Insights

Body-in-white manufacturing is undergoing significant change. Fewer parts, new concepts for large structural components and higher levels of integration are transforming both development and production. Hot forming remains a key process for future body-in-white concepts. To fully leverage efficiency, quality and cost-effectiveness, industrialization and series production capability must be considered at an early stage. This is precisely where the voestalpine Automotive Components Group contributes its expertise – from co-engineering through to the series production process: as an “all-in-one expert” with closely integrated capabilities in materials, tooling, forming and assembly. With our one-stop-shop approach, we ensure that hot forming is not viewed in isolation, but as an integrated part of the entire process and supply chain.

Electrified powertrains, new platform concepts, and increasing demands for comfort and safety are fundamentally changing vehicle design. This also affects the suspension: Modern air suspension systems must compensate for varying load conditions, contribute to vehicle stability, and integrate seamlessly into complex vehicle architectures. Air suspension components from voestalpine Rotec and structural expertise from voestalpine Automotive Components demonstrate how important the interaction of precision-manufactured components is in modern automotive engineering.

Press hardening, also known as hot forming, is a thermomechanical process used to manufacture ultra-high-strength steel components for crash-relevant body structures. It allows for the combination of very high strengths with function-oriented geometries, provided that the industrialization process is properly designed from the beginning. voestalpine Automotive Components not only focuses on the material, but also on a stable series production process. This includes temperature control, cycle-time stability, and clearly defined interfaces between the blank, furnace, and press. Additionally, it is the goal to ensure a reproducible quality window from SOP throughout the entire production lifecycle.

With the phs-door ring, voestalpine Automotive Components is demonstrating how integrated production, material diversity and engineering expertise can merge to create a pioneering component. The project is a proof of concept for the next generation of vehicle structures - and a strong sign of technological advancement in body construction.

voestalpine Automotive Components offers more than standard solutions—here, spare parts production is reimagined. The plant in Bunschoten is designed to offer OEMs maximum flexibility: from small series with just one part to large orders with 150,000 pieces per year. And all this without compromising on quality, efficiency, or delivery reliability.

In the automotive industry, the battery box is evolving from a protective housing into an integral system component. The Business Unit Automotive Components of the Metal Forming Division of voestalpine is translating this trend toward functional integration into production-ready body solutions, thereby making a significant contribution to further development.

The new 33-meter-long, 16-meter-wide welding line at voestalpine Automotive Components Linz welds steel blanks of varying thicknesses and grades with high precision and sets new standards with its performance.

With a strong global production network and comprehensive technological expertise, the voestalpine Automotive Components Group is the “all-in-one expert” for the automotive industry. OEMs benefit from a comprehensive service portfolio.

voestalpine Automotive Components Fontaine is putting a new production hall into operation with a ceremonial opening on May 22, 2025. The new building with a total area of 3,000 m² marks an important milestone in the strategic realignment of the site as part of the Automotive Components Group's RESTART reorganization project.

Lightweight construction saves weight, material and energy: The voestalpine Metal Forming Division goes one step further and sets new standards in the production of even lighter and more resource-efficient parts by hybridising materials using state-of-the-art welding technology in combination with additive manufacturing.

Optimized crash performance, weight and cost reduction, simpler body assembly - complete door rings, formed from a laser-welded blank, are becoming increasingly important in lightweight automotive construction. voestalpine Automotive Components is a manufacturing partner, also with sustainable advantages.

Battery boxes have to meet high requirements in terms of crash resistance and fire safety. But cost-effectiveness is also a criterion, from design to production. With its comprehensive expertise, the Metal Forming Division of voestalpine is the partner of the e-vehicle industry for all battery box components.

The specialist for press-hardened automotive components is further increasing its capacities with its fifth phs-hot forming line. At the same time, voestalpine Automotive Components Shenyang is taking a further step towards CO₂untdown to zero - the voestalpine Metal Forming Division's mission to be CO₂-neutral by 2035.

Lightweight, high-strength, corrosion-resistant - voestalpine Automotive Components Schwaebisch Gmuend sets standards for phs components. The hot forming of press hardening steel (phs) components requires high temperatures. With new burners and other hot possibilities, the CO₂untdown to zero is being pursued sustainably.

There is no such thing as Planet B. Climate-neutral production is therefore the goal The voestalpine Automotive Components company in East London, South Africa, is leading the way in the "CO₂untdown to zero" by supplying its own green electricity.

Components – made in the future. The voestalpine Automotive Components companies manufacture car parts for the global automotive industry - and do so very sustainably. The Green Factory is the target image.

voestalpine Automotive Components Schwaebisch Gmuend opened its new photovoltaic roof system on 3 November 2022. This means that in the future a part of the electrical energy requirement will be produced with solar power from the company's own roofs. The substructure of the system is produced by the company itself and is called "iFIX".

On its way to climate neutrality in 2035, voestalpine Automotive Components Bunschoten has reached another milestone. In a remarkable joint effort, the Dutch voestalpine company was able to achieve certification of its carbon footprint.

With solar panels installed over an area the size of eight soccer fields, voestalpine Automotive Components Bunschoten in the Netherlands generates millions of kilowatt hours of solar power. This covers a significant portion of the company’s electricity requirements, serving to actively reduce their CO₂ emissions.