Not-so-heavy metal: steel industry targets thinner, stronger product

Lightweighting efforts in the automotive industry have seen materials such as aluminium expand their market share in recent times, but the average vehicle is still made using between 800kg and 900kg of steel. Growth in global vehicle production means that OEMs are as dependent as ever on the material. In 2015, over 89 million vehicles were manufactured worldwide, a 1.1% increase on 2014’s figure. It’s good news for ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel manufacturer, which in 2014 produced around 15 million tonnes of sheet steel for the global market.