ArcelorMittal and Tier 1 automotive supplier Gestamp have successfully trialed the use of low-carbon emissions steel for use in car parts that will ultimately be used in the production of vehicles in Spain and throughout Europe.

The two companies have signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation on sustainability, specifically in the production of low-carbon emissions steel parts and are working closely to ensure that ArcelorMittal’s steel meets all Gestamp’s technical requirements.

In this process, Gestamp has a very important role in validating the low-carbon emissions steel produced by ArcelorMittal in order to meet the standards its automotive clients need. This challenge is the responsibility of Gestamp’s R&D team that, due to the company’s know-how, has developed a detailed, step-by-step procedure to validate and homologate ArcelorMittal’s low-carbon emissions steel for use in vehicle production.

Using Usibor 1500 made with XCarb recycled and renewably produced substrate, Gestamp has successfully trialed the first parts (such as a car’s tunnel, and seat reinforcements) in press-hardenable steel, which is ultra high-strength and therefore enables car manufacturers to achieve excellent weight reductions across the vehicle.

A car’s tunnel. Picture credits: © ArcelorMittal

XCarb recycled and renewably produced is a decarbonized product made with a very high proportion of recycled steel in an EAF and 100% renewable electricity. The steel used by Gestamp has a carbon footprint that is almost 70% lower than the same product made without XCarb recycled and renewably produced.

At Gestamp we always work aligned with the needs of our customers in order to meet their objectives of sustainability. And it is most important for the mobility of the future that we help them to decarbonize their supply chain. True to our own ESG strategy, the R&D teams at Gestamp have verified empirically that these steels meet the customer’s specifications for these parts. Based on these tests carried out, the company has defined an approval process that guarantees our customers that our validation of this steel is carried out in compliance with all the validation requirements that they request.

—Francisco J. Riberas, Executive Chairman Gestamp

Gestamp announced last year that it was the first Tier 1 supplier in the automotive sector to buy ArcelorMittal’s XCarb green steel certificates for the production of automotive components.