In the modern steel industry, subject to increasingly competitive global markets and stricter environmental and quality regulations, material traceability is no longer an optional advantage but an essential requirement. Traditional quality certificates—often in paper or PDF format—are vulnerable to tampering and counterfeiting, causing serious impacts across the entire supply chain: delays, legal disputes, and loss of reputation.
AFP®: The Solution for the Digital Steel Certification
Precisely to meet these needs, AFP® by Need Steel was created — a digital anti-fraud certification platform based on a permissionless blockchain. Thanks to a digital sealing system, each certificate becomes immutable, publicly verifiable, and protected against any attempt at tampering. The recorded timestamps and metadata ensure transparency throughout the entire supply chain.
The certificates are stored on a secure cloud, accessible through intuitive dashboards and enriched with real-time reports. Additionally, the custom APIs enable seamless integration with ERP and PLM systems, eliminating manual inputs and human errors.
Advanced traceability of steel batches
A unique strength of AFP® is the dynamic management of batches. When the steel is cut, welded, or processed, the platform automatically updates the certificates by splitting them according to the quantities handled. Each new batch is identifiable with unique QR codes that link in real time to the correct data.
With a simple scan, customers, distributors, and service centers can immediately verify the authenticity of a certificate, eliminating inspection times and reducing the risk of disputes upon delivery.
Concrete benefits for the steel business
Adopting AFP® means:
- Drastically reduce of document fraud
- Limit legal costs and delivery delays
- Streamline the work of technical and administrative offices
- Accelerate onboarding within 1–2 months.
- Ensure compliance with the EU Digital Product Passport.
Thanks to alignment with the requirements of the European Digital Product Passport, AFP® enables steel companies to be immediately compliant with EU regulations, simplifying audits and making documentation always accessible and compliant.
A strategic asset for market positioning
From a commercial perspective, adopting AFP® allows producers to position their steel as certified, traceable, and fraud-resistant, offering added value recognized by customers. This approach enables achieving a premium price of up to 3%, increasing margins and customer loyalty.
In a market where quality, safety, and transparency make the difference, digital certification of steel through blockchain is no longer an option but the real competitive advantage for the future.
