CMT winner by low weight, wear resistance and design - SSAB

No. 1 2006 – SSAB Swedish Steel INTERNATIONAL
CMT winner
by low weight,
wear resistance
and design
The Prize, the party, the people – everything about the Swedish Steel Prize 2005

The steel we will use for the future
D
uring the past months I have met all
the members of the SSAB team; that is
people from the production plants in
Borlänge and Luleå, the engineers in
R&D, quality control, sales- and marketing departments
and sales people from all of our international
offices. I am proud to say that everyone employed
within SSAB Tunnplåt and its subsidiaries today have
a personal knowledge of the strategy that will be our
guiding star into the future.
The SSAB News International magazine
is published by SSAB Tunnplåt AB and is
distributed to customers, subscribers and
other selected groups.
News International is produced in English,
with editions in Swedish, German, French,
Spanish and Italian, and is published
twice a year.
Anders Elfgren, Marketing Director, is the
publisher legally responsible under
Swedish law.
Editorial board: Göran Hügard, Berit
Arvidsson, Michael Christensen, Peter
Korsgren, Jan Kuoppa, Bert Larsson, Tommy
Löfgren, Magdalena Nillius, Karl-Inge
Nilsson, Lilian Sjans and Nils Åkerblom.
Production: Ahrena Media AB
Printed by: Color Print Dalarna AB
NEWS 1-2006
SSAB Tunnplåt is known to be a leading actor in
the world on the market for advanced high strength
steel. This is a result of strategic decisions in the 1980s
when we decided to make LARGE investments that
made it possible to manufacture lighter and stronger
steel with a quality that hardly had been seen at that
time.
Parallel with the development of the advanced high
strength steel, we have been working together with
our customers and providing them with knowledge
SSAB Tunnplåt AB, SE-781 84 Borlänge
☎ + 46 243–700 00. Fax + 46 243–720 00.
E-mail: office@ssabtunnplat.com
www.ssabtunnplat.com
Brazil: SSAB Swedish Steel Ltda
☎ +55 41 3014 9070. Fax: +55 41 3014 7733
China: SSAB Swedish Steel,
☎ +86 10 6466 3441. Fax +86 10 6466 3442
Czech Republic: SSAB Swedish Steel s.r.o.
☎ 00420/545 422 550. Fax: 00420/545 210 550
Denmark: SSAB Svensk Stål A/S
☎ + 45 4320 5000. Fax + 45 4320 5018, -5019.
Finland: Oy SSAB Svenskt Stål Ab
☎ + 358 9 68 66 030. Fax +358 9 693 2120.
France: SSAB Swedish Steel SA
☎ +33 1 55 61 91 00. Fax +33 1 55 61 91 09.
Germany: SSAB Swedish Steel GmbH
☎ +49 211 9125-0. Fax +49 211 9125 129
☎ +49 711 687 84 0. Fax +49 711 687 84 13
Italy: SSAB Swedish Steel S.p.A.
☎ +39 030 90 58 811. Fax +39 030 90 58 930.
Korea: SSAB Tunnplåt
☎ +82 31 906 2770. Fax +82 31 906 2773.
regarding efficient manufacturing with these steels.
We have created a “Knowledge Service Center” that
can support our customers with everything from
collaboration in industrialisation to data sheets of
our products.
Being a leading producer of a product
means that sooner or later you will have serious
competitors to deal with. This is the moment when
you will experience how important it is to have a
strategy to adhere to. When every single member of
your team is a participant in the race, you really have
the chance to be the winner. And this is why we put
so much effort into spreading information about our
strategy within our team.
SSAB Tunnplåt will continue to develop
and manufacture advanced high strength steel. This
is the core of our business. We will also provide our
customers with the support that they so much appreciate.
Customer Service engineers have helped
customers all over the world find solutions on all
kinds of problems related to their use of our steel
sheet products.
Though our team consists of more than 4,000
players, we are still very flexible. Some say it is typically
Swedish that it is so easy to get in contact with
whoever you want to talk to.
Our strategy is that we will do everything you
expect us to do and even better than before. But
exactly what we will do is our own secret. That’s not
strategy, that’s tactics. You don’t win the game if
everybody knows your next step.
And we intend to win!
The Netherlands: SSAB Swedish Steel BV
☎ +31 24 67 90 550. Fax +31 24 67 90 555.
SSAB Prelaq BV
☎ +31 24 679 07 00. Fax +31 24 679 07 07.
Norway: SSAB Svensk Stål AS
☎ +47 23 11 85 80. Fax +47 22 83 55 90.
Anders Werme
President of SSAB Tunnplåt
Poland: SSAB Swedish Steel Sp z o.o
☎ +48 22 353 13 14. Fax: +48 22 723 04 86
SSAB Prelaq, Poland
☎ +48 22 353 15 00. Fax: +48 22 723 04 86
Portugal: SSAB Swedish Steel Portugal
☎ +351 256 371 610. Fax +351 256 371 619.
South Africa: SSAB Swedish Steel (Pty) Ltd
☎ ++27 11 822 2570. Fax +27 11 822 2584.
Spain: SSAB Swedish Steel S.L
☎ +34 91 300 5422. Fax +34 91 388 9697.
United Kingdom: SSAB Swedish Steel Ltd
☎ +44 1905 79 57 94. Fax +44 1905 79 47 36.
SSAB Dobel Coated Steel Ltd
☎ +44 1384 74 660. Fax +44 1384 77 575.
USA: SSAB Swedish Steel Inc
☎ +1 412-269 21 20. Fax +1 412-269 21 24.

contents 4
Open Your Mind, the new seminar from SSAB Swedish Steel,
creates a channel for direct dialog between technical specialists.
5–7 Experience High Strength Steel Day became a full-day jour-
ney through the manufacturing as well as the evolution of
advanced high strength steel.
8–1 Inspiration Seminars are looking far into the future. When nation-
ally famous Swedish researchers give their picture of the world in
50 years, they predict a quite nice place.
1 – 4 Decreased weight with a full ton was only one of the reasons
why Swedish CMT won Swedish Steel Prize 2005. The light design
is tougher then before. Second prize in Swedish Steel Prize was
awarded to Dura Automotive, Germany, Shape Corporation, USA,
4
0– 1
5–7
8–1 1 – 4
– 4
and Hardi-Evrard, France. A honourable mention was given
to V.N. Automoveis, Portugal.
5– 7 Spectacular buildings and other constructions could very
well be created by concrete pumps from German Putzmeister.
8– 9 New EU from Brno. Bernd Schneide is sales responsible at
the new SSAB office covering Austria, Czech Republic, Hun-
garia and Romania.
0– 1 Prepainted steel sheet is big business for Swedish Lindab.
– 4 Swedes love ice. Swedish Anders Celsius invented the tem-
perature scale. Skating, skiing and building ice hotels are all
parts of the love of the frozen water.
NEWS 1-2006

4
Studies of the car parts in the exhibition caused a lot of discussions regarding material as well as production technique. “Open Your Mind” seminars have
created a dialog between technical specialists in the car industry and their counterpart in SSAB.
Open Your Mind: Steel specialists
in face-to-face talk
“The ‘Open Your Mind’ seminar
exceeded all our expectations,” says
George Glaze at SSAB Swedish Steel in
the UK after the first ever seminar of
this kind was held in Birmingham in
November last year.
The intention with this “Open Your Mind” seminar
was to give designers, material and other technical
specialists from the automotive industry an opportunity
to meet their counterparts from SSAB Swedish
Steel.
“Comments from the participants proved the seminar
was a big success,” he continues.
With “Open Your Mind”, SSAB explains how
advanced high strength steels can increase the competitiveness
of car manufacturers. The seminar gives
general information about advanced high strength
steels in the automotive industry, but the main focus,
achieved by showing practical examples, is to provide
very detailed technical knowledge about how to design,
form and join these steels.
“This gave a good basis for the very detailed face-to-
NEWS 1-2006
face discussions that developed when the participants
met our experts in design, joining, forming and applications
during the day,” says George Glaze.
He is referring to the meetings around the exhibition
of automotive parts that is an important part of
the seminar.
“Every component in this display shows a part that
is manufactured from advanced high strength steel,”
George Glaze explains. “They are all excellent examples
of the advantages that can be achieved with this
type of steel.”
Advanced high strength steels are often used to
reduce weight and to improve crashworthiness of cars.
Lower weight has an immediate effect in reduced fuel
consumption and CO 2 -emissions.
There are important reasons why the first “Open
Your Mind” seminar is tailor-made for car manufacturers
and their suppliers.
“By focusing on the special demands from this sector,
we can go deeper into each subject,” explains Mikael
Mitros, sales manager at SSAB Swedish Steel after
the second seminar, that was held in Gothenburg.
More than 100 participants, representing a major
part of the automotive industry in each country, attended
these first two seminars.
“Due to a wide communication spectrum through
media, web, invitations and other channels, we met
people and companies from the automotive field that
have not used these steels in the past, but wanted more
information to focus on them in the future,” George
Glaze explains. The evaluation after the seminar confirms
that the content was very appreciated.
“But also the venue,” says George Glaze. “The
seminar took place at the centrally located National
Motorcycle Museum.”
One of the ideas with the “Open Your Mind” seminar
is to create a channel for direct dialog between
Customers and the specialists at SSAB.
“It really did,” says George Glaze. “Afterwards, we
got comments like “I enjoyed the opportunity to meet
SSAB’s technicians,” “well balanced information” and
“This makes marketing of advanced high strength
steel more trustworthy”.
During 2006 there will be “Open Your Mind” seminars
in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the US
and Brazil. Other worldwide markets like Asia, South
Africa, etc., are under planning.
For more information, please see Internet, www.
ssabdirect.com.
Car parts displaying the
benefits of production
with advanced high
strength steels.

