On the greentec steel team

The transformation of the steel industry is an issue which concerns all voestalpine employees. It is currently the greentec steel teams in Donawitz and Linz which are primarily focused on the changes in steel production.

The painting hanging in Gerhard Schuster’s office shows the Donawitz works around a century ago, with their blast furnaces and Cowper stoves. As the Managing Director responsible for production at voestalpine Stahl Donawitz GmbH, and joint head of the greentec steel team at this site, he now has the task of significantly altering the future version of this image. The team currently comprises around 25 employees who have taken on the transformation agenda in parallel with their operative roles. “It is only the project leaders who are exclusively focused on upgrading the technical facilities, such as the upcoming installation of an electric arc furnace at our site,” Schuster explains.

The traditional silhouette of the Donawitz works will change. As steel production is further decarbonized, blast furnaces and Cowper stoves could give way to new technology for direct ore reduction. Pilot plants for innovative processes such as SuSteel und HYFOR have already been built, allowing voestalpine to actively drive this development. Gerhard Schuster is consistently thinking about how this will impact his team as a whole, because the occupational profiles, such as blast furnace operator, will also change as the transformation gets under way. This should also be seen as an opportunity, continuing to provide work for future generations and creating exciting jobs for our successors.

The transformation of the steel industry does not come without a cost. Donawitz and Linz will also require political and financial support. However, national and EU funding can only be secured with specific and targeted applications. “It is very important to me to know that I am supported by the staff in our strategy department, who actively and precisely navigate us through the many steps demanded by these funding instruments,” Gerhard Schuster stresses.

When it comes to funding applications, support is also provided by internal experts in Linz and Donawitz, as well as specialists from K1MET and external funding consultants, to ensure the transformation projects are properly positioned.

For the last one and a half years, Christian Preßlmayer has been coordinating the greentec steel activities at corporate level. As Head of Strategy for the Steel Division, he understands the breadth and importance of the approach taken in this initiative: “We understand that greentec steel means more than merely the technical process of decarbonization. It also involves future energy and raw material supplies, the circular economy, logistics, and green business models. And last but not least, it is also about encouraging a green mindset, guiding our employees in every aspect of this shift to climate neutral steel production.”

“Our inhouse greentec steel team based in Linz and headed by Stefan Siegl is addressing the entire spectrum of challenges this involves,” says Preßlmayer, describing the Steel Division’s greentec steel group. “One section deals with the technical implementation of the first decarbonization steps to 2030, the related processes, and the development of the following steps to 2050. Another section focuses intensively on the available funding instruments, and those which need to be developed, in Austria and at EU level.”

Reducing carbon emissions is an important issue for the two team leaders, both in their professional and private lives. “Sustainable electricity generation covers our inhouse power demand,” says Christian Preßlmayer, “and I also drive an electric car. I also think a purely electric company car would make sense and be in keeping with the times.”

Gerhard Schuster is pleased that his only contribution to carbon emissions on his way to work is caused by exhaling: “I can easily do my daily commute by bicycle. Cycling 32 km each day is good not only for the climate but also for my health.”