Docol Advanced High Strength Steels ensure safer, lighter and more cost-effective solutions for the automotive industry. At SSAB, the number of car manufacturers ordering Advanced High Strength Steels is increasing rapidly. OEMs and tier suppliers from across the globe are producing an ever-growing number of car safety parts from SSAB steel and are virtually lining up to develop new products together with the SSAB Knowledge Service Center.
Lilian Sjans, Automotive Director at SSAB has a simple explanation for the growth.
“With SSAB’s Advanced High Strength Steels, car manufacturers can make safer and lighter cars that cost less to produce.”
The brand name for SSAB steel supplied to the automotive industry is Docol Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS).
“Docol is one of the strongest cold-rolled AHSS on the market and it is the steel that can offer car manufacturers the most benefits,” explains Sjans.
SSAB supplies Docol AHSS to several hundred car manufacturers and tier suppliers from 30 different countries worldwide, in four key niche areas: Side Impact Door Beams, Bumpers, Seats and Structural Components.
“Each area is equally important to our strategy and each is supported by specific ranges of Docol AHSS that have been carefully developed for the best performance for its specific use,” says Sjans.
Kennet Olsson, Business Development Automotive at SSAB explains further,
“In the automotive industry there has been an increasing demand for more cost effective materials and more environmentally friendly cars. We have been able to benefit greatly from this by offering Docol steel that can be used to manufacture specific safety components.”
Customers from across the globe
SSAB works closely with many OEMs and tier suppliers in the automotive industry and there are many customer references and stories that stand out.
A long relationship with Fiat, both in Europe and in Brazil is one example. The Fiat 500 is a car that contains 20 different components made from AHSS from SSAB. The car has been a great success and obtained a 5 star Euro NCAP crash test rating.
The Opel Insignia is another car with many safety components made from AHSS. It received a 5 star Euro NCAP rating and was also named ‘Car of the Year’ in 2009. The Opel Astra is another car using Docol AHSS from SSAB.
DURA Automotive Systems: Side impact protection beam made of Docol 1200 MZE. Strongest AHSS steel
At the moment, a specific range of SSAB steel is becoming increasingly popular – Docol martensitic steel, called Docol M steels. These ultra-high strength steels contain 100 percent martensite, making Docol M currently one of the strongest cold-rolled AHSS steels on the market.
Though extremely strong, Docol M steel can be formed into many types of safety components. Many OEM and tier suppliers like Shape Corp. and DURA Automotive Systems have used Docol M to further increase the safety impact and weight reduction of their products. For some time, Shape Corp. has been producing a bumper made from Docol 1300 M. DURA Automotive Systems has also produced a side impact protection beam composed of Docol 1200 MZE.
SSAB’s Knowledge Service Center is a partner in every step of the development of a new Advanced High Strength Steel application. Working together
Another indication of the strong automotive growth is the SSAB Knowledge Service Center, which is currently seeing a record number of new automotive projects.
The SSAB Knowledge Service Center is a way for customers to work closely together with SSAB to gain access to the vast amount of product, technical and design knowledge from SSAB’s 30 years of supplying AHSS to the automotive industry.
SSAB also keeps a stock of Docol AHSS test and prototyping materials on hand, which is unique within the industry. Interested companies can quickly receive material and test production methods, without having to make large initial investments in steel.
SSAB is a world leader in the supply of high strength steels. SSAB offers products that have been developed in cooperation with customers, with the aim of creating a stronger, lighter and more durable world.
SSAB has 8 700 employees in more than 45 countries, and has production plants in Sweden and the USA. SSAB is quoted on the NASDAQ OMX Nordic stock exchange, Stockholm.