This issue of MPT International one more time focuses on what is referred to as upstream technologies of steel production. The various articles in this issue dealing with steelmaking topics centre around keywords like energy saving, conversion cost cutting or efficiency increases. These keywords are no longer empty phrases. They are rather synonymous with the technological and economic challenges the steel industry has been presenting with in recent times. Depending on the entrepreneurial objective, different approaches are taken, as the articles in our journal show. For example, in Japan Tokyo Steel commissioned one of the largest EAFs ever built. This furnace impresses with its total capacity of 420 t and hourly production rates of up to 360 t. The melting unit has been designed with the objective of achieving highest efficiencies by cutting operational costs, especially as a result of low manpower and energy demands. The authors of the article explain how the plant achieved the desired performance parameters within a timeframe of just a few months. A special challenge was the ramp-up of this energy-intensive plant under the circumstances existing in crisis-torn Japan. In this issue of MPT International, you will find further examples of latest developments in melting technology successfully introduced in practice. The Mexican steelmaker Talleres y Aceros will pioneer the introduction of a new scrap preheating process. This technology – called “EAF Quantum” – was first presented to the public by Siemens VAI at last year’s Metec expo. Talleres y Aceros plans to commission the new compact steelmaking plant with an annual capacity of 1.2 million t in mid-2013. This will be a litmus test of whether this new technology will really be able to reach a power rate of 280 kWh per t of steel and – last but not least as a result of the savings in consumables – reduce the specific conversion costs by around 20% compared to conventional EAF technology. Finally, also the virtual “steeluniversity”, an initiative developed and sponsored by the Word Steel Association and presented here in this journal, demonstrates the steel industry’s strong commitment to sustainable steel production.