Emmanuel Chevét, SSAB France, introducing Gérard
Le Prince, Hardi Evrard, to Lars Ingvarsson, Ortic.
Experience High Strength Steel Day
Curious about
steel solutions
Advanced high strength steels
that make it possible to produce
lighter and stronger products are
arousing a great deal of interest.
Visitors from all over the world
attended the Experience High
Strength Steel Day arranged by
SSAB Tunnplåt. 4
NEWS 1-2006 5

Experience High Strength Steel Day
Advanced high strength steels are tomorrow’s
materials that are here today.
Demand is growing at an annual rate of
15 percent and SSAB Tunnplåt is working
intensively on developing new and
even better steels in this field.
“There are two decisive reasons why
our high strength steels will contribute
to building the future,” declared
Bo-Erik Pers, Head of Research and
Development at SSAB Tunnplåt, when
he opened the Experience High Strength
Steel Day at the SSAB Tunnplåt Head
Office in Borlänge:
• Energy
• The environment
This day served as the run-up to the
Swedish Steel Prize 2005 event. The
seminar attracted an audience from
all over the world. The visitors came to
see the production of advanced high
strength steels - materials that several
of the guests are already using in their
daily production.
Energy prices on the increase
Bo-Erik Pers developed his two themes.
“We can already see that the price of
energy is increasing dramatically,” he
explains. “There are no signs that we
will be able to develop new, less expensive
energy sources in the immediate
future, and the cost of energy will probably
continue to rise.”
“As regards the environment, one of
the demands we face is to reduce the
emissions of carbon dioxide and other
substances that affect the environment.
NEWS 1-2006
In both cases, advanced high strength
steels contribute to reducing the pressure
on Nature.”
Those who put high strength steels to
optimum use can reduce substantially
the weights of their products. Lighter
products demand less energy and offer
environmental benefits in the whole of
the chain extending from production of
the steel right up to the work done by
the end products for their users.
SSAB Tunnplåt is a world leader in
the development and production of
advanced high strength steels.
“We often repeat this assertion, but
we will be giving a deeper insight into
the claim,” explains Bo-Erik Pers. “Our
aim is to provide personal experience
of the work we pursue. Welcome to the
Experience High Strength Steel Day.”
Glowing slabs
The guided tour of the high strength
steel world takes the visitors on a trip
extending from the glowing slabs at
1210°C at the hot strip mill, all the way
to an exhibition that shows a number of
examples of products made of advanced
high strength steels.
The colour from the increasingly red
steel strip is reflected in the fascinated
eyes of the visitors as they watch the
slab flash past at incredible speed. The
spectacle is reinforced by all of the
activities performed by machines and
automatic control systems. Very few
people are in the vicinity of the process
when the 30 tonne steel slab is hot
rolled down to a minimum thickness
of 1.5 mm. The strip is then up to 2,000
metres long.
The guide opens a door and ushers us
into the roll grinding hall. Each pair of
rolls is changed up to three times a day
for inspection and adjustment in order
to meet the strict quality demands.
Rain of questions
SSAB Tunnplåt coordinates a vast
amount of research and development
work in the Knowledge Service Center.
The company’s customer service engineers
demonstrate here the various tests
that serve as a basis for the product data
sheets for the SSAB Tunnplåt brand
names of Domex, Docol, Dogal and
Prelaq.
The sound level rises dramatically
when the doors open to an exhibition of
high strength steel application examples
in the automotive industry.
“What material is this? How many
stages in the press? Can we perform
such operations on the equipment we
have?”
Questions rained down and the
discussion continued for the rest of the
day, all the way to the “Swedish Steel
Prize Inspiration Seminars” that began
in Stockholm on the following morning.
Text: HÅKAN JOHANSSON
Photo: ULF PALM
Samples from automotive industry inspired the participators at the “Experience High Strength Steel Day” to intensive discussions
about advanced high strength steel and stamping technique. 6
The continuous annealing
line is fundamental
for the manufacturing of
advanced high strength
steel. Emmanuel Chevét
describing the principals
for Gérard Le Prince.

NEWS 1-2006 7

8
Stefan Fölster: What is most
important is that we are
about to eradicate poverty
in the world.
NEWS 1-2006
Spare parts for the human body were introduced
as early as 1955. Today we have the third
generation of sophisticated replacements in
production. Within 15 years there will be hearts
mad of titanium, microchip memory and artificial
eyes, predicts Peter Thomsen. But you have
to multiply the years with three before these
products reach commercial production.
Christian Azar: We must obviously change
our behaviour, which is not as dramatic as
it may sound. A little thought is sometimes
enough.
Lars Dencik: We will now become what can be described as patchwork
people. We move between different arenas and develop
the competence to handle chaos that would have stressed earlier
generations.

“You have already
come far. You have
lowered the energy
needed to melt iron
ore from 55 gigajoules
per tonne to
20 gigajoules.”
How to change
behaviour for
“Presenting the future in this way is
absolutely unique. As far as I know,
never have researchers in such
widely differing fields presented
their pictures simultaneously on a
limited futurological theme.”
Peter Thomsen, Professor of Biomaterial Research at Gothenburg
University, describes his experience after Swedish Steel
Prize Inspiration Seminars in Stockholm on 16 November
2005.
The seminars are part of the presentation program for the
Swedish Steel Prize – an international industrial accolade
awarded for a product or design that puts to use the properties
of advanced high strength steels.
High strength steel is a material for the future. It is currently
incorporated, for instance, into almost every car, where
beams of high strength steels improve safety and comfort
without adding to the vehicle weight.
The future was also the theme for the Swedish Steel Prize
Inspiration Seminars – The World in 50 Years.
A fairly reliable picture can be drawn of developments
many years into the future. A glance into the rear-view mirror
today will reveal that a great deal of what we live with today
was predicted back in 1955. And we have no reason to believe
that today’s speakers are not as well equipped as their pre-
decessors to forecast the future.
Author and actor Fredrik Härén summarized the seminar: The future tends to be
similar to what our dreams were. But there is an interesting exception – in the
1950s we dreamed of flying cars and today we obviously witness a success for the
gigantic Hummer SUV ...
Inspiration Seminars
the next
50 years
Futurological studies are often based on population development,
which gives demography an important role to
play in all such studies.
“By combining the knowledge of age distribution in today’s
population with knowledge of historical relationships,
we can make predictions that are highly probable,” says Bo
Malmberg, Professor of Cultural Geography at Stockholm
University and the first futurological speaker for the day.
He describes the age structure as a wave motion through
history and he sees no reason for this pattern to sustain any
dramatic changes in the future.
“We know that development in the USA, Hong Kong and
Japan, for example, will stagnate in the next 15 to 20 years,
while countries such as Mexico can expect to grow,” says Bo 4
Lydia Capolicchio, well known in
Sweden as a journalist and TV personality,
received huge applause
as she greeted the Italians in the
audience in their own language.
NEWS 1-2006 9

Inspiration Seminars
Flying into the China Theatre
and the Swedish Steel Prize
Seminar: a roll formed beam
with a suitable reinforcement.
The design was developed
by German Dura Automotive
Body & Glass Systems GmbH.
This side impact beam is one of
four nominees for the Swedish
Steel Prize 2005.
10
NEWS 1-2006

