HIGH STRENGTH STEELS BACKED BY KNOWLEDGE AND SERVICE
12 June 2006 - SSAB Tunnplåt AB

Access to materials expertise right from the beginning of the design stage, material deliveries adjusted for optimized stock-keeping, and immediate access to comprehensive customer support, these are some of the elements in the services package accompanying deliveries of high strength steels from SSAB Swedish Steels.

Advanced high strength steels are the appropriate choice whenever strict demands are made on the safety, low weight and strength of a product. The properties of the steels also enable manufacturers to develop products with entirely new properties for a broader field of application. For many European subcontractors, these steels are the key to developing their operations, in spite of stiff competition in the market.

"By switching to these steels, the products manufactured have much better properties and higher market value than in the past, but without production economy being materially affected," explains Ben Wats, who is responsible for SSAB Swedish Steel operations in the Netherlands. "Our materials and services packages makes it simpler for subcontractors to change over to using high strength steels in their production. We assist them in optimizing correctly the use of the materials."

Standard steel grades are available with minimum tensile strengths of up to 1400 N/mm2 for cold rolled steels, and minimum yield strengths of up to 800 N/mm2 for hot rolled steels. Most standard grades are kept in stock in the company's logistics centre in Rotterdam. The terminal building has a floor area of 10 000 square metres, where the steels are kept in a carefully controlled climate in which the temperature and ambient moisture are kept at exactly the right levels. The steels are protected from the elements all the way from the rolling mill to the end customer's plant.

"From the logistics centre, we deliver steels to most companies on the Continent within 24 to 36 hours from receipt of order," says Ben Wats. "In addition, we can supply very small quantities, which can simplify the planning and logistics work for our customers."

The services offered by the company span a wide range, and customers can receive the assistance of experts in material selection, working, machining, joining and a great deal more. Knowledge is in high demand, and personal support is therefore supplemented with the web-based SSAB Knowledge Service Center that includes most of what there is to know about high strength steels.

"Many customers need immediate access to information and facts around the clock, and our web-based information bank is therefore a valuable, frequently used additional tool," says Ben Wats. "This bank has the answers to many questions, and the package we offer provides customers with steel and services that make life simpler for them and enable them to meet the demands of customers and prospective customers."

http://http://www.ssab.se

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