Welcome to the virtual industry event of the year!
An exclusive online event with a future perspective: Learn more about the latest developments, opportunities and goals of the automotive industry on the way to more safety, efficiency and sustainability. Experts from voestalpine and international speakers with focus on research and development will be happy to answer your questions.
Why should you be there?
First-hand expertise
Look forward to top-class speakers who will share their knowledge of the past and their visions for the future of steel in the automotive industry with you. Here you can find out more about the interesting personalities behind the Automotive Dialogue 2025 and gain initial insights into the exciting topics of the presentations.
DIALOGUE HOSTS
Christian Schreiner, Head of Sales Automotive Industry
voestalpine Steel Division
Curriculum Vitae:
- At voestalpine since 2006
- Head of Sales Electrical Industry at voestalpine Steel Division (2014-2021)
- Managing Director at Metalservice & Veneta Nastri (2022-2025)
- Head of Sales Automotive Industry at voestalpine Steel Division
Andreas Pichler, Head of Research & Development Business Unit Coil
voestalpine Steel Division
Curriculum Vitae:
- Materials Science, University of Leoben
- PhD, Max Planck Institut für Werkstoffwissenschaften and University of Leoben
- Since 1993 at voestalpine
- Researcher in development of thin sheet grades
- Head of R&D for material development of thin sheet grades
- Head R&D Business Unit Coil
SPEAKERS
Steel Grades for Automotive Applications
Andreas Pichler, Head of Research & Development Business Unit Coil
voestalpine Steel Division
Key Messages:
- Developments over the last 40 years
- New developments at voestalpine
- High value-added sustainable green steel grades
- Impact of tramp elements from scrap on the properties of steel grades
Dual-Phase Steels: The Beginning!
David Matlock, Professor Emeritus
Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center | Colorado School of Mines
Key Messages:
- Lessons learned from fundamental and applied research on DP (dual-phase) steels are valuable to guide the production and implementation of many of new AHSS products
- Extensive fundamental and applied research on DP steels has been developed
- Multiple processing and alloying approaches for the production of dual-phase steels have been identified
- New AHSS products continue to evolve to facilitate light-weight vehicle designs
Curriculum Vitae:
- Graduate of the University of Texas at Austin (B.A.) and Stanford University (M.A.; Ph.D.)
- Professor Emeritus at the George S. Ansell Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) in Golden, Colorado
- Part of the CSM research team in the field of mechanical properties of materials
- Co-founder of the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center at CSM
- Member of the US National Academy of Engineering
- Fellow in various societies such as Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), American Welding Society (AWS) and Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST)
- Author and co-author of over 500 technical publications focusing on mechanical properties and steels
Importance of Microstructure-based Micromechanical Modelling of AHSS
Ewald Werner, Full Professor Emeritus TU Munich | Associated Professor Montanuniversität Leoben
Technical University Munich, Chair of Materials Science
Key Messages:
- Deep-drawability vs. stretch-flangeability
- Microstructure characteristics important for damage initiation
- Experimental observations
- Stress and strain hotspots
- Validation of numerical predictions
Curriculum Vitae:
- Doctorate at the ETH Zurich 1984
- 1997-2022: Professor of Mechanics at the Technical University of Munich and Head of the State Materials Testing Office
- 1998-2005: Head of the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Multiphase Alloys
- (Co-)author of over 350 scientific papers and five textbooks
Green Steel. Real Deal: voestalpine’s path to decarbonization
Michaela Kraus, Team Leader for Sustainability Management
voestalpine Steel Division
Key Messages:
- Current construction site progress in Linz
- Topics on scrap and the circular economy
- voestalpine's next steps on the green journey
Curriculum Vitae:
- Studies in plastics engineering at the University of Leoben/Austria
- Joined voestalpine Steel Division in 1996
- 1996 to 2001 in R&D and quality control
- 2001 to 2020 in product management for high-strength steels and in segment marketing for the automotive industry
- Currently team leader for Sustainability Management for all segments for voestalpine Steel Division
Focusing on the impact of alloying elements: hybrid models for quantitative microstructure predictions
Werner Ecker, General Manager
Materials Center Leoben Forschung GmbH
Key Messages:
- In the course of the circular economy, concentrations of tramp elements are increasing in steel.
- Even low concentrations of tramp elements can influence microstructure formation so that alloying or adapted process control is necessary in order to achieve the targeted properties.
- AB-initio modeling provides a relatively basic understanding. For a quantitative model description, the theoretical knowledge was combined with experimental results of around 200 small-scale melts.
- With sufficient data, AI methods can extract complex relationships and make them interactively accessible.
- In an initial project series, the influence of various elements on recrystallization and ferrite formation was described satisfactorily. The work will be extended to other aspects in the course of further joint projects.
Curriculum Vitae:
- Doctorate in the field of materials mechanics and materials physics at the University of Leoben
- 2008: Head of the “numerical simulation” department at MCL
- Author of 140 technical articles in international scientific journals
- Since 2022: General Manager of the Materials Center Leoben (MCL)
Tramp and Trace Elements in Steel: Challenges and Insights for Sustainable Production
Ronald Schnitzer, Head of Chair of Physical Metallurgy
Montanuniversität Leoben, Department of Materials Science
Key Messages:
- Increased tramp and trace element contents can alter phase transformation temperatures, affect grain sizes, and lead to variations in microstructural constituents.
- Elements such as Sn and Sb lead to grain boundary segregation, which can negatively impact mechanical properties.
- Atom probe tomography allows the quantification of the segregation behavior of tramp and trace elements on grain boundaries.
- A thorough understanding of the impact of increased tramp and trace elements is essential for advancing sustainable steel production.
Curriculum Vitae:
- since 2022: Head of the Chair of Physical Metallurgy at the Montanuniversität Leoben
- since 2016: Professorship for Design of Steels at the Montanuniversität Leoben
- 2010–2015: Various management positions at Böhler Welding Austria:
- Research and Development | New Product Development | Applied Research