“Within five years, we will be able to produce titanium hearts, within 10–15 years, there will be artificial eyes that can restore vision
to the blind, and we believe that at about the same time, there will be memory chips that can be used for replacing parts of the
memory in the brain.”
Malmberg by way of an example.
The situation today is based on fairly reliable UN
statistics of both age structure and income levels. Bo
Malmberg gives a fairly positive overall picture of the
future.
“But there are exceptions,” he states. “In broad
terms, it can be said that all African countries south of
the Sahara can expect a very uncertain development,
unless they receive assistance from the remainder of
the world.”
So there will be more of us in the world, but our
earnings will be better in 50 years.
Unnecessary warnings
Stefan Fölster, Chief Economist at Swedish Commerce
and Industry, then takes the floor. He claims that the
warnings of demographers concerning an ageing
population are totally wrong.
“There is no shortage of people who can work,” he
considers. “There will admittedly be more of us and
more of us will be older, but we will also be healthier
and healthier. The trend towards a declining retirement
age will be a historical aside. In Iceland, the retirement
age today is 69 years, and many see no reason
for giving up work after having passed a certain age.”
Stefan Fölster is convinced that the global standard
of living will continue to rise over a period of 50 years.
“This does not mean that the curve will continually
point upwards, but the overall picture will definitely be
on the plus side.”
Poverty halved
“We are about to eradicate poverty in the world,” he
says. “The trend is clear and all statistics show that
average incomes are on the increase. In 1981, 40 percent
of the world population had less than 1 dollar a
day to live on, while the corresponding figure today is
23 percent!”
Population growth and availability of food are
clouds on tomorrow’s horizon, but they are overshadowed
by anxiety for the environment. The dramatic
oil price increases in recent years have made both the
Kenneth Lumsden: The
critical factor for future
transports is the availability
of fuel.
Anders Werme: The most
important skills in today’s
business are to see the
trends that predict the
future.
availability and the cost of energy highly uncertain. At
the same time, the effect of the increasing content of
CO 2 in the atmosphere is a real threat, as reflected by
the rising average temperatures around the world.
Christian Azar, Professor of Sustainable Industrial
Metabolism, describes the changes that are necessary
for solving the problems.
“You have already come far,” he states and turns
to face the SSAB representative in the audience. “You
have lowered the energy needed to melt iron ore from
55 gigajoules per ton to 20 gigajoules.”
And he thinks that it is realistic to expect great improvements
in a number of areas.
“But we must obviously change our behaviour,”
admits Christian Azar, “which is not as dramatic as it
may sound. A little thought is sometimes enough.”
By way of explanation, he shows a few pictures of
our kitchens.
Fifty years ago, we had a great deal of raw material
at home, but only simple kitchen fittings, few machines
and cookery books.
Many kitchens today are heavily laden with energy-intensive
technology and big refrigerators and
freezers.
Today’s kitchen has virtually only food semi-
Swedish Steel Prize Inspiration Seminar is introduced by a film showing what young people expect from the future. “Not necessarily a
better world, but for sure a different one” states Lydia Capolicchio, moderator of the day.
manufactures, but it also has a long shelf heavily laden
with new, fine cookery books!
The threat of coal
Research and development have so far been focused
on readily available energy sources such as coal and
oil. Sooner or later, we will have used up our oil resources,
but our coal will last far into the future. This
worries Christian Azar. If coal consumption should
increase, this will be a heavy blow to our efforts to reduce
CO 2 emissions.
“There is plenty of energy around, but we must
learn how to capture it,” he says. “If we were able to
collect solar energy on a large scale, we would have
10,000 times more energy than we need!”
All of the speakers at the Swedish Steel Prize Inspiration
Seminars have a global perspective in their
vision of the future. The emphasis is on developments
in Europe, the USA and Asia, but no one doubts the
strong relationships on the increasingly globalized
market.
Smart transport systems
Kenneth Lumsden, Professor of Integrated Transport
Systems at the Chalmers University of Technology
in Gothenburg, makes no predictions of what future
freight equipment will look like, but he considers that
we will continue to be dependent on smart and efficient
transport systems.
“Considering developments in manufacturing,
increasingly efficient units will make production more
economical, but this will demand more advanced distribution,”
he says.
Kenneth Lumsden takes the example of all freight
through the big ports on the American West Coast
being stopped by industrial action in 2002.
GM was forced to shut down its factories after two 4
NEWS 1-2006 11

days, followed by Toyota one day later.
The whole of society soon suffered the
consequences, with chaos in the ports and
on the roads in the region.
There are strong arguments against production
being concentrated geographically
to places and regions that are best suited,
but efficient transport is obviously vital.
This concerns not only reasonable freight
costs, but also new systems for keeping
track of the goods. Intelligent technology
can already follow a product all the way
from production up to the end customer.
Less to gossip about?
This means, for example, that when we go
shopping in the future, we will fill our trolleys
and pass through the checkout where
sensors will record exactly what we have
bought. The information goes directly to
the bank, where payment is taken straight
out of the buyer’s personal account. No
more checkout queues where we can gossip
about everything from the evening
paper headlines to neighbours and friends.
But will there also be less to gossip
about? In the future, we will be healthier
and will be able to cure more illnesses than
we can today.
Peter Thomsen is convinced that there
will be a vast store of spare parts for those
of us who will be ill in 50 years.
“Within five years we will be able to
produce titanium hearts, within 10–15
years there will be artificial eyes that can
restore vision to the blind and we believe
that at about the same time there will be
memory chips that can be used for replacing
parts of the memory in the brain.”
“But multiply the time by three and the
figures will be more realistic. This is often
how long it takes between a possibility
being presented and production actually
starting.”
Longer lifespan?
We are already healthier than we were in
the past. Does that mean that we will be
living longer in the future?
“There is much to suggest that we can
keep ourselves going longer and that we
can stay in aesthetically better trim. But
that does not automatically mean that
we will be living longer,” answers Peter
Thomsen. “The body is so complex that it
would be impossible to make such promises.”
1
NEWS 1-2006
This is where Lars Dencik takes over.
He is Professor of Social Psychology and
his focus is on the soul rather than on the
human body.
Lars Dencik interprets time and tendencies
and uses his conclusions for presenting
a picture of what will be demanded by
tomorrow’s people.
More mobile people
According to his analysis, we are developing
from the homo sapiens biological human
being to the “homo zappiens” of the
future – a species characterized by extreme
mobility.
“The consequences will be, for example,
that we will increasingly choose to associate
with people who share our experiences
and valuations,” says Lars Dencik.
It will not be difficult to find soulmates,
since we are living in a digital era and a
well formulated search on the Internet
will immediately put us into contact with
thousands of people who have the same
interests.
But Lars Dencik also extends a warning.
“In the past, we have spent our lives
in the same surroundings,” he says. “We
were then acquainted with only a few people,
but we had deeper relations with them.
Many of us leave this way of living behind
us, but we are still dependent on living in
an understandable context – ‘I need a we
to become truly me’.”
We humans always adapt ourselves to
new situations. When ‘we’ no longer consists
of the family, we look for other groups
in which we can develop as individuals.
Can handle chaos
“But we will now become what can be
described as patchwork people,” considers
Lars Dencik. “We move between different
arenas and develop the competence
to handle chaos that would have stressed
earlier generations.”
The broad picture of the future makes
you think. As the day draws to an end, we
have all been able to create our own visions
of the world within 50 years. One of us may
perhaps be perfectly right - who knows? He
or she will then be the winner of the future!
So we applaud the researchers and make
our way to pay tribute to today’s winner of
the Swedish Steel Prize 2005.
Text: HÅKAN JOHANSSON
Photo: ULF PALM
Swedish Steel Prize
“We move between different arenas and develop the competence to
“It is an
handle chaos that would have stressed earlier generations.”

honour to be here”
“It is an honour even to be here,” said Martin Wåhlin, CMT.
Finally winning Swedish Steel Prize 2005 made him almost
speechless!
CMT was nominated for the prize with a hooklift container that
is one tonne lighter by using advanced high strength steel.
4
Swedish Steel Prize winner 2005 together with Dr. Ing. Werner
Schwamborn of Dura Automotive, Germany, Gérard Le Prince of
Hardi Evrard, France, and David Heatherington of Shape Corporation,
USA, who all won second prize.
Swedish Steel Prize winner 2005 together with ??, Dura Automotive, Germany,
Gérard Leprince, Hardi Evrard, France, and ??? Shape Corporation,
USA, who all won second prize.
NEWS 1-2006 1

The famous
Swedish entertainer
Charlotte
Perrelli added
sweet values
to the Swedish
Steel Prize prizegiving
ceremony
at legendary
restaurant Berns
Salonger in
Stockholm with
singing and appearance.
14 NEWS 1-2006
Harder than ever to predict the winner
To be the winner of the Swedish Steel Prize
you should increase your performance as well
as competitiveness for a product or a design by
using advanced high strength steel.
This is the seventh year in a row for the
Swedish Steel Prize and it is harder than ever
to predict the winner this night. Compare the
nominees yourself:
CMT, that is manufacturing hooklift containers
that can take one ton more payload per
container.
Dura Automotive, with a new design for
side impact beams that can be reinforced to
fulfill different demands on performance.
Shape Corporation, that created a
bumper from advanced high strength steel
that can compete in weight with designs from
aluminium but is superior in economy.
Hardi Evrard, that uses advanced high
strength steel for low weight and good flexibility
in self-propelled sprayers.
Apart from the four nominees there is an
honourable mention for Portuguese V.N.
Automoveis. When Lydia Capolicchio introduces
company representative Antonio
Valente she says:
“If I were you, I would be angry that I’m not
among the nominees.”
“I am, I am,” Antonio Valente answers,
though with a broad smile saying that he is
pleased with being on stage together with the
other four companies.
The final event of the Swedish Steel Prize
opens at 7 PM and it will be a nervous evening
for all of the competitors. For the audience it
will be entertaining.
“Swedish Steel Prize has become the party of
the year for technicians and designers from
companies working with advanced high
strength steels to enhance their products.”
Swedish Steel Prize

