ArcelorMittal: Breakthrough product developments showcased at Wire & Tube 2016 in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf, 5 April 2016 –On the occasion of Wire and Tube 2016, held on 4-8 April in Düsseldorf, ArcelorMittal showcases some of its breakthrough product developments.
It would be hard to imagine a world without steel, which plays a crucial role in life today. However, industries must permanently adapt to meet increasingly stringent requirements related to weight, cost, and carbon footprint. Represented at Wire and Tube 2016 by its divisions Long Products, WireSolutions and Tubular Products, ArcelorMittal Europe is focusing on innovation to provide the most appropriate solutions for its customers and help them adapt to changing industry norms.
- Automotive
ArcelorMittal’s automotive clients are under pressure to reduce CO2 emissions, through optimization of fuel consumption and weight. With 30% of R&D spending dedicated to automotive in 2015, ArcelorMittal supports its clients by developing new steel grades and providing reliable weight reduction solutions; e.g. the recent development of a low-carbon steel crash component, lighter and more cost-effective than aluminium, at the group’s Vitry site (France). Vitry is part of Tubular Products Europe, whose front crash components and rear axle beams are being showcased for the first time at Tube 2016.
The group’s European long products plants are engaged in developing improved products for specific auto applications:
- A case in point is the Freeform® M1500H2 which has been developed for the production of ultra-high strength engine bolts with improved hydrogen resistance and being promoted to OEMs and fastener makers.
- Another instance of the development of innovative steel grades is the SOLAM® B1100 for advanced steel forging applications reducing component weight by 20% .
- A third example is Solam® M2050 C – Cor, which is specifically designed to lighten the suspension and has increased resistance to corrosion.
Plastiflat®, a new manufacturing process for galvanised polyester-coated wire for flat blades, is one of the group’s more recent developments, realised at the Marnaval mill (eastern France), part of the group’s wire drawing division WireSolutions. Marnaval is a world leader in wire production for wiper arms and flat blades, serving mainly the automotive and construction market.
- Construction and infrastructure
ArcelorMittal is constantly developing lighter, more cost-effective designs for construction and infrastructure. Its wire business WireSolutions was the first worldwide to offer galvanised, waxed and sheathed strand for cable-stayed structures and higher tensile strands (> 2000 N/mm2).
ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products is the world’s largest producer of hot-rolled and cold-formed sheet piles, bearing piles and foundation solutions. In 2015, a new generation of wider, lighter steel sheet piles was launched: the AZ® range, available in widths of up to 800 mm. The product leads to faster completion of projects by reducing the number of elements and brings down project costs by weight savings.
Tubular Products Europe offers a comprehensive and diversified range of tubular products for the construction sector – the division’s single biggest market. Its offer has been reinforced by recent upgrades at the sites of Krakow (Poland), Karvina (Czech Republic) and Iasi (Romania).
Key contract wins in recent years have consolidated ArcelorMittal’s reputation as a leading supplier to infrastructure projects. In May 2015, ArcelorMittal WireSolutions signed three contracts to supply a total of around 21,500 tonnes of steel fibres to the Doha Metro project in Qatar, representing its first delivery of steel fibres to the Middle East and the largest steel fibre contracts ever signed by the business to date. Between 2011 and 2013, the business signed three multi-million pound contracts to supply a total of 12,000 tonnes of steel fibres for the gigantic London Crossrail project, representing the biggest total delivery of steel fibres in the entire project.
- Mechanical engineering
ArcelorMittal’s European long products offer innovative steel grades for the mechanical engineering market.. Revigny-sur-Ornain is France’s main supplier of freecutting steel for the mechanical engineering, automotive and construction markets such as Usimax®, a special steel grade with Superior machining properties and reduced processing cost by avoiding heat treatment.
- Agriculture and arboriculture
ArcelorMittal’s division WireSolutions is recognised worldwide for the quality of its Crapal® anticorrosion product range including the latest innovative coatings CrapalOptimum® and CrapalPremium®. Highly resistant to corrosion and perfectly weldable, and produced under ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 norms, the wires are used for diverse applications, i.e. agriculture, arboriculture and winemaking. 110 tonnes of ArcelorMittal’s CrapalOptimum® wire are currently being used to construct the world’s biggest greenhouse in Almeria, Spain, completed in July 2014.
- Energy
ArcelorMittal Europe Long products has developed specialised grades for use in corrosive environment of offshore and oil and gas field.
ArcelorMittal is one of the main Europe suppliers of high-performance steel products and services for the global energy industry through its divisions WireSolutions and Tubular Products. Extensive investments at the site of Ostrava (Czech Republic) in 2014 have modernised the manufacture billet feedstock for the oil industry, nearly doubling Ostrava’s annual production capacity of oil pipes.
WireSolutions is a leading producer of high-end technological wire solutions for the buoyant offshore market. In 2013, the business signed a five-year contract worth over €200m – recently extended by another two years - with engineering company Technip to develop high-performance, high-strength steel wire for the production of flexible pipes for the development of deepwater oil and gas fields. The wire is being produced at the site of Bourg-en-Bresse (France).
With a strong focus on innovation and the most comprehensive range of steel products, ArcelorMittal has the necessary global expertise to provide the most adapted solutions to its customers – in all industrial sectors.
Press contact:
Pascal Lamiroy, +352 4792 2021, pascal.lamiroy@arcelormittal.com
Arne Langner, +49 178 6795808, arne.langner@arcelormittal.com
Europe
ArcelorMittal employs more than 80,000 people and produces approximately half of its total steel volume in Europe. With a presence in 17 European countries and around 400 different sites, ArcelorMittal Europe had revenues of €29 billion and a crude steel production of 44 million tonnes in 2015. We supply flat and long steel products for all major steel markets, including the automotive, construction, packaging and household appliances industry – supported by a leading R&D and distribution network with 9 laboratories and 1,000 full-time researchers in Europe.
For more information about ArcelorMittal Europe please visit: http://europe.arcelormittal.com
Worldwide
ArcelorMittal is the world's leading steel and mining company, with a presence in 60 countries and an industrial footprint in 19 countries. Guided by a philosophy to produce safe, sustainable steel, we are the leading supplier of quality steel in the major global steel markets including automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging, with world-class research and development and outstanding distribution networks.
Through our core values of sustainability, quality and leadership, we operate responsibly with respect to the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, contractors and the communities in which we operate.
For us, steel is the fabric of life, as it is at the heart of the modern world from railways to cars and washing machines. We are actively researching and producing steel-based technologies and solutions that make many of the products and components people use in their everyday lives more energy efficient.
We are one of the world’s five largest producers of iron ore and metallurgical coal and our mining business is an essential part of our growth strategy. With a geographically diversified portfolio of iron ore and coal assets, we are strategically positioned to serve our network of steel plants and the external global market. While our steel operations are important customers, our supply to the external market is increasing as we grow.
In 2015, ArcelorMittal had revenues of US$63.6 billion and crude steel production of 92.5 million tonnes, while own iron ore production reached 62.8 million tonnes.
ArcelorMittal is listed on the stock exchanges of New York (MT), Amsterdam (MT), Paris (MT), Luxembourg (MT) and on the Spanish stock exchanges of Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid and Valencia (MTS).
