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Production of metallurgical enterprises requires high costs and the production process in blast furnaces is among the most complex manufacturing processes. Blast furnace process is energy intensive and, since the prices of input raw materials have been constantly rising, companies must look for possible ways how to reduce their costs. Metallurgical enterprises are not capable of reducing the prices of input raw materials, which is why the reduction of production costs is the way to go in order to produce cheaper than the competitors. Cost saving is the way to remain competitive in a global scale. One of the potential methods to reduce costs and to simultaneously increase the efficiency of the production process is the application of lean manufacturing principles. This concept was originally introduced in the automotive industry in car production in Toyota Company. Lean production concept has proved to be a very effective tool to improve the manufacturing processes, which is the reason why this concept has been applied in other industrial fields. Lean production in metallurgical processes may contribute to savings and to cost reduction in metallurgical production. This article is focused on the application of lean manufacturing principles in metallurgical processes.

Keywords: lean manufacturing, metallurgical production, principles

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