Consumables look small on the cost sheet, yet they are where a steel plant's cost per tonne drifts without anyone noticing. Electrodes, fluxes, lubricants and refractory are issued from stores, used across shifts and booked in bulk, so the link between what was consumed and what was produced is easy to lose. A crew that uses a little more on every heat never triggers an alarm, but the month-end variance tells a different story. Production teams that want consumption tracked heat by heat can ask iFactory AI's team to set up consumable tracking against their own benchmarks.
Track Every Kilogram of Consumable Against the Tonne It Made
iFactory AI links stores issues to heats, shifts and units, so drift in electrodes, fluxes, lubricants and refractory shows up in days, not at month end.
The Issue-to-Tonne Chain
Tracking breaks at the joins between systems. The chain below shows the five steps a consumable passes through and the gap that usually opens at each one.
Consumption Against Benchmark
Each consumable needs a benchmark per tonne. The gauges show illustrative consumption as a percentage of benchmark, and the marker shows where the benchmark sits.
See Your Consumables Against Benchmark, Heat by Heat
Book a 30-minute session and iFactory AI will show consumption per tonne by shift and unit from your own stores and production data.
Same Furnace, Four Crews
Averages hide behaviour. The chart compares one consumable across four shifts on the same unit, indexed to a benchmark of 100 with illustrative values.
96
101
128
99
Three Kinds of Loss
Not every over-consumption is the same problem. The fix depends on which kind of loss it is.
Real Consumption
Used on the heat, but more than needed. Fixed through process settings and crew coaching.
Waste
Broken, spilled or contaminated before use. Fixed through storage, handling and training.
Leakage
Issued but never traced to a heat, or booked to the wrong unit. Fixed through issue controls.
What to Track for Each Consumable
Each item has its own measure and its own usual leak. Use the table as a starting design for your tracking rules.
| Consumable | Measure | Usual Leak | Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrodes | Kg per tonne by furnace and crew | Breakage and tip loss | Log every breakage with cause |
| Fluxes | Kg per tonne by grade | Over-addition against slag target | Compare additions with slag chemistry |
| Lubricants | Litres per unit run hour | Leaks and over-greasing | Route-based issue with return counts |
| Refractory | Cost per tonne and heats per lining | Early relines and repairs | Track wear by heat count |
A Composite Scenario: Twenty-Six Days of Quiet Drift
A plant saw fluxes creep upward after a change in raw material. The bars compare how long the drift ran with month-end reporting and with heat-level tracking, using an illustrative thirty-day month.
The Production Team's Daily Consumable Check
Six questions, asked at the start of each day, keep the chain tight.
Where iFactory AI Fits
Stores, production and maintenance each hold part of the picture. iFactory AI joins them at the level of the heat.
Issue-to-Heat Matching
Each stores issue is linked to a heat, unit and shift, so leakage becomes visible.
Benchmark Alerts
Owners are notified when consumption per tonne moves outside its band.
Crew Comparison
Compare shifts on the same unit, so practice differences are visible and fair.
Cost Roll-Up
Consumable cost rolls into cost per tonne, so it sits beside every other driver.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we set a fair consumption benchmark?
Start from your own best sustained performance by grade and unit, then compare it with supplier guidance and published ranges for similar routes. A single plant-wide number is usually too blunt, because grade mix changes consumption. Review benchmarks each quarter. iFactory AI's team can help structure benchmarks so crews accept them as fair.
Do we need new barcodes or scanners in stores?
Not always. Many plants can start with existing issue records, then add scanning or lot tagging only where leakage is worst. The goal is to tie each issue to a heat or unit. If your current process cannot do that, a light change at the issue counter, such as a required unit and heat reference, closes most of the gap.
Will crews see this as blame?
It can, if the data is used only to rank people. Plants that succeed share the comparison with the crews first, ask them to explain the differences and use the best shift's practice as the standard. Fair benchmarks matter too. See how crew comparison is presented in a short walkthrough.
Which consumable should we start with?
Start with the one that has the highest annual spend and the clearest link to a heat, which in many plants is electrodes or fluxes. A first win there builds trust and funds the rest. Lubricants and refractory follow well, since their tracking rules differ. Add the smaller items once the routine is stable and owners are named.
How does this connect to overall cost per tonne?
Consumable cost is one bucket in the cost per tonne stack. Because iFactory AI tracks it at heat level, a movement in the total can be traced back to the consumable, shift and unit behind it. Ask support how the buckets roll up in the driver view your leadership team uses.
Turn Small Consumable Drift Into a Number You Can Fix
iFactory AI connects stores, heats and shifts so every kilogram is accounted for. Book a walkthrough to see it on your own consumable data.
