On May 21–22, 2025, the SMARTChain project, funded with €4.9 million by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (grant agreement no. 101178919), held its first General Assembly at the Acerinox Europa facilities in Los Barrios (Cádiz, Spain).

The meeting marked a key milestone to review the progress achieved during the first six months and to plan the next steps. On the first day, partners presented updates on the Work Packages and main activities, focusing on project management, requirements analysis, and the definition of the software environment and modules. Key topics included the Digital Material Passport (DMP), the design of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), connectivity solutions for manufacturing systems, and strategies for data enrichment and centralized storage. The day concluded with a technical visit to Acerinox’s plant and a social dinner, fostering networking among participants.

The second day was dedicated to thematic workshops on the project’s four use cases, ranging from optimizing stainless steel production to ensure high quality and reduce energy consumption, to developing a digital passport for NGO electrical steel, improving coated steel product quality, and optimizing steelmaking parameters to reduce defects and environmental impact. These workshops enabled in-depth discussions on the current status and next steps for each use case with technical partners.

The meeting ended with a recap of activities and the definition of upcoming actions, laying the foundation for effective collaboration and the successful implementation of SMARTChain, aimed at achieving seamless digital integration across the steel value chain for high-quality final products.