They really have nothing to regret
It is not more than an hour left until the winner of
the Swedish Steel Prize will be introduced on stage
by Anders Ullberg, CEO of SSAB Group, and Anders
Werme, president of SSAB Tunnplåt. Martin
Wåhlin, from Swedish container manufacturer CMT is
interviewed by Fredrik Swahn.
“What do you expect from the evening?”
“Being here is honour enough,” says Martin Wåhlin,
and admits that he is a little bit nervous.
The same goes for the other nominees when they
enter the scene introduced by music significant for
their countries.
Nothing to regret
Gérard Le Prince, General Manager at Hardi Evrard, is
introduced by “Rien de rien,” the unforgettable hit song
from Edit Piaf, but now sung by Swedish entertainer
Fredrik Swahn.
Gérard Leprince does not regret anything and he is
hardly even nervous.
The representatives for Dura Automotive and Shape
Corporation are definitely nervous, but admit that it is a
great experience to take part in the competition as well
as in the Swedish Steel Prize Inspiration Seminar.
“The nomination for Swedish Steel Prize means a lot
to all the guys in the company,” says Tom DeVoursney,
president and chairman of the board of Shape Corp.,
before exchanging jackets with Fredrik Swahn. When
he goes back to his table he is dressed as a star of the
show!
Finally on stage
Less than one hour later, all the competitors are back
on stage when Anders Ullberg calls the attention before
opening the envelope with the well-kept secret from the
jury. The silence is total when he starts reading.
“The winner of Swedish Steel Prize 2005 is ...”
He waits for a few, but very long seconds. All of the
competitors focus on the small piece of paper that he is
holding in his hands.
“... CMT, Cargo Modul Trading. CMT manufactures
strong, lightweight and impact-resistant hooklift containers
with a design that reduces aerodynamic drag.
The result is containers with great environmental and
economic benefits to the manufacturer, owner and
haulier.”
Martin Wåhlin receives the Swedish Steel Prize statuette,
obviously moved by the moment.
With flashes from photographers shining like stars
in his eyes, Martin Wåhlin does his first interview as
Swedish Steel Prize 2005 is the seventh award in a row. The gala dinner is spectacular and
an important part in making this evening an unforgettable memory for all the nominees.
Swedish Steel Prize has become an international award
“Our intention is that the Swedish Steel Prize should
serve as an inspiration for people and companies creating
new solutions by using advanced high strength
steel,” says Anders Werme, chairman of the jury for the
Swedish Steel Prize.
The interest for this annual industrial award has been
increasing for every year gone by. As competitors can
choose to remain as participators for several years, they
will get several opportunities to compete for the award.
It is said that nothing is as strong as an idea whose
time has come – and of course this does not necessarily
have to be the first time...
“There has been a trend towards reduced weight in
steel products for many years in Europe,” says Anders
Werme. “Now we see a rapidly growing interest on the
markets in the US, in Brazil and in China.”
Previous winners of Swedish Steel Prize already consist
of competitors from America, Asia and Africa.
“Swedish Steel Prize really is an international award,”
says Anders Werme.
owner of the Swedish Steel
Prize 2005. His first promise
is to party all night long.
“But who is the first one
that you are going to call to
tell what happened?” Fredrik
Swahn asks.
No doubt from Anders Wåhlin.
“My-mother-in law. Everybody else, that I could
think of, is already here.”
That is obvious ten minutes later when he is posing
for the photographers on the gallery above the stage. He
is joined by the owners and board from CMT. Martin
Wåhlin will not be alone celebrating the victory this
night.
The Swedish Steel Prize has become the party of the
year for technicians and designers from companies
working with advanced high strength steels to enhance
their products. Of course the following hours are a tribute
to CMT, but they are also a celebration of the creativity
and the engineering that brought five ideas all the
way to Stockholm this evening. And next year’s winner
could have taken part in this and been inspired to apply
for Swedish Steel Prize 2006. It could be you!
HÅKAN JOHANSSON
The winner of Swedish Steel
Prize 2006 will be announced
November 29. Last entry date for the
prize is August 15 and the Nominations
Committee will send information to
nominated companies during October
or November.
For more information, please visit
Internet, www.steelprize.com.
NEWS 1-2006 15

Swedish Steel Prize
1
CMT
A thin and light but tough container
The world’s lightest and toughest
container? Manufactured entirely
from one of the most advanced
high strength steels available on
the market and with ultra thin walls. The
material used and the new design significantly
increases the useful life of the container. The
container became the winner of Swedish Steel
Prize 2005.
CMT – the company that specialises in
hooklift containers – has been closely following
the development of new high strength
steels. This has enabled CMT to develop containers
that are lightweight, have high strength
and offer major cost benefits to its customers.
A decisive factor is that CMT has used the new
materials to produce economically beneficial
solutions.
“Some of our customers can pay off their investment in a container in only a few
– The choice of material is directly
related to the economic benefits
we can offer our customers, states
Martin Wåhlin, Managing Director
of CMT.
months of operation and this is a powerful sales argument,” states Martin Wåhlin,
Managing Director of CMT.
CMT has three models in its product range, the lightest two of them are of the
design now awarded. These are ultra-thin containers for wood chip and forestry
materials, whilst the somewhat sturdier, all-round model is intended for a variety of
materials.
Horizontal ridges
The difference between the models is mainly the material thickness and the design
of the walls.
“In the lightest model, the walls are very thin and are folded into horizontal ridges
both on the inside and on the outside, whereas the walls of the all-round model are
smooth on the inside in order to withstand the wear caused by metal scrap, for instance,”
explains Martin Wåhlin.
The horizontal ridges add strength and eliminate the need for the reinforcing
The containers are produced in Poland, with welding and bending the two main manufacturing operations.
“We intend to double the production rate while still using the existing production machinery,” states Martin
Wåhlin.
NEWS 1-2006
Swedish Steel Prize 2005/first prize
“CMT – Cargo Modul Trading,
Sweden has developed a design that clearly demonstrates competence, the ability to put to use
the full range of spearhead properties of high strength steels, and the courage to take new paths
towards success. The strategy of being at the cutting edge of development has resulted in a product
that makes both man and the environment a winner. This is a design of the highest world class.”
(Jury verdict)
beams that are normally visible on the outside of other containers. Another feature
of the design that arouses interest is the rounded transition between the bottom and
sides, which is achieved by folding up the bottom plate on the sides and welding it
to the wall plates. This results in fewer joints and increased strength. In addition to
lowering the weight, the removal of the side beams also provides significant environmental
benefits.
Free flow of air
“A container of traditional design has a number of horizontal beams on each side,
which jointly form a wide wall since they project by about 100 mm and restrict the
free flow of air,” explains Martin Wåhlin. “By removing these beams – of which
there are often ten – we have eliminated about one metre of wall width on each side
of our container design. The result is a reduction of at least 5 percent in the fuel
consumption of the truck carrying the container, which has both economic and environmental
benefits!”
The containers also have a new design of hook bracket used for loading the container
onto a truck. Instead of two heavy vertical beams serving as reinforcement on
one short side, CMT uses a Y-shaped design in which the beams are angled half-way
up and are run to the top corners of the short side.
Thin walls
An advanced, cold-rolled high strength steel with a minimum tensile strength of
1400 N/mm 2 is the predominant material used for CMT containers. In the ultra-thin
wood chip container, the walls are 1 mm thick and the floor is 2 mm thick. The same
grade of steel, but 2 mm thick, is used for the walls of the all-round model. In this
container, the floor is made of 3 mm thick hot-rolled steel with a minimum yield
strength of 650 N/mm 2 .
“We have found out how to handle these materials effectively and we are confident
that we will be able to step up our production rate.”
New ideas are already on the drawing board at CMT.
“We are considering a number of different options , including one in which the
container will be delivered ‘semi-finished’ for the customer to carry out part of the
final assembly,” reveals Martin Wåhlin.
ROGER BLOMQVIST
The Y-shaped design of hook
bracket gives better distribution
of the pulling force and a lighter
beam can therefore be used.

The horizontal ridges
on the CMT containers
add strength and
eliminate the need
for the reinforcing
beams. The rounded
transition (small
picture) between
the bottom and
sides results in fewer
joints and increased
strength.
NEWS 1-2006 17

Hardi
Swedish Steel Prize
High strength steel is gentle on the crops
18 NEWS 1-2006
Gérard Leprince,
general manager
at Hardi Evrard.
As wide as an airliner, but now lighter than ever. When a Hardi Evrard
self-propelled sprayer runs across a field, it does so without damaging
the crops. With a width of about 30 metres, these vast machines
resemble giant birds with outstretched wings as their long, lattice
booms extend freely out at the sides. The high stresses that they create are carried by
an advanced chassis manufacturered from high strength steel. The structure is light
but stable, reliable and durable. Hardi Evrard has used an advanced high strength
steel for the design of its strong, resilient chassis, which is now 500 kg lighter than
if it had been made of a standard steel. Additionally, the use of high strength steel in
the new design enables it to better withstand very high fatigue stresses in the long
spray booms created when the sprayer is travelling.
The lower weight means that the machines are more gentle on the fields and cause
less damage to the crops. The lighter machine does not compact the soil as much
and can be designed with a higher ground clearance, so that it travels well clear of
the crops.
Lower weight also allows for a larger spray tank and more liquid, which makes
operation more efficient and reduces the number of topping-up stoppages. Time
Hardi Evrard uses laser cutting and riveting, which also contributes to the improved properties.
Swedish Steel Prize 2005/second award
“Hardi-Evrard SA, France has developed a competitive, self-propelled sprayer.
The company combines extra-high strength steel, laser cutting and riveting with a resilient chassis design. This enables the
product to withstand the fatigue stresses that occur when the long spray booms begin to oscillate, while also enabling the chas-
sis weight to be substantially reduced.” (Jury verdict)
is almost always of critical importance in spraying as large areas must be sprayed
quickly when the weather is right.
Riveting for sturdiness and flexibility
Hardi Evrard began producing this type of chassis in the mid-1990s and since then
has gradually refined and developed the design. The chassis is now made of Domex
650 MC, which has a minimum yield strength of 650 N/mm 2 . Sheet steel between 3
and 10 mm thick is used for the various components.
The chassis consists of two longitudinal channel-section members to which the
cross-members are riveted. The components are cut by laser and are painted before
assembly. The surface treatment must be of a very high quality in order to prevent
corrosion, which could be created due to the environments in which the machines
have to operate. The long spray booms are secured well back on the chassis, which is
where the loads are highest.
The decision to use riveting for the chassis is based on experience gained from
truck manufacturers. Riveting is much quicker than welding and eliminates sensitive
welded joints. In addition to faster production, riveting ensures higher strength
and better durability of the machines.
Much of the design is dictated by customers’ individual requirements, and riveting
then makes it simpler to adapt the chassis to suit various types of equipment.
The basic design utilising a strong chassis was an essential prerequisite for the
advanced suspension and springing system recently introduced by Hardi Evrard on
the machines. The track of each pair of wheels can be varied while the machine is
travelling to suit the ground conditions and the way that the crop has been planted.
Due to the introduction of new springing, the machines are more stable and can be
run at a higher speed, which results in higher efficiency.
Global market
Hardi Evrard sprayers – both self-propelled and towed by an ordinary tractor – are
world leaders. The Head Office of this international group of companies is in Denmark.
Operations in France began in the 1950s. Production and development are
now carried out in France, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Australia and the USA.
BJÖRN KLEEMAN

