Related, this is a great example of why I’m skeptical when an analyst tells me they’ve done a “5 Whys” exercise to identify the root of an issue / optimization problem. The process follows a path to a solution with horse blinders intentionally on. If, in this case, the issue was the high use of steel, an analyst might drill down to the time it takes to retool or switch over a production line as the root cause of needing to use more than the ideal ratio. Clearly, however, the reality is much more complex.