SSAB delegation visits Craemer to strengthen partnership

Exchange to strengthen their partnership: (from the left) Siegbert Geldner (Managing Director Craemer GmbH), Tony Harris (Head of SSAB Europe), Claus Doré (Sales Manager Automotive Germany), Christoph J. Brandenburg (Managing Director Craemer GmbH), Fabio Graw (Head of Automotive Purchasing, Craemer GmbH) and Jan Meier (Sales Director SSAB Europe). Photo: Craemer Group

SSAB AB, based in Stockholm, Sweden, is the leading steel producer in the Nordic countries and is known for its high-quality flat and special steel products. SSAB Europe, which is part of the group, is one of the largest steel suppliers to the Craemer Group. Craemer purchases a significant amount of high-strength steel for its metal forming business, which produces automotive parts.

As the automotive industry strives to improve safety and efficiency while reducing weight, these steel grades are increasingly being used in seat structures. These materials combine high strength with good forming properties. By exploiting these properties, Craemer can make a significant contribution to reducing the overall weight of a vehicle.

Tony Harris, Head of SSAB Europe, Jan Meier, Sales Director SSAB Europe, and Claus Doré, Sales Manager Automotive Germany at SSAB, recently visited Craemer Group's headquarters in Herzebrock-Clarholz, Germany. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen the strategic and technical partnership. This includes a cooperation agreement on climate-friendly “green” steel and a joint project on high-strength martensitic stainless steels of the CR1500M-UC grade. While these types of steel are already used in various automotive applications, both partners are investigating their suitability for automotive seat structures.

In the presence of the visitors from SSAB and two of the steel producer’s plant engineers, tests were carried out directly on the press in Craemer's press plant, followed by an in-depth discussion. For Fabio Graw, Head of Automotive Purchasing at the Craemer Group, the joint CR1500 M project is important in several respects: “Of course, it is great for us that Craemer is involved in possible further developments in the area of seat structures right from the start”. The project will continue after the successful tests during the SSAB visit.