Technological leadership through innovation
voestalpine Stahl is among the high-leverage innovators who, at a level above the others, act innovatively with efficient means. Roughly two thirds of our products in the market are categorized as innovative or highly innovative. The foundation of our technological leadership is research and development. Our researchers and developers are highly recognized experts in their fields who create and optimize processes and products. They are integrated into an innovation management process that allows them to actively shape the future of our materials, products and services.
Focus of innovation
At the center of our R&D activities is the development of new materials, coatings and processing technologies. We also continually work on the development of new methods of combining steel with other materials. Our materials development focuses on multi-phase steels to ensure that we are in an excellent position to serve our customers in the automotive industry. The FutureSteelVehicle project shows that it is possible to reduce the car body weight by 35% through implementation of high-strength steels. This leads to a reduction in CO2 emissions across the entire auto lifecycle of 70%.
The development of steels for the energy industry is also centralized at voestalpine. Extremely tough heavy-plate materials allow the installation of sour-gas-resistant pipelines in the deep ocean and the Antarctic. Our materials are also used in increasing the efficiency of power stations that are subjected to extremely high temperatures.
Our pioneering spirit is manifested not only in our products, but also in our processes. voestalpine Stahl GmbH represents a global benchmark in energy efficiency and environmental compatibility. We are the first steelmaking company in the world to use end-of-life plastics in the blast-furnace process, thus reducing the annual emission of approximately 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Additionally, we have reduced our energy consumption in our steelmaking processes by roughly 50% in the past thirty years.
The power of innovation
Profound technical knowledge is required for any further development of steel as a working material and the related production processes. This knowledge is expanded through extensive basic research In cooperation with scientific institutions throughout Europe, we are continually delving into the details of steel as a material. Physical and numeric simulation equipment is used to comprehensively investigate the material properties. We have access to efficient and cost-saving tools in order to more quickly achieve the desired results. All of the essential process steps can be realistically simulated without risky and costly large-scale production trials. In close cooperation with our customers and suppliers, our research team ensures that innovations created by voestalpine are delivered as real solutions to pressing issues in the markets.
Research and organization
The research organization at voestalpine is decentralized in order to place the development activities closer to company operations. The central research department coordinates and controls research and development activities. It also plans future research projects and includes the innovation management, technology monitoring and pre-field research departments.
