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ArcelorMittal Dofasco customers
use steel in countless ways to
transform tomorrow.
They make storage systems for food in
developing countries, making it possible
for families to provide sustenance and
health for their children. They make autos
safer, lighter and more fuel efficient.
They build the infrastructure that makes
cities work. They rebuild cities. And they
make skyscrapers soar and modern
life flourish.
In fact, 85% of all manufactured goods
contain steel and it is also the most
recycled material on earth. More steel
is recycled than aluminium, plastic and
paper combined. It is also infinitely
recyclable as scrap can be melted over
and over again to make new steel
without losing its strength or integrity.
ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s hot and cold
rolled flat carbon steel is used in the
automotive, energy, construction,
packaging and white goods sectors. And
while on the surface it seems a coil is a
coil, a closer look reveals a ladle full of
grades and types of steel, all developed
and manufactured with micron precision
tailored specifically for its end use. Each
product is born from intensive research
and development most often undertaken
with collaboration from academia,
government and customers.
Looking back, Dofasco made cast steel
products for rail, hydro-electric and war
efforts before moving towards plate
steel, then onto tin. With the Second
World War came armour plate and in
the 1950s more sophisticated grades
of steel were developed including cold
roll and hot-dip galvanized. At points in
between, the company has also offered
stainless steel.
In 1955 the company commissioned
Canada’s first continuous galvanizing
line, setting the stage for a later
foray into advanced steels for the
automotive market. On the construction
side, Galvalume was launched in
1984
offering bare and pre-painted
construction steel favoured by architects
and specifiers for its aesthetics and
corrosion resistance.
The drive for innovation picked up speed
in the 1990s with the launch of the
Solutions in Steel strategy. At a time
when the steel industry was struggling,
the Dofasco team took a decidedly
different direction from producing
commodity steels to delivering customer
value. New products were launched and
an Innovation Group formed to look at
new ventures.
In 1998, together with a consortium of
35
steelmakers from 18 countries under
the IISI (International Iron & Steel
Institute, now called World Steel
Association), Dofasco rolled out an
UltraLight Steel Auto Body (called
ULSAB). The breakthrough spawned
investment in hydroforming for
automotive tubes, laser welding
capabilities and expansion into Mexico.
In 2002, as part of the IISI consortium,
Dofasco unveiled the ULSAB Advanced
Vehicle Concept solution for weight
reduction, introducing the application of
a new family of Advanced High Strength
Steels (AHSS). In 2011 ArcelorMittal
took the ULSAB-AVC gains to the next
level with the launch of S-in motion,
a suite of automotive weight-saving
design solutions utilizing advanced high
strength steels heralded as the biggest
revolution in metal design for vehicle
body-in-whites.
As the company looked to the horizon
of its 100th anniversary the innovation
continued to drive on. A state of the art
galvanizing line (No. 6) took shape on
the skyline of Canada’s industrial
heartland in East Hamilton, while No. 4
Galvalume line and a new temper mill
were poised to take their place and
help to set the foundation for the next
century of increasingly sophisticated
and exotic grades of steel that will
transform tomorrow.
Sophisticated steels that
transform tomorrow