In integrated steel production, hot metal produced in blast furnaces must be continuously transported to the steel shop using torpedo ladle cars (TLCs). These vessels follow a closed-loop cycle through several processing stations: Refilling with hot metal, Desulfurization, Steel shop delivery, and Masonry checking before returning to service.

At the ArcelorMittal Fos-sur-Mer site, managing this fleet presents significant challenges. Transport capacity is constrained by limited locomotive availability. Any delay or inefficiency directly impacts blast furnace operations, as continuous TLC availability is essential for maintaining production flow.

This work develops an integrated approach combining discrete-event simulation, analytical bounds calculation, and meta-heuristics to support both strategic and operational decision-making for TLC fleet management.