ARCEO launches a 60 million EUR investment in Belgium with a breakthrough coating technology

Liège, 27 April 2015 – ARCEO, a joint venture from ArcelorMittal and Sogepa (Société de Gestion et de Participations) is investing 60 million EUR in the construction of an innovative coating line at Kessales (Liège) in Belgium. 

The line is based on the Jet Vapor Deposition process (JVD), a new technology which has been developed by the research and development (R&D) teams at ArcelorMittal in collaboration with the Metallurgical Research Centre (CRM Group) in Liège. Production is aimed to start mid-2016, the line will have a capacity of 300,000 tons per year. During a second phase it shall be coupled to the existing continuous annealing line in Liège.

According to Jean-Claude Marcourt, Vice-President of the Walloon Government and Minister of Economic Affairs, Industry and Innovation, the public-private partnership between CRM Group and ArcelorMittal’s R&D teams results in high-level technology of pure Walloon origin. He adds: "Steel is a material of the future with high potential. JVD is an innovation which meets the current economic and environmental challenges. Today we are building a new industrial tool at the heart of the Liège region, an undertaking with high development potential. The ecosystem surrounding the steel of the new generation is getting stronger and is continuously fed by the know-how and the skills of workers and researchers from our region".

What is JVD?
Jet Vapor Deposition enables steel coating at high speed by projecting zinc vapor on the moving strip. This new technology allows for the first time coating of substrates that couldn’t be coated with conventional processes. It also opens perspectives for future development of new innovative products. JVD is a breakthrough process, both in terms of production process and product development. “It demonstrates the dedication and capability of our R&D teams who have been developing JVD over the last eight years, from a small lab trial up to a full industrial solution,” comments Carl De Maré, Vice-President and Head of Emerging Technology Development for ArcelorMittal Group.

Renaud Witmeur, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Sogepa adds: "The JVD technology illustrates once more, that the Liège area has been and will always be the home of innovation in the steel sector. This investment shows the will of Sogepa to contribute to the future of the sector in the region, relying on new promising products.” 

Low energy consumption
The JVD technology is REACH compliant: by only using thermal principles, it generates hardly any  emissions and represents an important environmental advantage with low energy consumption. The life cycle assessment illustrates that the environmental impact of JVD is substantially lower than the impact from steel production by electro-galvanization.

Bernard Dehut, CEO at ArcelorMittal Liège, adds: “This project is an integral part of our new industrial plan. ArcelorMittal Liège will be the first industrial site worldwide using this technology. This will reinforce our global leadership in coating technology.”

Press Contacts

ArcelorMittal Europe media relations: arne.langner@arcelormittal.com

ArcelorMittal Liège media relations: virginie.lardinois@arcelormittal.com

SOGEPA media relations: severine.cirlande@sogepa.be

About ArcelorMittal

Europe

ArcelorMittal employs more than 100,000 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 €35 billion and a crude steel production of 43 million tonnes in 2014. 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.

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 2014, ArcelorMittal had revenues of US$79.3 billion and crude steel production of 93.1 million tonnes, while own iron ore production reached 63.9 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).

For more information about ArcelorMittal please visit: corporate.arcelormittal.com.

About SOGEPA

Sogepa is an investment fund that aims to support the economic and social development of Wallonia, via investments together with private investors and following the same approach as that of a private investor. Sogepa is a partner of Walloon companies which pursue a redeployment project and those active in the steel industry.

For more information about SOGEPA please visit www.sogepa.be

About CRM

CRM Group, bridge between science & market, is active in the production, transformation, coating and use of metallic materials.  Since 1948, CRM offers R&D and technology solutions focusing on the development of innovative processes and products that create value for our industrial partners.

It combines skilled and experienced research teams with unparalleled testing facilities covering the whole production chain of metals, from raw materials to advanced steel applications, ranging in size from laboratory scale to pilot and even semi-industrial production lines.

For more information about CRM Group, please visit   www.crmgroup.be

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