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: 6,700
Revenue in 2022: 50,068 million SEK
Head of SSAB Europe: Olavi Huhtala
Steel shipments in 2022: 3.2 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. Strong brands and new GreenCoat® eco-friendly coating systems have 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.
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
Strategic targets
The Nordic home market is core to SSAB Europe’s strategy. The focus is on developing the product and service offering to strengthen the market-leading position as the most reliable supplier and customers’ first choice. Cooperation and synergies with Tibnor and Ruukki Construction are key elements in the strategy, as they support market share, profitability as well as resilience over the business cycle.
Improving the product mix remains an important area. By allocating a larger share of the production capacity to premium products, SSAB Europe can reduce shipments of standard products outside of the Nordic home market.
SSAB Europe has two main categories of premium products. First, advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), which are sold globally to the Automotive segment. Second, premium steels, which are sold in the European market to other industries. SSAB has a strong position in several automotive applications, thanks to the development of some of the most advanced products in the market for ultra high-strength martensitic, dual or complex phase steels. In vehicles, drivetrain electrification and hybrids are increasing the relative importance compared to traditional combustion engines. Low weight, keeping high-strength stiffness and safety performance remain key elements in all new vehicle design. This is why SSAB expects the AHSS market to continue to grow structurally as automotive manufacturers seek to reduce weight and improve safety performance.
In premium steels, SSAB Europe is continuing to focus on upgrading current customers from standard to premium products, and to develop new customer segments and applications. Key growth-supporting initiatives seek to further promote end-user benefits through SSAB Europe’s premium products and enhance collaboration with multi-channel distributors. In addition, the focus continues on launching new premium products and developing enhanced digital services and tools.
In construction and industry, decarbonization initiatives will also create opportunities for upgrading to premium steels in different applications. SSAB Europe focuses on close collaboration with customers to implement resource efficient solutions and bring fossil-free products to the market in 2026.
- Share of premium products of 46% (2023)
- 800 thousand tonnes of Automotive AHSS shipments (2023)
- Market share 40-45% in the Nordic market
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. The division also sells its products to major agricultural machinery makers.
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 – such as GreenCoat® products, Docol® automotive steels or SSAB Laser®. As an example, automotive manufacturers are calling for lightweight, durable materials with bifacial 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 of buildings.
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®
- 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.