict material properties based on experimental data for welding materials and thin steel sheets, enabling the discovery of materials that achieve target properties by exploring chemical composition and heat treatment conditions. The other case explains how MI was used to obtain a material patent with few embodiments. Also explained is a case where simulations were constructed to evaluate the atomic-level material structure, properties, and processability into parts for thick steel plates and copper alloys. This allowed the development to be conducted on the desk. Finally, this article discusses the outlook for broadly utilizing MI to its fullest potential.

Information and communication technologies, as well as DX technologies, are advancing, raising expectations for the acceleration of automation and labor-saving in production sites. Kobe Steel has been focusing on the development of various functions, including welding robots, aiming at automating welding operations. However, the introduction of welding robot systems has created new tasks requiring manual work such as teaching and maintenance. Using DX technology to reduce this manual labor can further enhance the effectiveness of introducing welding robot systems, contributing to increased productivity for our customers. Combining the ARCMAN™ Offline Teaching System with DX technology, Kobe Steel has developed new functions for automatically generating welding programs and simulating cable behaviors to reduce manual teaching work. Furthermore, connecting laser sensors, interpass temperature sensors, and cameras linked with ARCMAN™ View to the robot system has automated the measurements required for welding.

In April 2023, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced its guidelines for the application of Building Information Modeling (BIM). In response, general contractors and others are accelerating their efforts to connect all the processes of design, construction, and maintenance to improve efficiency. Based on user feedback, Kobelco Construction Machinery has developed K-D2PLANNER^®, software to support crane- construction planning, focusing on connecting the design and construction processes and aiming to solve the challenges of that process. The expected results include preventing interference between cranes and structures during the construction process, confirming the required crane capacity and ground pressure, and commonizing construction procedures to prevent the need for reworking at the site, as well as suppressing construction delays and the incurrence of additional cost. It is also presumed that streamlining model creation can reduce the costs of construction planning, and selecting the optimal crane can reduce execution costs, contributing to increased productivity.

Many automakers are focusing on developing electric vehicles (EVs). In this effort, benchmarking research, which focuses on the automobiles of competitors and leading companies, is an important process for understanding the latest technology and market trends. Utilizing computer-aided engineering (CAE) in benchmark research allows for various investigations without compromising the research subject. An exemplary CAE model has been created from 3D-shape measurement data of an EV battery pack to perform several evaluations (e.g., impact crushing, thermal runaway, and durability.) The durability issue, herein identified, has been addressed by improving the cross-sectional shape of the components on the basis of the results of topology optimization. As a result, both durability and impact safety have been enhanced.

Electrification and decarbonization in the automotive field are raising the demand for higher-performance electromagnetic components. The pure iron-based soft magnetic wire rod (ELCH2 series), which features high magnetic flux density and cold forgeability, is a newly developed material that has contributed to the downsizing of electromagnetic components and energy saving. Furthermore, development is underway on pure iron-based soft magnetic wire rod (ELAC series) with improved responsiveness and alternating current properties to meet diversifying demands. An electromagnetic pure iron steel sheet (KELMOS) is also being developed. This paper introduces the magnetic properties and processability of pure iron-based soft magnetic materials. Also introduced are the results of the magnetic field analysis of electromagnetic relay components, which confirm that the magnetic force and responsiveness have been improved by using pure iron-based soft magnetic material and electromagnetic pure steel sheets instead of typical low-carbon steel in electromagnetic components.

The application of high-strength steel sheets to automotive parts is being considered to improve the collision safety of automobiles and reduce CO₂ emissions through weight reduction, and further strengthening is expected in parts that already use 1,470 MPa-grade steel sheets. The 1,700 MPa-grade steel sheet developed by Kobe Steel utilizes continuous annealing equipment with water quenching and has a martensite single-phase structure despite being a low alloy. This solves the application challenges associated with strengthening, such as bending workability, weldability, and delayed fracture resistance. One issue with water quenching is the deterioration of flatness due to thermal distortion during rapid cooling. This, however, has been improved by straightening with a powerful tension leveler, achieving flatness equal to or better than that of the 1,470 MPa-grade. This report introduces the concept of material design and the characteristics of steel sheets.