Big and wide, but much lighter and stronger than in the past.
Hardi Evrard in France uses advanced high strength steel for the
chassis of its self-propelled sprayers and has made them more
durable, efficient and less damaging to the crops.
NEWS 1-2006 19

Shape
Swedish Steel Prize
Ultra-high strength steel for high speed
collisions
The Shape Corporation is an
American automotive component
manufacturer that has developed
a bumper made of advanced
high strength steel, but which weighs only
roughly the same as a much more expensive
aluminium bumper. The new bumper
comprises two members, one of which is roll
formed and the other is pressed. The two are
joined together and are provided with integral
reinforcement. The automotive industry has
already shown keen interest.
The Shape Corporation has developed its
new patented bumper to meet the automotive
industry’s demand for lighter weight bumper
systems that meet both performance and
safety requirements.
“Our customers demand lighter bumpers, but without
compromising the properties of the roll-formed
bumper,” explains David Heatherington, Head of R&D
at the Shape Corp. of Grand Haven, Michigan. “We
therefore decided to undertake development work
which yielded a hybrid bumper. In this hybrid concept,
we combine the best of two production methods
– roll forming and pressing.”
Specialist in roll forming
Shape is well-established as a subcontractor to the
American automotive industry and has become
known as a specialist in roll forming, in which the
company has been highly successful. The demand
for lighter components has led the company to test
different bumper materials, such as aluminium. This
met the weight requirement, but the costs were
too high.
0 NEWS 1-2006
The hybrid concept is developed by David Heatherington together with his colleagues
Scott Glasgow and Bruce Lyons at The Shape Corporation.
The hybrid concept developed by David Heatherington
together with his colleagues Scott Glasgow and
Bruce Lyons is totally new, achieving a breakthrough
by using the properties of ultra-high strength steels,
whilst combining different methods of forming during
production.
The bumper that has been awarded second prize
comprises two members, one of which is roll-formed
and the other is pressed. The two members are joined
together into a closed profile, the cross-section of
which varies along the bumper length with the material
changing around the cross section. The
bumper thus has optimum weight
Swedish Steel Prize 2005/second award
“Shape Corp., USA. The unique design and production method employed by
Shape for manufacturing bumpers is based on several forming methods and the combination of various types of ultra-high
strength steels to create a closed profile of varying cross-section. The company has thus developed its bumper system still fur-
ther and can offer the automotive industry several ways to optimise the combination of crashworthiness, weight and cost for a
variety of car models.” (Jury verdict)
and performance, whilst using both the
type and amount of material efficiently.
The rear pressed member is created
in only one operation with reinforcements
and mountings as integral parts.
High-speed collisions
“The advanced high strength steels we
are using meet the demands imposed
for withstanding high-speed collisions,
and the more advanced the steel, the
better the protection,” explains David
Heatherington. “No other material
would have enabled us to achieve our
objectives.”
Among the other benefits named by
David Heatherington is that the company’s
existing equipment can be used
for production, negating the need for
any new investment.
“The hybrid concept has also given us greater scope
for designing the bumper to suit different car models,”
continues David Heatherington. “We have succeeded
in developing a bumper concept that no one believed
would have been possible. The weight of the bumper is
at least as low as an equivalent aluminium bumper and
the advanced high strength steels used provide excellent
crashworthiness.”
JAN TANNEFORS
The pressed rear member is made of
1.4 mm thick cold-rolled advanced high
strength steel with a tensile strength of
980 N/mm 2 . The front member is roll-
formed from 1.2 mm thick cold-rolled
advanced high strength steel with a minimum
tensile strength of 1300 N/mm 2 .

The Shape Corporation
combine the
best of two production
methods
– roll forming and
pressing. The new
light bumber is a
breakthrough by using
the properties of
ultra-high strength
steels.
NEWS 1-2006 1

Dura
Swedish Steel Prize
Reinforced roll forming for higher safety
The automotive industry is constantly striving to lower the weight of its
products, improve crashworthiness and rationalise production. The
German company Dura Automotive Body & Glass Systems GmbH has
met all of these three objectives with a new design of side impact
protection beam manufactured from ultra-high strength steel with reinforcement.
The company has also developed a system for volume production of the beams.
Advanced high strength steel is an obvious material for safety components of cars
– it makes it possible to produce different types of crash protection components that
are not only lightweight but also have high energy absorbing capacity.
Side impact beams using advanced high strength steels are currently fitted as
standard to the vast majority of cars, although the design is far from standardised.
There are many different designs – certain carmakers use pressed open profiles,
some employ tubular designs and others use profiles that have welded-on reinforcements.
Naturally, the optimum solution is a side impact beam capable of being produced
in large volumes that can be used for a number of different car models with only
minor modifications. This has been the basic objective of Dura’s development work.
Another fundamental condition was the use of ultra-high strength Docol 1200 M
steel that has good weldability and good roll forming properties. The steel has a
minimum tensile strength of 1200 N/mm 2 , which makes it one of the most advanced
high strength steels available on the market.
All safety parts in a car must be provided with very effective anti-corrosion treatment,
which can be achieved by using zinc electroplated Docol 1200 M steel.
Steel of 2 mm
The patented Dura side impact beam is a closed, square-section profile that is
necked on the sides. The design of the profile has been optimised to provide the side
impact beam with very high energy absorption capacity.
NEWS 1-2006
The patented Dura side impact beam is a closed, square-section profile
that is necked on the sides. The thickness of the steel in the beam is only
2 mm, which results in a weight of 1.75 kg for a 1.1 metre long beam.
Swedish Steel Prize 2005/second award
“DURA Automotive Body & Glass Systems GmbH, Germany has suc-
ceeded practically using the technique of combining core material with ultra-high strength steel facing. By
using a roll-formed, closed profile provided with a suitable internal reinforcement, the load-carrying capacity
of the individual beam is increased. This enables the opportunities offered by ultra-high strength steel to be
used to produce very light structures with high energy-absorbing capacity, combined with profitable and ef-
ficient production.” (Jury verdict)
The thickness of the steel in the beam is only 2 mm, which results in a weight of
1.75 kg for a 1.1 metre long beam.
Reinforcement of low weight
But Dura designers realised that the properties could be improved still further by
adding a 200-300 mm long reinforcement in the middle of the beam. This is where
the stresses are highest in the event of a crash. The reinforcement increases the
weight by only 200 grams, but enables the deformation of the beam to be optimised
in a side collision situation.
“We tested virtually every type of material for the reinforcement,” recalls Torsten
Hundt from Dura, whose responsibility it was to test the prototypes. “The extra reinforcement
of ultra-high strength steel enabled us to make the beam much stronger.
But in safety work, efforts are often also made to achieve controlled energy absorption
in which the beam deforms more but without failing. We found that a reinforcement
of a certain type of plastic material produced just these properties.”
The type of reinforcement that is suitable for a particular car is dependent on the
safety philosophy of the carmaker. Certain car manufacturers give priority to closely
controlled deformation, whereas others specify maximum strength.
Easy to adapt
“Depending on the safety philosophy, the beams can be tailored to suit the requirements
by varying the type and length of reinforcement,” adds Meinhard Schwermann
who participated in the work at Dura.
The type of mounting can also be varied. Depending on the remainder of the design,
the beam can be fixed to the door by riveting, welding or securing with screws.
The benefit to the carmaker is that the beam can readily be adapted to several different
variants of a given car model.
BJÖRN KLEEMAN
By adding a 200-300 mm long reinforcement in the middle of the beam, the Dura designers
has improved the properties still further. This is where the stresses are highest
in the event of a crash.

