When we decided to “drive” our new S-in motion concept into Detroit for a North American press event in early December, I knew it would be quite an undertaking. But, I thought about the years our global automotive division has spent developing these new product applications and knew we had to make it happen.
As you might guess, the “S” in S-in motion represents its many benefits, including:
1. Steel
2. Saving weight
3. Saving costs
4. Sustainability
5. Safety
6. Service
7. Strength
8. Solutions
From my perspective, now we are embarking on a 9th “S” – Sharing the Secret.
What started in Europe in November 2010 with the 1st launch that has now moved to North America. I had the rewarding opportunity to share S-in motion with our North American customers and media over the past month.
S-in motion represents the culmination of a 2-year Research and Development (R&D) project by our global automotive division. It introduces current and future steels designed to help car makers save weight and reduce costs, while providing innovative ideas to manufacture more sustainable, safe and strong vehicles.
Projects like S-in motion secure our future as a trusted, high-quality, leading supplier to the automotive industry because they enable ArcelorMittal to better understand how the steel we produce works with car makers’ designs and manufacturing processes. This partnership guides us when developing the next generation of advanced steels that will create more light-weight vehicles.
The S-in motion steels and new applications have the potential to deliver up to 19% weight reduction compared with the 2010 C-segment baseline vehicle modules they replace. Most importantly for our customers, when used together these products save substantial weight and reduce CO2 emissions at no additional cost.
S-in motion is transforming tomorrow for both ArcelorMittal and our customers. I look forward to continuing to “Share the Secret.”
Contributed by: Blake Zuidema, Director, Automotive Product Applications, East Chicago Research and Development, ArcelorMittal
The S-in motion demonstrator is the centerpiece of the display which is traveling to customer, media and other roll-out events during 2011 |
An automotive front door depicting new applications of the Advanced High-Strength Steels (AHSS) in the S-in motion product portfolio |
