According to the plant staff, the model will allow the company to plan maintenance tasks, improve safety and minimise downtime at the metal facility.

The model is an attempt to stop the inevitable “brain-drain” of experience and knowledge as the plant’s work force ages.

The project models and demonstrates a number of jobs around the iron-making plant, such as how to do a mantle change.

In the metal plant, machinery must be taken apart, parts replaced, and then reassembled in extreme conditions. The 3D model is a step toward making the entire process clearer for new workers.