September 07, 2022 6 min read
35% less weight. 50% less welding. And containers that can last 2.7 times longer. That’s what Shirakawa Tekko got when they started building waste containers in corrosion-fighting Hardox® HiAce steel.
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Shirakawa Tekko, one of the biggest hooklift container manufacturers in Japan, had been using Hardox® steel for 10 years. But when they heard about Hardox® HiAce, a steel specially developed to fight corrosion in acidic environments, they wanted a closer look.
Hardox® HiAce has helped the company transition away from heavy stainless steel to a lighter container with thinner steel plates of Hardox® HiAce, saving up to 35% in weight. Thinner plates mean more payload when fully loaded. And when traveling empty, a lighter-weight truck saves on fuel and reduces CO2 emissions.
“We try to use Hardox® HiAce instead of SUS304 stainless steel as much as possible,” says Keita Shirakawa, Sales Director of Shirakawa Tekko Corp. “The stainless steel needs a lot of stiffeners and a thicker material to retain the strength of the container. Designing it with Hardox® HiAce makes it stronger even with thinner plate. Instead of 5 mm (0.197”) stainless steel in the container floor, we use the 3 mm (0.118”) Hardox® HiAce developmental grade. Our customers get a lighter container that can hold up to 35% or almost one tonne (1.1 tons) more sludge, fly ash or any other corrosive load.”
Transporting municipal waste in garbage trucks or containers is a common application where acids meet steel under abrasive conditions. The waste creates a low pH environment which accelerates wear. Hardox® HiAce is designed with properties that fight these corrosive wear conditions, providing extended service life. Acidic conditions with low pH levels are also present in many other industries, such as recycling facilities, waste-to-energy plants, pulp and paper mills, iron ore and potash mining, agriculture and process industries. Salt, sulfates, ammonium and chlorides are some of the chemicals responsible for creating an acidic environment. Hardox® HiAce is made to withstand all of these challenges.
Shirakawa Tekko calculates that the switch to Hardox® HiAce has improved overall production efficiency by 10% compared to using stainless steel. When it comes to welding specifically, it can reduce the welding required by as much as 50%.
Hardox® is a well-known, respected wear steel brand in Japan. As a qualified member of the Hardox® In My Body program, Shirakawa Tekko gains a market advantage as a supplier of high-performing equipment that its customers can trust. They design and manufacture their containers in close partnership with SSAB, which helps them speed up their processes and ensure the steel is used to its full potential.
Hardox® HiAce meets the challenges of corrosive wear in municipal and industrial waste management, waste-to-energy plants, in mining and in other industries with acidic environments.
When BRE got wind of the new wear steel for corrosive environments, the Australian company saw the potential and ordered the wear steel straight from the mill to start manufacturing its first trailers in Hardox® HiAce.
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