ArcelorMittal is investing around USD 15M in the production of advanced high-strength steel at its Vega do Sul flat steel rolling mill in the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil.
The plant’s existing production lines will be equipped to produce Usibor, a press-hardened boron steel with an aluminium-silicon coating used mainly in the automotive industry. Using Usibor allows manufacturers to create lighter, safer and more environmentally friendly vehicles at an affordable cost. With a strength of 1,500MPa after hot-stamping, Usibor is one of the most resistant steels used in automotive applications, used mainly for the production of structural parts including A-pillars, B-pillars, frontal and rear bumpers, various types of rails, and the tunnel floor.
Production in ArcelorMittal Vega do Sul is due to start in the second quarter of 2015. Hot-rolled coils will continue to be produced at ArcelorMittal Tubarão in Espírito Santo, Brazil, and the patented aluminium-silicum coating will be applied at ArcelorMittal Vega do Sul. The USD 15M investment is in line with the Brazilian government’s Inovar-Auto stimulus programme, which seeks to encourage automakers to invest in the Brazilian automotive industry and to produce more efficient, safer, and technology-advanced vehicles.
