Ovako Imatra, part of Ovako Group – a leading special steel manufacturer – partnered with Brillian to build awareness, and explore and accelerate its AI readiness across production, support, as well as business operations and HR. The goal of Brillian Ignite, the intense AI capability program, was to build a foundational understanding of AI across Ovako Imatra’s leadership team, identify and validate impactful AI use cases as well as develop concrete next steps and responsibilities for the pilot-ready concepts. Overall, more than 40 AI use cases were identified across personal, operational, and product levels, using Brillian’s tools such as the AI Heatmap, AI ROI Toolkit, and AI Adoption Matrix—most relying on traditional machine learning, with nearly half feasible with the help of existing platforms.

Turning AI curiosity into tangible business value through training, experimentation, and strategic planning

Ovako Imatra’s management team expressed clear enthusiasm for adopting AI but recognized that they needed a common language and ground for discussing the potential in a structured way. They acknowledged making meaningful use of AI would require not only new organizational capabilities but also expert-driven exploration of relevant applications. The tailored Brillian Ignite program included:

• Two half-day in-person workshops with the full leadership team
• Two rounds of both group as well as 1-on-1 mentoring with Brillian’s experts to align as well as scope out AI business applications
• Hands-on support to identify, evaluate, and refine AI use cases with the help of Brillian’s AI Heatmap, AI Adoption Matrix, AI Maturity Framework and AI ROI Toolkit
• Use case cards structured to clarify the potential for AI, data requirements, feasibility and complexity, and business value.
• Strategic roadmap recommendations to embed AI into Ovako Imatra’s core operations and build the relevant capabilities

“We’re just at the beginning of our AI journey, but now we know where and how to move forward. This program has built a long-lasting impact for our leadership team and it’s now easier to push the different use cases forward.”, comments Riina Heikkinen, Director and Head of Business Development at Ovako Imatra.

Prioritized use cases and a pathway to continue toward AI maturity

The management team members were guided through identifying over 40 AI use cases using Brillian’s tools developed for this very purpose         . Through systematic analysis and impact and feasibility estimations based on AI ROI toolkit, we were able to prioritize top-priority cases, that in turn were further developed into pilot-ready concepts.

“It's been inspiring to be a part of Ovako Imatra’s journey from the initial excitement to concretizing the applications for AI. In a short time, the team has made remarkable progress and now has a clear direction for how to continue integrating AI into their business operations.”, says Jussi Järvinen, CEO at Brillian.

At Ovako, we specialize in clean, high quality engineering steel tailored to the needs of customers in the bearing, transport, and manufacturing sectors. Our high-quality steel, based on 97% recycled steel, not only ensures lightweight and resilient products but also enables more sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. With 2600 dedicated employees and a global presence spanning over 30 countries, along with approximately EUR 1.1 billion in sales, Ovako, a subsidiary of Sanyo Special Steel and a proud member of Nippon Steel Corporation, stands at the forefront of the steel industry. Our purpose is clear: Together we create steel for a decarbonized society. Discover more about our innovative solutions at www.ovako.com, www.sanyo-steel.co.jp, and www.nipponsteel.com