Potential winners of the Swedish Steel Prize 2008
The time is approaching when the international Swedish Steel Prize design accolade will be awarded. Four European companies have been nominated for this year’s Prize, which is the tenth in succession. The winner will be declared on 20 November in conjunction with the jubilee gala in the Blue Hall of the Stockholm City Hall.
The Swedish Steel Prize was founded ten years ago by SSAB Tunnplåt with the aim of stimulating companies around the world to increase the use of high strength steels for their products. Since then, the proportion of high strength steels has increased significantly and is continuing to grow. The development is prompted by the need for lighter, stronger and more environmentally friendly products.
”The major benefit of high strength steels compared to other materials is that they are strong, easy to use and allow more slender products to be made for a given application,” says Martin Lindqvist head of the SSAB Sheet Steel Division. “Moreover, the cost is very competitive. Over the past ten years, the Swedish Steel Prize has illustrated the opportunities offered by the steels. This year’s four nominated entries have all used advanced high strength steels and follow the high standard set by earlier winners of the Prize in terms of creativity and pioneering design approach.”
This year’s four candidates for the Swedish Steel Prize are:
Kuhn Audureau of France, which has developed a new arm for mower units intended for mounting on tractors for mowing roadway shoulders and edges. The high strength steel arm is more than 20 percent lighter than the earlier model and has around 20 percent higher load-bearing capacity. The new design contributes to lower fuel consumption, better ergonomics and reduced load on the vehicle.
LKAB of Sweden has been nominated for the Prize for a new railway wagon that solves the company’s need for transporting larger quantities of iron ore. High strength steel is used for the new wagon, which is lighter and also more wear-resistant than the earlier model. The result is a wagon that needs less maintenance and has around 25 percent higher payload capacity. Without the total weight being affected, the new wagon can carry 100 tonnes of ore, compared to the 80-tonne capacity of the earlier wagon. The environmental effect is lower energy consumption per tonne of ore transported.
Modec of Great Britain develops electrically powered commercial vehicles, and has developed a new, lightweight and strong chassis for which high strength steel is used. The high strength steel chassis is the platform for a new vehicle that has higher payload capacity, which offers direct environmental benefits. The company has also achieved simpler production and lower material costs.
Silos Cordoba of Spain has been nominated for this year’s Swedish Steel Prize for the development of a new silo design for which high strength steel is used. The company is a major manufacturer of modular silos that are produced in the factory and are then assembled on site. The new design is around 25 percent lighter, is easier to erect and is about 30 percent cheaper to transport. The transport costs are lower largely because of the reduced fuel consumption due to the lower silo weight.
The Prize-giving ceremony will take place on the evening of 20 November and will be the conclusion of a three-day event attended by hundreds of visitors from engineering and industry in all corners of the world.
Figure: The winner of the Swedish Steel Prize 2008 will be announced on 20 November in the Blue Hall of the Stockholm City Hall.
For further information visit:
www.steelprize.com
www.ssabtunnplat.com.
For further information, please get in touch with:
Anders Sörman, Project Leader
Marketing Communication
SSAB Tunnplåt AB
Phone: +46 243 710 80
Mobil: +46 70 221 93 26
E-mail: anders.sorman@ssab.com
