Heavyweight Design Prize for Lightweight Container
16 November 2005
The Jury's Motivation:
The winner of the Swedish Steel Prize 2005 has developed a design that clearly demonstrates competence, the ability to put to use the full range of spearhead properties of high strength steels, and the courage to take new paths towards success. The strategy of being at the cutting edge of development has resulted in a product that makes both man and the environment a winner. This is a design of the highest world class.
Containers of a new design and made of the most advanced high strength steels available on the market have been voted this year's foremost design that employs high strength steels. The Swedish Steel Prize 2005 is an international design prize awarded this year to the Swedish company CMT that specializes in hooklift containers intended for road transport. The jury has found that the company has competently put to use the properties of high strength steels for its light, strong and wear-resistant containers.
The objective of the Swedish Steel Prize is to commend and draw attention to innovative design ideas and products for which high strength steels are used. The Prize has been founded by the SSAB Tunnplat steelmaker company.
This year's winner - the Swedish CMT company - has skilfully utilized the properties of high strength steels for its containers, putting to good use the strength and hardness of the materials. This has resulted in containers characterized by low weight, high wear resistance and good profitability for the customers. These are some of the factors that have led to CMT being declared the winner of the Swedish Steel Prize 2005. The verdict of the jury asserts that the choice of material, thoroughly thought-out design and efficient production methods have resulted in products that offer great economic and environmental benefits.
"CMT is a worthy winner in the face of the stiff competition from the other nominated entries," declares Anders Werme, President of SSAB Tunnplat and Chairman of the jury. "The company has shown that even apparently mature products could be developed further by using high strength steels. In this case, the steel used can be classified as one of the world's most advanced high strength steels, which enables the properties of the containers to be improved very substantially. The improvements can be translated directly into better profitability for the users, while also being beneficial to society due to the lower fuel consumption and emissions during the transport of the new containers. In all probability, this year's winner will inspire others to take a closer look at how high strength steels could be used to make their products more attractive to the market.
Any company that uses high strength steels in its products can enter for the Swedish Steel Prize. The Prize is awarded annually, and the presentation is made in Stockholm.
"We are hoping that more companies will realize the opportunities offered by high strength steels," explains Anders Werme. "These steels are several times stronger and harder than conventional structural steels. Moreover, the elastic properties of high strength steels offer greatly expanded opportunities to designers."
In addition to the first prize, three runner-up prizes have also been awarded. The German company Dura Automotive Body & Glass Systems GmbH was commended for a new type of side collision protection beam for cars, Hardi Evrard S.A. of France for a self-propelled agricultural sprayer, and the Shape Corporation of the USA for a new car bumper concept.
In addition to the prizes for the four finalists, honourable mention was awarded to V.N. Automoveis S.A. of Portugal for its new body for light trucks.
For further information, contact:
Kevin Kale
SSAB Swedish Steel Inc.
4700 Grand Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15225
Tel: +1-412 269 21 20
Fax: +1-412 269 21 24
E-mail: KKale@ssabusa.com
Cecilia Dalen
Public Relations Manager
Marketing Communications
SSAB Tunnplat AB
Tel: +46 8 661 02 33
Mobile: +46 70 648 80 72
Fax: +46 8 661 03 05
E-mail: cecilia.dalen@ssab.com
Facts about SSAB Swedish Steel:
SSAB Swedish Steel is Scandinavia's largest steel manufacturer and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-tensile steel. The product range within the steel sector is limited to sheet and heavy plate. The steel sheet production is operated within SSAB Tunnplåt and the heavy-plate operations within SSAB Oxelösund. The number of employees is 9,400 and the total crude steel production amounts to 4.1 million tonnes. Annual sales are about SEK 25 billion.
