New roll forming center creates opportunities for SSAB

FAGERSTA. At half past eleven, Stig Henriksson, Fagersta’s municipal commissioner, pressed the button and Rullformningscenter in Fagersta made its first tube of high strength steel.

After six months of hard work, the new roll forming center - a joint project between SSAB Strip Products and Outokumpu - could be inaugurated.

For SSAB the roll forming center means that it will finally be possible to offer customers tube prototypes made of both Domex and Docol.

 “For over ten years, SSAB has been looking for a plant that can make prototypes of our high strength steels. By offering customers prototypes at an early stage in the process, SSAB has a better chance to sell,” explains Lilian Sjans, manager of the business area Light Vehicles and Industries, SSAB Strip Products.

Four ladies tied together the inauguration ribbons when Rullformningscenter in Fagersta was inaugurated last Thursday. From the left Merja Hellstrand, Fagersta local authority, Lilian Sjans, SSAB Strip Products, Ing-Marie Andersson-Drugge, Outokumpu, and Maria Engholn, Triple Steelix.

The name of the new roll forming center is Rullformningscenter in Fagersta AB and is located in Outokumpu’s former tube rolling mill in Fagersta. The tube mill manufactured the last tube in December 2008, after which it was closed down.
Besides the tube rolling mill, there is also a fully equipped tool workshop and training premises. In addition, as Outokumpu’s Torbjörn Ericson pointed out there’s also a lot of skills.

The roll forming center not only produce roll form tube prototypes and minor series of tube of high strength steel, but will also offer customers, as well as companies in the industry, training in roll forming technique and high strength steels.
Ikea is a customer and has made an agreement with Rullformningscenter. As part of the agreement, Ikea will buy a number of prototypes over the next two years, recieve training in roll forming and learn more about the possibilities of tubes of high strength steel.

 
SSAB owns Rullformningscenter together with Outokumpu and has committed to producing 50 different types of tube prototypes over a two-year period.
“We have already established a full workload in August. The tube which was manufactured using Domex 700 Mc during the inauguration will be sent to a customer in Korea for manufacture of torsion bar axle assemblies,” tells Karl-Erik Morén, SSAB Strip Products, who has been one of the most active people in the creation of the roll forming center.

Besides the roll forming center, Triple Seelix - together with the Growth group in Northern Västmanland and the county council in the county of Westmanland - run a development project with the aim to work with companies in the region and help create prototypes with the support of the Rollformingscenter.

 
SSAB’s representative on the board of Rullformingscenter is Jonas Högström, business developer for the business area Light Vehicles and Industries.

Torbjörn Ericson and Ola Lundqvist, Outokumpu, in the fully equipped tool workshop in Rullformningscenter in Fagersta.

Photo: INGER SÖDERLUND

These people attended the inauguration of Rullformningscenter in Fagersta AB. Standing from the left: Thomas Mueller, SSAB, Lena Bylund, Fagersta local authority, Michael Norell, Triple Steelix, Ann Björnsson, SSAB, Staffan Mood, Norberg’s local authority, Göran Uhlin, SSAB, Carl-Henrik Folstad, ORTIC, Hans Forsling, the Growth group, Lilian Sjans, SSAB, Gunnar Lindström, SSAB, Anne-Li Ericsson, SSAB, Karl-Erik Morén, SSAB, Jonas Högström, SSAB, Anders Kihlström, Fagersta local authority, Stig Henriksson, Fagersta local authority, Thorbjörn Ericson, Outokumpu, Ing-Marie Anderson-Drugge, Outokumpu, Mike Persson, SSAB, Anette Eriksson, the Growth group, Thomas Granqvist, Triple Steelix, Per Johansson, SSAB and Lars Ingvarsson, ORTIC.

Sitting in front of them, from the left Sten Lundqvist, Outokumpu, Anna Östlund, SSAB, Ola Lundqvist, Outokumpu, Joakim Nyström, SSAB, Maria Engholm, Triple Steelix, Tommy Birgersson, President of  Rullformningscenter and Mikael Lundqvist, Outokumpu.