The new side impact beam has been developed in Germany by Dura
Automotive Body & Glass Systems GmbH in Plettenberg. The beam will
be produced in the company’s factory in Blatna in the Czech Republic,
where the beam production line came on stream in the autumn of 2005.
Dura Automotive Systems is one of the world’s leading producers of
components and systems for the automotive industry. The group of
companies is based in the USA, but has development and production
units in all corners of the worldand their list of customers includes all
major American and European car makers. The Group has a total of
17,000 employees and its turnover is US$ 2.5 billion.
NEWS 1-2006

V.N. Automoveis
Swedish Steel Prize
Smart solution saving weight on
small trucks
C
hanging over the body to high strength
steel, a new technically advanced design
and switching to a more advanced welding
method – these three measures have cut
the weight of the body used for light trucks by almost
30 percent.
The light weight means that the trucks can carry
more payload. In addition, the body design is more
durable, has a more attractive finish and needs less
maintenance. The body design developed by the
company V.N. Automoveis of Portugal has received an
honourable mention in conjunction with the nominations
for the 2005 Swedish Steel Prize.
The development work on the new body began just
over a year ago and was instigated to meet the customer’s
demands for a lighter body, as the existing body
weighed more than 600 kilos. A further requirement
was that the body should be easier to maintain.
“Our original body was made of ordinary steel and
the floor alone weighed 268 kilos,” recalls Antonio
Valente, Project Leader for the development project
at V.N. Automoveis. “We were faced with the task of
reducing the weight, but without impairing the loadcarrying
capacity and durability. In addition, we had
to develop a more efficient production method.”
Surface finish
Focus soon fell on high strength steels as a solution
to the weight reduction problem. High strength steels
also offered other important advantages, including
“Every kilo saved on a light truck means much more
than it does on a heavy truck,” says Antonio Valente,
Project Leader at V.N. Automoveis.
4 NEWS 1-2006
By changing over to high strength steel, V.N. Automoveis has reduced the body weight by 124 kilos, which enables
the trucks to carry about 12 percent more load.
uniform quality and a smooth surface.
“In parallel with weight reduction, another requirement
was that the body should have the same surface
finish as the truck cab,” continues Antonio Valente.
“This demanded a new solution that comprised both
new steels and a new production method.”
The solution was to use three different high strength
steels to produce the new body. A hot-rolled high
strength steel with a minimum yield strength of 600
N/mm 2 and a thickness of 2 mm was used for the
frame. The floor of the new body is made of 2 mm
thick cold-rolled, abrasion-resistant advanced high
strength steel. The minimum tensile strength of this
steel is 1400 N/mm 2 . The frame and floor were joined
together by MIG welding.
Flat and hard
A high surface finish was specified for the sides of the
body, which are made of 1 mm thick cold-rolled high
strength steel with a minimum tensile strength of 500
N/mm 2 .
“By this method, we have achieved not only a very
Swedish Steel Prize 2005/honourable mention
“An honourable mention to the Portuguese company V.N. Au-
tomoveis S.A. for a tipper body for light trucks. The company, which is a pioneer in its field, has boldly used the opportunities
offered by advanced high strength steels in combination with modern design and production methods. The result is a very
competitive concept for tipper platforms for light trucks.” (Jury verdict)
flat surface, but also protection against damage, since
the high strength steel is hard, which is very important
for such products,” declares Antonio Valente.
By changing over to high strength steel, V.N. Automoveis
has reduced the body weight by 124 kilos,
which enables the trucks to carry about 12 percent
more load. Thus, operating economy will be better and
the useful life will be longer.
Huge demand
There is a huge demand in Europe for light trucks,
which are used everywhere in a wide variety of industries
and operations. The modifications to the body
design have enabled V.N. Automoveis to develop a
product with greater customer benefits and at the
same time strengthen the company’s position. The
honourable mention for the Swedish Steel Prize is
a confirmation of the high international class of the
company’s work.
JAN TANNEFORS

All time
high
Dr. –Ing. Markus
Wolfram, head
of technical
department,
placing booms,
at Putzmeister
AG in Aichtal.
for
Putz-
meister
Small bugs can lift several times their own weight and they still
look slender and delicate.
Entering the testing area of Putzmeister gives you the same impression.
Arms from concrete pumps are reaching for the stars,
or at least up to 60 metres up in the sky. These are the machines
making it possible to build high constructions, long tunnels and
bridges very efficiently.
The functionality testing is the final step
before delivering the new equipment to the
customer, who could be found everywhere
in the whole wide world. Putzmeister has a
strong position on the market for concrete
pumps – truck-mounted or stationary.
The more conspicuous a building is,
the more likely that concrete pumps were
used to realize the dreams of architects and
designers.
When you see the concrete pumps working,
their capacity seems unnaturally big.
From one day to another you could literally
experience that a building is growing in
front of your eyes.
“And as a matter of fact, it is,” says Jürgen
Kronenberg, manager of Public Relations
at Putzmeister AG in Aichtal. “In theory the
most efficient Putzmeister concrete pumps
can distribute the haul from a concrete
truck every third minute. Even if it in reality
It is “all time high” all the time on the testing
area at Putzmeister. Claus Doré, SSAB Swedish
Steel, and Markus Wolfram are looking at a new
concrete pump boom, reaching 63 metres in
the sky.
means that the handled volumes are smaller,
it says something about the capacity.”
Putzmeister has been on this market
since 1956 when Diplom engineer Karl
Schlecht founded the company. The first
product was a plastery machine that still
is on the product program. In a few years
Putzmeister will celebrate 50, even though
the name is some years younger, the brand
Putzmeister was introduced 1963.
The manufacturing of concrete pumps
is situated on two plants, in Gründau and
Aichtal.
All over the world
“In Aichtal we have R&D as well as final assembly
and testing of the equipment,” explains
D. –Ing Markus Wolfram, Technisher
Leiter Betonverteilermaste. “The plant in
Gründau does the major part of the mechanical
work, like cutting, bending and weld- 4
NEWS 1-2006 5

NEWS 1-2006
Slender and delicate as a small bug,
but strong enough to transport up
to 200 m 3 an hour.

ing the masts for the concrete pumps. They deliver the
units to us and other Puzmeister companies all over
the world, where we have final assembly depending on
different requirements from the markets.”
Markus Wolfram agrees that there is a similarity
between the bugs and the concrete pumps.
“But I would rather say that we use the principals
from nature in general to build stronger and with higher
quality,” he says, pointing at the bended structures
on the boom. “The shape of the connection between a
tree and its branch gives unsurpassed strength. Use the
same design together with high strength steel and you
will probably have a lightweight construction that can
live up to all expectations.”
Long experience from high strength steel
Putzmeister has been using high strength steels since
more than ten years, which is as long as SSAB Swedish
Steel has been delivering the advanced high strength
steels to the company. Today the production is tailor-
made to get the most out of the Swedish steel. The
steel sheets are cut with laser, water or plasma before
bending and welding. Most of the welding is done with
robots to maintain even and high quality. Tolerances
are very low as any kind of failure when the unit is in
use could cause severe problems on a construction site.
The high strength steel used by Putzmeister is between
3 and 20 millimetre thick. The further out on the
boom, the thinner the steel.
Markus Wolfram explains the principals.
“In general you could say that one kilo on the last
part of the boom is as heavy as two kilos on the truck,”
he says.
62 metres boom
Most of the concrete pumps that Putzmeister delivers
come mounted on trucks. The biggest ones, with 62
metres boom, have six or seven axles and they often
need special permits to be used on public roads. There
are other concrete pumps made for stationary use, for
example on top of extremely high buildings and other
places that are out of reach for mobile equipment.
Even though vehicles with concrete pumps look
very much alike, there are big differences as they all are
specified from customer demands.
“And as each one is more or less unique, an increasing
part of our business is to have training with drivers
as a part of the delivery,” Jürgen Kronenberg explains.
“This education covers driving and working with the
concrete pump, but also questions about maintenance.”
This is very important as the life of a concrete pump
very much depends on how careful it has been taken
car of by its driver.
“I have seen vehicles that look like new, though
they were several years old,” Markus Wolfram recalls.
“This was during a visit at Putzmeister in the US and it
was obvious that this well-conducted vehicle gave the
owner good publicity and at the same time the profitability
was better thanks to the good condition.
You could describe a mobile concrete pump as a
construction with four different elements: the vehicle,
the pump, the mast and the tube.
The tube has to be very wear resistant, but still it
does not last more than 1 – 2 years. Putzmeister has
a tube that is manufactured out of two different steel
tubs, the inner tube with high hardness and the outer
lining from softer steel.
“It is almost impossible to predict how long the
tubes will last,” says Jürgen Kronenberg. “You could
hardly imagine how different concrete can appear depending
on mixture, water, sand, cement etcetera.”
Concrete is heavy
Another important factor is the density of the concrete;
it is 2.4 times heavier than water. It does not take a civil
engineer to understand the effort on the equipment
when the pumps are pushing 1,000 litres a minute
through the reinforced tubes.
A visit to the Putzmeister website tells you that the
company is involved with a huge amount of the most
spectacular buildings in the world – monuments that
will live for a very long time. And now you know that
Putzmeister are closely connected to those creations in
concrete.
Text and photo:
HÅKAN JOHANSSON
SSAB Swedish Steel delivers
advanced high strength
steel to Putzmeister for use
in booms’ support legs and
other details. Markus Wolfram
and Claus Doré are discussing
the opportunities of the new
steel grades.
NEWS 1-2006 7

