?Why Saving the Steel Industry Relies on Ecosystem Engineering

The End of the Tonnage Era: The Rise of Future Steel

Following four decades of physical capacity expansion, Iran’s steel industry faces energy imbalances, decarbonization mandates, and shifting global competition rules, necessitating a redefinition of its production model and technology development. Overcoming technological dependency requires transitioning from a binary "make-or-buy" mindset to the orchestration of an innovation ecosystem. Along this pathway, steelmakers deploy four collaborative patterns—exploitative, market-creating, capability-building, and architectural—to optimize production, share R&D costs, and shift their role from passive technology consumers to owners and suppliers of technical know-how and licensing