SSAB Europe

Leading Nordic-based premium steel producer of high-quality strip, plate and tubular products

Fast facts

SSAB Europe is a leading premium producer of high-quality steel strip, plate and tubular products. The division stands out from other steelmakers through its know-how of production processes, applications of high-strength steels and value-added services.

Employees, approximately: 6,800

Revenue in 2023: 46,227 million SEK

Head of SSAB Europe: Olavi Huhtala

Steel shipments in 2023: 3.3 million tonnes

Market position

SSAB Europe is a market leader in the Nordic home market region, with a complete portfolio of high-quality steel products and support services including strong technical customer support. SSAB Europe’s market share in the Nordics is 40-45%. SSAB Europe has a leading position in selected Advanced High-Strength Steel (AHSS) applications for the global automotive industry.Our strong brand GreenCoat® has also given SSAB Europe a leading position in color-coated products. SSAB Europe has an extensive portfolio of tube products. The Nordic countries account for about 50% of sales, the rest of Europe for about 40% and the rest of the world for about 10%.

Market drivers

Key drivers of SSAB Europe’s business are the continued demand for more sustainable and efficient solutions in various steel-using industries like automotive and construction. New safety regulations, emissions caps and a shift to electrical vehicles are all trends that increase the demand for high-strength steel in the automotive industry.

Market position

Strengths

  • Close collaboration and long-term commitment to customers combined with support services
  • Extensive product portfolio with unique automotive and premium steels supported by strong product brands
  • Leading technology and materials expertise, application know-how
  • Flexible service and supply chain adapted to end customer and distribution channels
  • Among the most CO2-efficient blast furnaces in the world and a strategy to bring fossil-free products to market in 2026

Strategy

SSAB Europe is responsible for sales of strip, heavy plate and tubular products in Europe as well as global business in the Automotive customer segment. SSAB Europe is responsible for steel and plate production in Raahe and Hämeenlinna, Finland, and in Luleå and Borlänge, Sweden, as well as for the production of tubular products in among other places Hämeenlinna.

SSAB Europe is focusing on improving the product mix and working with various distribution channels. A higher share of premium products provides better and more stable profitability over business cycles. Premium products comprise advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) for the vehicle segment and other premium products.

SSAB Europe is strongly positioned in several vehicle applications with some of the most advanced products on the ultra-high-strength steel market. Demand is growing faster than that for standard steels and is being driven by automakers' need to reduce weight and increase safety performance. SSAB's leading position in fossil-free steel and established partnerships pave the way to secure new customers in the vehicle segment. Other premium products include color-coated products, steel for effective laser cutting and corrosion-resistant steels.

The strategy is to continuously increase shipments of premium products and Automotive AHSS products. In 2023, these shipments were 806 and 657 thousand tonnes respectively. At the same time, shipments of standard products will decrease, especially outside our home markets.

 

SSAB Europe contributes to SSAB's strategy by:

  • Strengthening the position on SSAB's Nordic home market
  • Increasing the share of premium products
  • Planning to build new integrated mini-mills with electric arc furnaces and integrated rolling and further processing, and closing down the blast furnaces in Luleå and Raahe
  • Developing the fossil-free offering

Customers and end-users

SSAB Europe’s extensive product portfolio allows the division to serve customers in diverse segments and in a wide range of applications. SSAB Europe sells products directly to end customers and to service centers and distributors. SSAB Europe supplies different steel grades to major OEMs in the automotive and heavy transport sectors. These manufacturers are seeking the benefits of lightweighting and more efficient fuel consumption. Heavy plates are used extensively in the Nordic markets and within Europe in the marine and energy sectors, while color-coated materials are used primarily by manufacturers of steel roofing and rainwater systems, particularly in the Nordic and Eastern European markets.

Customers and end users

SSAB Europe’s main customer segments:

  • Automotive
  • Building construction & infrastructure
  • Industrial applications
  • Heavy transport (incl. marine)
  • Energy
  • Construction machinery
  • Service centers

Products and services

SSAB Europe has a broad product offering through internationally well-known product brands. Yield strength classes of hot-rolled products up to, but excluding, 690 MPa. (Steel grades of 690 MPa and above in hot-rolled products, other than automotive, come under SSAB Special Steels’ product offering.) Cold-rolled and galvanized products are available in tensile strengths ranging from 200 to 1,700 MPa. SSAB Europe’s product offering also includes customized products for diverse uses from mild deep drawing steel to ultra-high-strength steels. In addition, SSAB Europe can provide leading color-coated products designed for specific needs based on many different coating systems and various specially-developed base steel grades. SSAB Europe offer includes also cut-to-length and slit materials.

SSAB Europe’s premium products are designed to deliver sustainable environmental benefits compared to standard products in the marketplace. They include a range of branded products that offer enhanced value to customers through tighter tolerances, improved material properties and refined composition. As an example, automotive manufacturers are calling for lightweight, durable materials with beneficial environmental properties that are manufactured with resource efficiency. SSAB Europe’s cold-rolled AHSS helps to make it possible to develop safer and lighter vehicles with lower emissions. SSAB Europe also develops new functional surface coatings that lower energy consumption and maintenance costs, improve surface durability and extend the lifespan.

Customers can obtain steels in the formats that best meet their needs. SSAB Europe’s service offering includes technical advice and workshop support, training and more.

SSAB Europe’s branded products:

  • Docol®
  • GreenCoat®
  • COR-TEN® (trademark licensed from US Steel)
  • SSAB Boron
  • SSAB Domex®
  • SSAB Form
  • SSAB Laser®
  • SSAB Weathering
  • SSAB Multisteel

The full range of products includes the following

  • Hot-rolled plate products
  • Hot-rolled strip products
  • Cold-rolled strip products
  • Metal-coated strip products
  • Color-coated strip products
  • Tubes and sections
  • Infrastructure products
  • Cut-to-length and slit products

Competitors

ArcelorMittal, Dillinger, Salzgitter, ThyssenKrupp, Tata Steel Europe, US Steel, Voestalpine.