Uncovering the secrets of steel: Martino Olioso on innovation

“Who made me fall in love with metallurgy? The professors I met in high school. They instilled in me the desire to deepen my understanding of this discipline. And to think that in middle school, I told myself I would go straight to work instead of university!” Martino Olioso has come a long way since then and has never stopped challenging himself or gaining experience, as he puts it. He applied his initiative and sought practical experiences in various companies each summer during his studies.

“The final thesis for my master’s degree was done in collaboration with a steel mill where I had interned and personally contacted,” he reveals. “That experience allowed me to understand how the production process works within a company, starting from a piece of scrap metal. More specifically, I focused on implementing a production method for automatic steels. Due to their high sulfur content, which is combined with bismuth as an alloy, they require careful management to achieve a quality product.”

Martino, however, made a name for himself even before defending his thesis. The opportunity came during the Industrial Engineering Day, an event organized by the Department of Industrial Engineering that connects students with companies.

“I had an interview with Danieli, which called me back a few months later. I remember I was on vacation. I didn’t think twice about accepting. It was the field I was most interested in, so I moved from Verona to the province of Udine. I’ve been working there as a process technologist for two years now.”

Today, his focus is on the steps leading up to production. “We start from the customer’s requests to allow them to produce exactly what they need,” observes the former UniTrento student. “In fact, I deal with the heat treatment processes of steel, particularly during the rolling phase, which is responsible for deforming the material. Depending on how the heat treatment is conducted—considering factors like temperature, cooling rate, or the presence of alloying elements—we can obtain steels with characteristics and properties that define their type of use.”

It’s not just about study and design; maintaining a close relationship with the customer is crucial. As soon as the plant is installed and ready to operate, Martino explains to company operators how to use it correctly. “It’s rewarding to design the thermal system and then set it in motion, adjusting the parameters to ensure it performs as well as possible.”

However, the job isn’t solely about technical expertise. Soft skills also play a vital role. “It may seem trivial, but teamwork is essential for improving methods,” he notes. “Time management is crucial; it’s important to understand what the priorities are. Last but not least, the ability to communicate effectively so that the message reaches the recipient as intended is key. It’s a skill I didn’t have, but experience is helping me acquire it.”