Bernd Schneide, sales manager at SSAB Swedish Steel in Brno in the south east of Czech
Republic, will drive close to 65,000 kilometres in his new Volvo V 50 this year.
That is what life is like when you are a specialised supplier of advanced high strength steel
working with customers in four different countries.
Bernd is on the road
to the East
Bernd Schneide has only been active at his new job
for a couple of months. He started his career in SSAB
with the opening of a new sales office in Passau on the
border between Germany and Austria less than four
years ago.
From there he covered the markets in Austria and
the eastern parts of Bavaria.
“Austria is still my home ground, but from the
office in Brno we are also working with customers in
the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia,” Bernd
Schneide explains.
Produces 1 million cars
These countries are growing rapidly as producers of
cars for the European market. Bernd Schneide estimates
the car production to reach one million units in
2007/2008.
Cars are not only assembled in these countries.
More and more companies in the former eastern parts
of Europe are also working as suppliers for the car
manufacturers.
“Until now it has mostly been labour intensive production
that has established production in Czech Republic,
Hungary and Slovakia,” Bernd Schneide says.
“But I think that it is only a question of time before
other factors will influence decisions concerning investments
in the region.”
Bernd Schneide describes the three new members of
the European Union.
The team in Brno consists of Pavla Kopetkova, Bernd Schneide and Tomas Dergel.
8 NEWS 1-2006
“They all have long traditions and industrial experience
from the manufacturing of everything from
products demanding high precision detail to heavy
machinery and transport equipment.”
Will be a quartet
Today the team in Brno consists of three members.
Apart from Bernd Schneide, there is also Tomas
Dergel, sales, and Pavla Kopetkova, indoor sales and
administration. Tomas Dergel, with experience of cold-
rolled and galvanized material from his former job at
a steel service centre in Czech Republic, will cover the
sales areas of Czech and Slovak Republic. Early next
year, a fourth member will join the team.
Brno is an old city that has managed to keep its romantic
atmosphere through the years. To an ordinary
tourist it looks very much like Vienna.
“And it is a very nice city to live in,” states Bernd
Schneide, who recently took his first lessons in Czech
language.
“Since my wife is Polish, it is not too difficult to learn
Czech,” he admits with a smile. “These languages have
a lot in common.”
Familiar with negotiating
During the last months of the year, a sales manager
spends a lot of time negotiating with purchasing managers
in small as well as big companies. This is a very
familiar situation for Bernd Schneide.
Facts and figures: SSAB Swedish Steel in Brno
“I know both parts in that game,” he declares. “Before
starting with SSAB, I was a purchaser for Meusburger
Trailers, a Bavarian manufacturer that started
to design light-weight trailers for several years ago.”
Advantages of better steel
During his time with the Meusburger Company, Bernd
Schneide became convinced of the opportunities
that advanced high strength steels offer. On the road,
every kilo of reduced weight in a construction can be
replaced by payload.
“Sometimes a lighter trailer or a truck is a little bit
more expensive, but the higher profits will cover this
cost soon enough,” says Bernd Schneide. “After that
we really can talk good business for the hauler …”
He is referring to the fact that a lighter vehicle can
save fuel and also that maintenance costs for lightweight
chassis can be lower.
Improved safety
When Bernd Schneide hits the road again, he will do it
in a new Volvo V50, a car that is using lots of advanced
high strength steel to improve safety and reduce
weight.
“Working with a product that gives our customers
opportunities to improve is a gift for a sales manager,”
he concludes.
HÅKAN JOHANSSON
Subsidiary from SSAB Tunnplåt, responsible for marketing and sales of hot-rolled
steel sheet, Domex, cold-rolled steel sheet, Docol, and galvanized steel sheet,
Dogal, in general as advanced high strength steels. Docol and Dogal is mostly delivered
to the automotive industry and light vehicles while Domex mainly is used
by manufacturers of trailers, trucks, cranes and similar equipment.
If you want to get in contact with SSAB in Brno:
SSAB Swedish Steel, s.r.o.
tř. Kpt. Jaroše 37a
CZ-602 00 Brno
tel. +420 545 422 552
fax +420 545 210 550

On the road again … Bernd
Schneide on his way to meet new
customers in Czech Republic, Austria,
Hungaria and Romania.
Brno, situated in
the south east part
of Czech Republic,
has a good location
for SSAB sales team
covering Austria and
three of the new EU
countries.
News in Brief
Sales success for
Pastre at Fenatran
The International Transport Industry Trade
Fair Fenatran 2005 in São Paulo in Brazil
became a tremendous success for the trailer
manufacturer Pastre.
The company launched a new trailer design
that caught the interest of the visitors at the
trade show.
“This trailer became an immediate commercial
success,” states Davıd Sanchez at SSAB in
Brazil. “During the fair, Pastre sold 20 trailers a
day, which exceeded all expectations”.
The new trailer design is made by advanced
high strength steels from SSAB and has
achieved significantly lower weight compared
to conventional designs.
The Brazilian market for road transport
implements continues to expand. In 2004,
more than 60,000 towed units were produced
in Brazil, a volume 38.7 per cent superior to the
2003 posted results. The production of simple
single compartment units had an increase of
40 per cent.
The participation of road implements manufacturers
at the International Cargo Transport
and Logistic Trade Fair continues to increase
by this 15th edition of Fenatran.
Brazil is the 10th biggest consumer of
machines and equipment in the world. Brazil
is also the 9th biggest assembler of vehicles
with over 33 million in circulation.
Approval for
railroad wagon
After 20,000 kilometres on the railroad,
the new railroad wagon design from Czech
Tatravagónka has proven its strength.
The wagon started working on the Swedish
railroads summer 2004 before being nominated
to the Swedish Steel Prize 2004. Swedish
authorities demanded the testing as there
was no previous experience from wagons
made by advanced high strength steel.
NEWS 1-2006 9

Tomorrow’s dwellings are already here today. A residential district is now in the course of construction
outside the city of Malmö in southern Sweden, where the entire production is industrialized
and prefabricated modules are delivered directly to site. Steel is the staple material used
for load-bearing elements and also for parts of the interior, frontages and roofs.
The future is just
outside Malmö
“
T
his is a good example of how the
building industry can develop,” says
Thomas Andersson, Managing Director
of Lindab Steel, which is one of
the companies in the large Lindab Group. “Rational
industrial production offers benefits in terms of both
quality and economy.”
Thomas Andersson is firm in his conviction that
this is a natural step in the development that Lindab
has actively pursued since the company was founded
in 1959. Lindab was then a small sheet steel working
company in southern Sweden and its ambition was
to grow. The company is now a leading manufacturer
and supplier of sheet steel products to the building
industry. The company basically operates in all European
countries and also in other parts of the world,
has billions of kronor in turnover and has employees
in their thousands.
Broad coverage
Ventilation systems and profiled sheet steel are the
two main sectors that give Lindab broad coverage of
most of the sheet steel products delivered to the building
industry.
“The company was early to make its strategic decision
to focus entirely on products with a steel core,”
says Thomas Andersson. “At that stage, other materials
were beginning to compete in roof drainage systems
– gutters and downpipes that were an important
part of our production during the 1960s and 1970s.”
Thomas Andersson describes this as a very impor-
0 NEWS 1-2006
tant decision.
“It involved much more than merely the material.
When we decided instead to develop roof drainage
systems by using prepainted sheet steel, we linked
ourselves to the sheet metal working industry. That
was when we began building up the relations that are
so important to us today.”
Courses for sheet metal workers
Lindab runs continual training courses for sheet metal
workers. These courses include information on new
materials, products and methods of working. But
between courses, Lindab also has the resources to
deal with questions and any problems customers may
experience.
He describes how Lindab acted after introducing
products made of Prelaq Nova almost six years ago.
“Since the product was entirely new, we cooperated
with our customers in evaluating all of the opportunities
offered by the new coating,” explains Thomas
Andersson.
Nova has a polyester coating as a base, but the
paint is reinforced with polymer grains to build up a
stronger coat. While being more durable, the surface
also has a more attractive structure.
Cautious industry
“But the building industry is generally cautious,”
reveals Thomas. “Not many are prepared to test new
materials and products. In addition, national building
standards or requirements in the industry sometimes
dictate that the quality of the material must be proven
before it can ever be put to use.”
But Prelaq Nova already had a head start. The
paint system had been used for decades with excellent
results. The polymer grains used to increase the
paint coat thickness do not affect the colour or gloss
of the paint, but they do improve the formability and
increase the durability. This was found out by many
manufacturers of sheet steel roof tiles.
Business is brisk
When Thomas Andersson takes us for a guided tour
of Lindab Steel, which is something of a steel service
centre for Lindab Ventilation and Lindab Profile, we
note that many 250 kg coils of Prelaq Nova are ready
for delivery. The address labels show that the recipients
are sheet metal working companies all around
Europe. All of the material was to be dispatched on the
following day. Production at Lindab Steel is on twoshift
operation in order to keep up with the demand.
Business is brisk in the building industry, and since
the winter was so mild, sheet steel workers could
devote their time to installation work rather than to
shovelling snow.
Sheet steel for long-strip roofing is mainly black, but
the adjacent storage hall has coils of sheet steel of all
colours of the rainbow.
“And if that’s not enough, we can often help customers
by producing exactly the colour they need,”
says Thomas Andersson. “If Ikea, for instance, wants a
specific shade for the cladding sheet for its new ware-

