Annual Report 2005/06 - voestalpine
Annual Report 2005/06 - voestalpine
Annual Report 2005/06 - voestalpine
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Additionally, a new generation of the<br />
so-called corrosion protection primer, a special<br />
coating for plates, is being developed.<br />
More than 500,000 tons of these highly processed<br />
and refined products have already<br />
been supplied – primarily to the automotive<br />
industry.<br />
<strong>voestalpine</strong> Stahl GmbH, the main divisional<br />
company of the Division Steel, is the<br />
first European company to supply hot-dip<br />
galvanized strip that has been passivated in<br />
a process that is entirely chromium-free.<br />
Since the beginning of the 20<strong>06</strong> calendar<br />
year, all customers in the automotive, household<br />
appliance, and building industries<br />
are being supplied exclusively with these<br />
products which are manufactured according<br />
to this environmentally safe method.<br />
By using scrap metal in the steel manufacturing<br />
process, <strong>voestalpine</strong> Stahl GmbH is already<br />
making a significant contribution toward<br />
fulfilling the material recycling quota<br />
of 78%. However, an increase to the 85%<br />
quota required by the EU by the year 2015<br />
is economically and ecologically expedient<br />
only if defined and quality-assured plastic<br />
fractions from the processing of shredder<br />
residues are used. These secondary raw<br />
materials replace primary raw materials,<br />
such as coal, coke, and heavy oil in the<br />
production of crude steel in the blast furnace<br />
process, thus sustainably conserving limited<br />
non-renewable resources. The Division Steel<br />
is a European pioneer in the development<br />
of this process.<br />
A major development project in the Division<br />
Railway Systems is the realization and<br />
market launch of the “installation-ready<br />
switches (turnout systems),” and now that<br />
the component development has been<br />
completed, the project’s momentum is on a<br />
fast track. These completely pre-installed<br />
switches have a number of advantages, such<br />
as shorter idle periods and improved installation<br />
modalities. With this development,<br />
the Division Railway Systems again confirms<br />
its worldwide technology leadership<br />
in the switches and turnout systems sector.<br />
Additionally, <strong>voestalpine</strong> Schienen GmbH<br />
will play an important role in the EU project<br />
“Quiet City Transport” (QCITY). The goal<br />
of the project, which was started in the first<br />
half of <strong>2005</strong>, is the reduction of noise<br />
pollution from street and railway traffic in<br />
cities and suburbs.<br />
In the Division Profilform, a major R&D focus<br />
is on the custom roll forming segment.<br />
Together with customers, development<br />
projects for the automotive industry, particularly<br />
for commercial vehicles/cab construction,<br />
are being carried out using new<br />
high- and highest-strength steels for cold<br />
(rolled) profiles.<br />
Management <strong>Report</strong><br />
<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>2005</strong>/<strong>06</strong><br />
1
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