The Swedish steel industry is the future!
It is not long since the above heading would have ended with a question mark rather than an exclamation mark.
Extremely dedicated work has made Sweden a leader in research and innovation in both construction products and steelmaking techniques. The path to this success has been through various collaborative projects involving actors far beyond the industry itself. One example of this is the world’s first fossil-free steel, which makes it possible to reduce emissions to almost zero, with water as the residual product instead of carbon dioxide. There is no doubt that we will take steel into the future, and that we will do it together.
In the pursuit of a sustainable society, the Swedish steel industry has become a proactive player in the field of sustainability. At the beginning of the year, we learnt that SSAB is to build a brand-new steelworks in Sweden, which is not a common occurrence. But now, with hydrogen replacing coal, we are on the threshold of what some are calling ‘the new iron age’. While we wait for commercial volumes of fossil-free steel produced from the mine, EAB is one of the pioneers in using SSAB Zero™, made from emission-free recycled steel.
‘We have been working closely with SSAB for a long time and have had a dialogue in which we have made clear our desire to implement fossil-free steel in our products as soon as possible. One step on this journey is their steel quality SSAB Zero™, which we will now use in the machine chassis of our pallet handling system Radioshuttle™, says Per-Åke Andersson, CEO of EAB.
Pallet handling system with sustainability credentials
It is a conscious choice to let Radioshuttle™ be the first to feature machine chassis made of emission-free steel. The system is one of EAB’s flagship products and a key factor in EAB’s success on the international market.
‘Today, we sell Radioshuttle™ to customers all over the world. It is a fully proprietary and patented pallet handling system that utilises the full volume of storage space across all temperature zones. The semi-automated system itself is designed with sustainability in mind, as the aim is to optimise the customer’s storage area and thus reduce energy consumption, which is especially important in refrigerated and frozen warehouses. The working environment is also improved where this system is used. By adding another sustainability factor—delivering the machine’s chassis in emission-free steel from SSAB—we are demonstrating that Swedish companies are driving development forward. This has both a concrete and a symbolic value in our mission to take steel into the future with the smallest possible carbon footprint.’
Together we are stronger
‘Innovation and continuous improvement are prerequisites for long-term success. At SSAB, we endeavour to enable our customers and partners to become even more competitive. Our co-operation with EAB goes back a long way, and it therefore feels very stimulating to expand the collaboration and together build an innovative and qualitative value chain for customers, using SSAB’s emission-free steel and associated logistics in an optimised, efficient and sustainable way. Delivering SSAB Zero™ to the Radioshuttle™ pallet handling system is a good example of what our collaboration with EAB can achieve, and more will follow,’ says Thomas Pettersson, Sales Manager, SSAB Europe & Steel Service Centre.