“When we decided instead to
develop roof drainage systems
by using prepainted sheet steel,
we linked ourselves to the sheet
metal working industry. That was
when we began building up the
relations that are so important to
us today,” says Thomas Andersson,
Managing Director of Lindab
Steel.
houses, we will obviously supply it.”
Lindab is almost 50 years old and Thomas Andersson
has been working in the company for more than
30 years. During that period, production has developed
dramatically from manufacture of roof drainage systems
and profiling of roofing sheet to more advanced
forming and the development of entire system solutions
for customers.
“We can deliver, for example, increasingly complete
elements for a given application,” he explains. “But
in my opinion, this development has only just begun.
When the market has realized the reliability of the new
paint systems, it will recognize that there are many
products for which prepainted sheet steel strip can
offer major benefits.”
He likes sheet steel
He casts an eye around the room and then points to
windows, doors, ceiling, light fittings and radiators.
“All of these items could be made of prepainted
sheet steel,” he says, obviously delighted at the
thought. “Compared with the corresponding windows
made of aluminum, sheet steel can undoubtedly offer
major gains to all parties. For other parts, the gain may
instead be lower weight, more efficient production or
improved fire safety.”
Thomas Andersson is originally an economist, but
his relationship with sheet steel involves much more
than figures and efficiency. He likes sheet steel!
An entirely new scale of colours was introduced on
Prelaq Nova and the polyester paints. There are intense
colours, metallic paints, shades, grey scales....
“Architects, designers and stylists now have the
means to realize their dreams without limitations,”
declares Thomas Andersson. “This is important, since
sheet steel must never be dull.”
Text: HÅKAN JOHANSSON
Photo: PÄR K OLSSON and HÅKAN JOHANSSON
NEWS 1-2006 1

NEWS 1-2006
The Ice Hotel in Lapland is the Big Bang of the leisure industry. An attraction
was created from nothing and draws people from all over the world.
Photo: PETER GRANT
Luxurious, but cold – except under the duvet. Each of the Ice Hotel suites has
unique decorations.
Photo: PETER GRANT

The Ice Church in the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi. Couples come here from all over the world to celebrate their weddings.
Ice
is almost holy
in Sweden
Photo: TOMAS UTSI
It may not be all that strange that it was a Swede
who came up with the temperature scale in which
the freezing point of water is the reference point. At
the zero point on the Celsius scale, the appearance
of the landscape changes significantly. Rain falls as
white snow, and Sweden’s 90,000 lakes freeze over.
NEWS 1-2006
4

Ice hockey. A raw Swedish export product.
This is the surface on which the country has brought
up generations of great hockey players. Skating under
more relaxed forms is also a popular sport in Sweden.
Unpredictable winters with sudden temperature fluctuations
around the freezing point have enabled many
to discover the pleasure of skimming mile after mile on
the mirror finish of frozen-over lakes. In recent years,
we have also seen something akin to the Big Bang in the
leisure industry. Out of nothing – or at least out of only
something as simple as the cold and water – we saw the
Popular sport. Sweden
has more than 90,000
lakes. Many of them
offer superb skating
conditions when the
temperature drops to
below zero degrees
Celsius.
4 NEWS 1-2006
Zero degrees Celsius
The Swedish astronomer Anders
Celsius, 1701–1744, was one of
the first Swedish natural scientists
to become a follower of Newton’s
teachings. He participated in a
French exhibition that took measurements
in the Swedish region of
Lapland and concluded that the
Earth was flattened at the poles,
which gave support to the Newton
gravitation theory. Celsius is best
known for his thermometer scale in
which he divided the temperature
range between the melting point
of ice and the boiling point of water
into 100 parts.
birth of The Ice Hotel. Frozen water from Torne River
gives rise every winter to this amazing creation, with its
own Ice Church, Ice Galleries and attractive hotel suites.
All of it is decorated by leading designers and artists
who form everything afresh every winter from crystal
clear ice blocks.
The Ice Hotel attracts visitors from around the world.
Every third visitor comes from Great Britain, and the
Ice Bar at the hotel serves vodka in glasses made of ice
– which has now been replicated in London.
The Jukkasjärvi village, 200 km north of the Polar
Circle, is an old Lapp meeting and trading place. A
trickle of tourists came here during the 1970s in order
to fish, ride the rapids and participate in Lapp culture.
But nothing happened here in the winter – until 1989,
when a group if Japanese ice artists visited the village.
This resulted in a famous exhibition and an igloo was
built in the following spring on the ice of Torne River,
in which the French artist Jannot Derid held a vernissage.
At one stage, some of the visitors decided to
spend the night in the art gallery. They awoke refreshed
and exalted by the experience.
Today’s Ice Hotel consists of 60 rooms and receives
14,000 guests every season. Construction begins in October
and the first guests arrive in December. The environment
is icily beautiful. Light sparkles everywhere
through ice crystals in a constantly changing pattern,
artistically lit up by artificial light or the fluctuations
of polar nights between starlight and the Aurora. The
outside temperature sometimes drops to minus 40 degrees
Celsius. The temperature indoors varies between
minus 4 and minus 9. But the guests sleep well in warm
sleeping bags on reindeer skin rugs and are awoken
with a warm drink, morning sauna and breakfast.
The sun takes over at the end of April and the whole
creation floats away on the river from which it was
born.
STIG MEITON

New concrete mixer
winner in weight
and wear resistance
Spanish Reycoma S.L. has introduced a completely
new concrete mixer, which at the same
time is lighter and with more wear resistance.
“We have optimised the construction in
every detail,” declares Matias Pedraza Aguilar,
managing director of Reycoma. “Advanced
high strength steel is an important part in the
success of the project”.
Booming industry
There is a boom for building industry in Spain.
On average, the growth has been around 15 per
cent the past years.
“These times are good,” says Matias Pedraza
Aguilar.
The company, family-owned and started
by his father, began 20 years ago with maintenance
and repair of concrete mixers for
trucks and trailers. Over the years, the business
expanded into manufacturing of their own
products.
“We have two main segments,” explains
Matias Pedraza Aguilar. “Apart from the concrete
mixers for trucks, we produce complete
concrete plants. The combination is very good
for us. We are getting a lot of experience from
the plants that we can use on the equipment
for trucks.”
Specific qualities
Concrete mixers demand two specific qualities
from the material they are made from:
• Low weight.
• Wear resistance.
“There is an increasing interest in low weight
from the business,” states Matias Pedraza
Aguilar. The new EU regulations for maximum
weight of commercial vehicles puts a strong
pressure on the business. Not only can the
driver get a ticket from the police if he is driving
A completely new range of concrete mixers for
trucks that are lighter than previous designs,
but still with better wear resistance, caught
the attention of the audience when they were
introduced by Spanish Reycoma last year.
Matias Pedraza Aguilar, managing director of
Reycoma.
with overload, at the same time the owner of
the truck has to pay fine.
Primarily low weight means less risk for
overload, but at the same time it can give more
profit to the truck owner. One ton extra on each
haul means a lot.
Wear resistance is extremely important in a
product like a concrete mixer. And everybody
can understand that there is a conflict between
the need of lighter and thinner steel and at the
same time a material that can take the wear
from thousands of tons of concrete every year.
Full-scale test
The last year Reycoma have been running a fullscale
test of five new, truck mounted concrete
mixers made by Domex 700 MC, an ultra high
strength steel from SSAB Swedish Steel.
“The results are very impressive,” says Matias
Pedraza Aguilar. “In the first place we save a lot
of weight, but we also achieve a construction
that is easy to maintain and that is a very valuable
benefit for our customers.”
News in Brief
Anders Elfgren, Marketing Director at SSAB Tunnplåt
and Rinaldo Baldi, managing director of
SSAB Swedish Steel in Italy.
SSAB in Italy
celebrated ten years
“SSAB Swedish Steel in Italy really is a success
story,” said Rinaldo Baldi, Managing Director of
SSAB Swedish Steel in Italy, welcoming more than
140 guests from customers all over the country to
celebrate ten years in Italy on October 26.
When the company started with a small steel
service centre and a sales office in Ghedi ten years
ago, advanced high strength steels were quite new
to the market. There was a small demand from
manufacturers of cranes and industrial lifting
equipment, as well as from the automotive industry,
but not much more.
“We had a modest start,” explains Rinaldo
Baldi. “From that we have grown to being the largest
market outside Sweden for SSAB.”
When SSAB established on the Italian market,
the company did not get anything for free. The
sales personal had to introduce themselves and
their products to every single customer. This gave
a lot of good relations as result.
Today the “Ghedi Model” is famous within all
of SSAB.
“When we want to give a good example of the
influence our company and products can have on
a market, we often describe what has been done in
Italy,” said Anders Elfgren, Marketing Director at
SSAB Tunnplåt.
In Ghedi, SSAB has created a centre for advanced
high strength steel. The location was
chosen because of its logistic advantages and its
position, central in the most industrialized part of
Italy. The Swedish Steel is delivered by railroad,
right into the steel service centre.
“Our stock is very important to our customers,”
Rinaldo Baldi explains. “We can deliver most of
our products with short LED-times and we have a
special stock of trial material that is very popular
in, for example, the automotive industry.”
The ten-year anniversary was arranged in the
Historical Museum in Brescia. Apart from the
anniversary party, the guests were invited to see
a new exhibition showing art from Gauguin and
van Gogh.
NEWS 1-2006 5

Book 29 November today
for this years Swedish Steel Prize event
www.steelprize.com