ArcelorMittal supplies XCarb to Daimler’s reEconic truck initiative
ArcelorMittal is contributing to Daimler Truck’s reEconic initiative by supplying its XCarb recycled and renewably produced steel grades for key structural components of the vehicle, Kallanish hears from the group.
The project brings together 33 partners across the automotive value chain and explores how circular-economy principles can be integrated into trucks by using materials with high recycled content. ArcelorMittal’s contribution includes S500MC chassis rails and S355MC body components.
The truck aims to maximise the use of recycled materials while targeting to meet the demanding requirements for performance, durability and safety expected in heavy-duty vehicles.
An accompanying TÜV-certified study indicates that up to 80% of key materials including steel, aluminium, glass and plastics could potentially be of circular origin, based on the components already implemented and additional projections.
Wuppermann opens new Austrian tubes plant
Wuppermann Metalltechnik (WMT) has officially opened the new tube plant at its Altmünster site with a ceremonial event.
The new production line enables the manufacture of a significantly wider range of dimensions at the site. It can produce sophisticated and customised geometries with enlarged cross-sections up to 130 mm and all thicknesses ranging from 1.0 to 4.0mm. This enables the manufacture of special profiles with complex cross-sections capable of withstanding structural loads, Kallanish learns.
All tubes and profiles are available with pickled, galvanized or zinc-magnesium-coated surfaces. For applications with particularly high requirements for bending stiffness and torsional strength, high-strength steels such as DP800, DP980 and 22MnB5 are used.
This flexibility opens up numerous new applications, including for shopfitting, conveyor technology, in demanding structures in steel and plant engineering, and in the photovoltaic industry, Wuppermann says.
In July 2023, the Wuppermann Group, headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany, announced an investment of €40 million ($47m) in the construction of the new tube plant.
For the 8,860 m² hall area, 100 precast concrete columns were installed. To enable climate-neutral heating in the future, WMT had geothermal probes with a total length of around 5,000 metres installed. The first tube was produced as early as July 2025 while the commissioning of the inline rolling stand and the tube internal scraping was completed the set-up in autumn.
WTO reviews safeguard measures with focus on steel products
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Safeguards has announced that it reviewed a total of 38 safeguard actions during its meeting on April 27, with steel and metal products accounting for a significant share of the discussions. Out of the total, 12 measures were related to steel and metal products, highlighting ongoing global trade tensions in the sector.
EU and UK steel measures attract strong attention
Several WTO members raised concerns and exchanged views on safeguard measures implemented by the EU and the UK.
In particular, discussions focused on:
- The EU’s investigation into grain-oriented electrical steel
- The EU’s measure on ferro-alloying elements
- The UK’s adjustment of tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on certain steel products
These measures drew multiple interventions from member countries, reflecting their broader impact on global steel trade.
Among the most debated cases were Egypt’s three investigations on iron and steel products, and EU measures and investigations related to steel inputs and specialized steel products These cases generated concerns among multiple WTO members regarding market access and trade distortions.
Dispute over US tariffs intensifies
The meeting also addressed ongoing disagreements over US tariffs. The US stated that its measures are not safeguard actions but are justified under the exception of national security. However, India disagreed with the US characterization of its measures and asserted that based on their characteristics they appeared to be within the scope of the Agreement on Safeguards, while Brazil and China expressed concern about the broader implications of the US measures for the multilateral trading system and global supply chains. Brazil and India said that they would continue to closely monitor developments concerning these measures.
Steel remains at center of global trade tensions
The discussions at the WTO underline the central role of steel in current trade disputes, with safeguard measures increasingly used to address import pressures and protect domestic industries.
At the same time, differing interpretations of trade rules and rising protectionism continue to challenge the multilateral trading system.
Author: SteelOrbis Editorial Team
