The study investigated the nature of a steel production process in South Africa. The Iron and Steel Corporation of South Africa (Iscor) was analysed within various theoretical approaches within the sociology of science and technology.

Iscor follows the production processes that are based on a particular paradigm practiced throughout the world by steel-making organisations. The study aims to unlock this paradigm by using specific theoretical (ANT, SCOT and SSR) and disciplinary (MOT) approaches. Each approach provides a unique analytical dimension to the study: the influence of various human and non-human actors, the influence of social pressures, the historical evolution of the current practices and the management of risk.

The study explores how Iscor adheres to mainstream scientific work. Hence there is a focus on endogeneous approaches – “processes of technological change and their outcomes are part of what has to be explained and understood” (Rip et al, 1995). It is also noted that the technologies are derived from practical experiences and processes of scientific research.

There is an ongoing attempt to formulate an understanding between technical and social content of steel-making processes because automated plant machinery continue to replace manual labour. Finally, the study investigates how dominant steel-making technologies within Iscor’s Vanderbijlpark (VP) and Saldanah Bay (SB) plants have evolved to achieve a position of stability.

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