Lighter and safer farm trailer wins Swedish Steel Prize University Challenge 2014

With the winning solution chassis weight could be reduced by over 20 percent – from 522 kg to 410 kg, and the chassis was safer. The two trailer prototypes that were built for the end customer have shown good performance and received positive reviews.

The winning chassis solution was developed by Manuel Genzor, a civil engineer from Spain. The trailer chassis was originally developed by the Spanish trailer manufacturer Beguer, which in turn contacted the University of Zaragoza in northern Spain for help in testing the chassis performance. Genzor, who was studying for a degree in civil engineering, became interested in the project and used it for his thesis. With Sergio Sanchez from Beguer as his mentor, Genzor tested replacing mild steel parts in the chassis with the high-strength steel, Domex 700 MC. Beguer has even built and sold three more trailers since the project was completed.

“This is a good example for both Beguer and SSAB of how a student project can develop into real business development projects,” said Luis Antunano, area sales manager for SSAB Specials Steels in Spain.

The jury’s justification for Manuel Genzor winning the Swedish Steel Prize University Challenge 2014 is:

In his master work, the winner has skillfully introduced advanced high-strength steel into an industrial product. He has demonstrated a holistic understanding of structural design, production and end-users requirements. The exemplary learning process starts with a straightforward computation of a reference layout, and continues with phased optimizations for different steel grades, geometries and attachments. Finally, the manufacturer’s successful test of the prototype and the launch of the product to the end-users have proven that this former student is now an innovative and competent engineer.

For pictures, please visit SSAB’s image bank 

For more information, please contact