31 July 2023 | SSAB Fossil-free Steel™ is a steel developed by SSAB. SSAB supplies the steel to Kirchhoff Automotive. The company produces safety-relevant structural components for the international automotive industry. According to Kirchhoff Automotive, the fossil-free steel is expected to reduce the CO₂ footprint by 40 %.
SSAB says it uses DRI (direct reduced iron) and produces the steel without the use of fossil energy. Instead, biogas and fossil-free electricity are used. The quality and properties of this material are just as good as those of conventionally produced steel.
By using SSAB Fossil-free Steel, Kirchhoff Automotive saves almost 40 % in emissions when producing a front bumper. Steel is the main component of cold-formed car body parts. Kirchhoff Automotive produces them in South Westphalia. Kirchhoff Automotive’s crash boxes, lower belts and end plates are produced using the cold forming process. The individual parts weigh between 300 gr and 1.3 kg.
Cooperation between the companies
Kirchhoff Automotive has named SSAB Supplier of the Year 2023 in the raw material category. This is the third time SSAB has received this award.
Michael Rank, Global Vice President of Procurement for Kirchhoff Automotive: “Kirchhoff Automotive takes CO₂ emissions reduction very seriously and the partnership with SSAB allows us to further accelerate our efforts to bring CO₂-reduced solutions to our customers and on the road. In addition, it will help to achieve Kirchhoff Automotive’s sustainability goals.”
Roman Kaiser, Sales Director of SSAB Europe: “At SSAB, we are aiming for a close partnership with Kirchhoff Automotive to jointly take a leading role in the development and use of CO₂-reduced or CO₂-free steel grades in the automotive sector in the years to come.”
This video shows how SSAB produces fossil-free steel: