The first train load of scrap from Volvo Cars has arrived at Salzgitter as part of the closed-loop recycling cooperation between the two companies, Kallanish hears.
Salzgitter is already supplying the Volvo Cars body parts plant in Olofström in southern Sweden with flat steels. It is now taking in considerable quantities of the steel scrap that accrues at the Swedish plant, which will be delivered directly to Salzgitter Flachstahl.
In Volvo’s production process, steel and aluminium off-cuts from the stamping process are separated into different material streams and segregated. Then they are tightly compressed into cubes to reduce volume during transport, Salzgitter explains.
Rather than returning an empty train back to Salzgitter, a train is loaded with scrap metal, to be melted down and processed back into steel. The first train with 25 scrap wagons and a length of 545 metres arrived at a Salzgitter station last week.
The train covered the 700km route between the two locations, in one and a half days. This has been made possible by the use of powerful, interoperable locomotives that allow for a high towing load and the use of 100% carbon-neutral electricity for traction, Salzgitter notes.
The two companies first announced the establishment of the closed loop scheme, which has been named ScanLoop, last year.
Besides Salzgitter Flachstahl, the cooperation involves group units Salzgitter Mannesmann Scandinavia, scrap collecting division DEUMU, and railway operator VPS Verkehrsbetriebe Peine-Salzgitter.
