The American steel company Cleveland — Cliffs has completed a trial run of the production of "open steel parts" on aluminum stamping equipment owned by the manufacturer of original automotive equipment (OEM), as it pushes automakers to return to the production of steel vehicles.
The company sought to capitalize on the fire caused by three alarms at the aluminum roller Novelis plant in Oswego, New York, which led to supply disruptions for the automotive industry as a whole. This plant produces most of the rolled metal for automobile bodies used by major U.
S. automakers, including Ford.
Cleveland — Cliffs noted that during the pilot project, "defect-free" stampings were obtained, demonstrating that steel can replace aluminum in critical applications "without the need for expensive retrofitting." The company said it had switched to "routine production and delivery of regular orders" to OEMs, adding that it had "received inquiries" from other customers.
It remains to be seen whether automakers will be able to fully return to using corrosion-resistant steel in car bodies, given the fuel efficiency constraints that prompted these companies to switch to aluminum a decade ago to reduce weight.
Cleveland Cliffs stated that blaze would cause "presumably long—lasting" shocks to aluminum supply chains, but Novelis expects its hot rolling mill[url=https://metals.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2746354]to be put back into operation in December, and others Aluminum distributors have upgraded their products and relocated production lines to help fill the void left by Oswego's missed goal.
The Cleveland Cliffs did not respond to a request for comment.