Increasing the tensile-strength of steel is an effective means of reducing the weight of automobiles and the environmental burden. Kobe Steel has developed high-tensile-strength steel for bolts, springs, thin steel sheets, and other products and provided them to society. To meet the demands for even higher-tensile-strength and applications in severe corrosion and hydrogen environments, it is important to understand the factors influencing hydrogen embrittlement, which may be a challenge for high-tensile-strength steels, and to create material design technology. This paper introduces hydrogen evaluation technologies to clarify the effects of the environment, material, stress, and strain on hydrogen embrittlement, including hydrogen entry monitoring using hydrogen permeation technique, hydrogen evaluation technology in materials using thermal desorption spectrometry, and slow strain rate tensile technique, as well as hydrogen visualization technology using secondary ion mass spectrometry. In addition, examples of material design technology, such as hydrogen entry suppression by elemental addition and hydrogen embrittlement suppression utilizing microstructure control and compressive residual stress, are explained.

In gas-shield arc-welded joints of ultra-high-tensile-strength steel sheets, there is an issue of increased slag generation, which inhibits electrodeposition-coatability. To address this issue, a welding technology has been developed to reduce the amount of slag generated and improve corrosion resistance after electrodeposition-coating. A welding process has been adopted in which the argon gas ratio in the shielding gas has been increased to 95% (high-argon welding process). The welding consumable has been designed to increase the strength of the welding joint by adding alloying elements that have low affinity with oxygen. In addition, the productivity of welding consumables has also been taken into consideration, and practical application has been sought using composite wires rather than the solid wires that are generally used in the automotive field. This paper describes a welding technology that combines electrodeposition-coatability and fatigue strength, realized by a combination of the welding process and welding consumables.

The industrial sector has recently placed increasing importance on material recycling to realize a circular economy. Mechanical fastening is the mainstream joining method for dissimilar metals in automobiles. Although this method assures high joint strength, disassembly of these joints is complicated. It is not the optimal joining method from the viewpoint of the material separation required for recycling. Against this backdrop, a laser joining technology, SP-ray™, which uses cold-spray coating as an intermediate layer, has been developed as a dissimilar metal joining method that achieves high joint strength together with assuring ease of disassembly. This paper presents the results which show that SP-ray™ joints can achieve joint strength equivalent to that achieved by mechanical fastening, and that heat treatment renders the steel and aluminum parts separable.

Bipolar plates are vital elements of fuel cell vehicles which are expected to be a key technology for reducing CO₂ emissions. They are required to have many functions and properties, such as acting as flow channels for fuel gas and acting as current collectors, also resisting corrosion, and possessing thinness for downsizing and lightening. Since several hundred bipolar plates are installed in each fuel cell vehicle, their productivity and cost reduction are also essential. Hence, Kobe Steel has developed NC (nano-carbon composite-coated) titanium, the world’s first pre-coated bipolar plate material that meets the above requirements. NC titanium is installed in vehicles such as the fuel cell vehicle MIRAI, which Toyota Motor Corporation launched in 2020. This paper explains the development concept, structure, and characteristics of NC titanium.

Plated copper alloys are used for automotive terminals. The terminal plating used in low-voltage circuits includes tin-plating and gold-plating. Tin is a general-purpose plating material that offers an excellent balance between cost and electrical reliability, while gold-plating is used in areas where electrical reliability is critical at low contact loads. Gold-plating, however, is subject to high manufacturing costs, and there is a need for tin-plating as a low-cost alternative. Therefore, attention has been focused on the fracture mechanism of the oxide film on a tin-plated surface, and by providing the surface with fine convex shapes of tin, low contact resistance has been obtained even under low contact loads. This paper introduces the performance of tin-plating for low contact pressure, which can partially replace gold-plating.