Meeting the needs of automotive manufacturers
The automotive sector is fiercely competitive, fast moving and subject to permanent development. Vehicle manufacturers are under constant pressure to reduce fuel consumption, improve environmental and safety attributes, boost performance and control costs. To achieve these goals, they need new materials and innovative material processing techniques. They also need better productivity when fabricating parts from established material formulations.
In recent years, responding to challenges from other materials, advanced steels have been developed that are lighter and stronger. Newly developed steel grades have changed the traditional picture of steel as a standard product to one which offers a palette of high tech competitive features, tailored to individual applications and customer needs. Steel properties are increasingly customized to meet the exact processing and performance requirements of automotive bodies, sub-assemblies and components.
For example:
- Case-hardening steels with strictly limited hardening ranges to minimize distortion during heat treatment.
- Micro-alloyed steels which allow adjustment of the end-structure by close regulation of cooling during the die-forging process.
- Rolled or special heat treated steels to achieve the optimum micro-structure for cold deformation.
- Exceptionally high purity steels for the production of pressure-withstanding parts such as injection systems.
As partners to the automotive industry, modern steel mills are now required to offer more than just steel production. They need to be experts in metallurgical processing and thermo-mechanical rolling. They need to meet the highest quality, testing and environmental standards (e.g. DIN EN 14001 & ISO TS 16949). Above all, they need to have a deep understanding of their end-user customers’ requirements.
The role of Stemcor Automotive + Processing is to act as an intermediary between the automotive customer and the steel supplier. We add value by interpreting and defining material requirements, selecting the right steel mill, assisting with trade finance, ensuring the quality and delivery of supplied steel and providing ongoing technical support. Our independence allows us to be objective in securing the right partner for the customer’s specific application.
Stemcor Automotive + Processing specialises in hot forgings and cold extrusions for a variety of industry sectors including automotive, oil & gas, wind energy and power generation. Part of Stemcor, the world’s largest independent steel trader, we serve as an expert intermediary between the end customer and the steel producer. Our job is to provide a complete supply chain service to fulfil the customer’s exact needs. We add value by understanding complex engineering requirements, interpreting these into ‘steel language’ and briefing the steel mills on behalf of the customer. In collaboration with the mills, we arrange melting, casting, rolling and testing of engineering steel products. We then provide finance, logistics, processing and technical support services.
