Complex sentence: A few hundred pounds of well placed shaped charges can demolish a building faster than several hundred tons of machinery, and in steel manufacturing small shaped charges are often used to pierce taps that have become plugged with slag.
Split into simpler sentences: A few hundred pounds of well-placed shaped charges can raze a building faster than several hundred tons of machinery. In steelmaking, small shaped charges are often used to pierce taps that have become plugged with slag.