BMW to use Voestalpine’s electrical steel in next-gen EV motors
Austrian steelmaker Voestalpine AG has announced that it has signed a landmark agreement with BMW Group for the supply of its high-efficiency isovac® electrical steel, marking a pivotal advancement in the evolution of electric mobility.
Under the deal, BMW’s Steyr plant in Austria will begin incorporating isovac® ultra-thin electrical steel featuring advanced coating technologies into its Gen6 electric motors that will power the automaker’s upcoming Neue Klasse EV lineup.
isovac® steel: Core of BMW’s electric innovation
Key advantages of isovac® electrical steel for electric vehicles include lower energy loss through specialized alloy compositions and cutting-edge coating technologies; higher power and torque due to improved magnetic flux density; and improved energy efficiency and reduced weight, made possible by high mechanical strength and magnetic permeability. These features make isovac® a critical material for modern electric motors, improving performance and enhancing sustainability.
This shift highlights the importance of regional value creation and technological leadership as Europe accelerates its transition toward a greener, more electrified future.
Voestalpine operates new pickling line from Andritz
Andritz has completed the supply of a continuous pickling line, acid regeneration plant, acid purification plant, and silicon removal systems to voestalpine’s site in Linz, Austria.
These plants have been integrated into voestalpine’s cold rolling mill #3 in Linz, Kallanish learns from Andritz. The plant supplier’s equipment enables voestalpine to perform pickling and cold rolling in a combined plant. Andritz supplied what it says is the world’s most modern acid regeneration plant, complying with the highest environmental standards and enabling flexible production of high-purity iron oxide.
The continuous pickling line is designed to process advanced steel grades and special materials for e-mobility. It has a capacity of about 1.8 million tonnes/year and operates with hydrochloric acid, which is recycled in the acid regeneration plant. Andritz underlines a recovery rate of almost 100%, thus making a substantial contribution to environmental protection.
“The new installation enables us to increase the production quality of high strength and ultra-high strength steel strip,” says Walter Schickmaier, business unit manager at voestalpine. The products will target the automotive, household appliance and construction industries, as well as electrical steel for e-mobility.
Christian Koehl Germany
Andritz to modernize voestalpine’s hot-dip galvanizing line in Linz
Andritz has received an order from voestalpine to modernise the electrical and automation systems of a hot-dip galvanizing line at the steel mill in Linz, Austria.
The processing line has been continuously modernised since it began operations in 1973. Over the years, numerous rebuilds and upgrades have resulted in the use of a variety of electrical and automation systems, Kallanish understands.
The technology supplier says it will replace this variety with a unified, consistent, and user-friendly electrical and automation system that supports efficient operation. To minimise the impact on production, it will implement the modernisation in several stages, with completion scheduled for the end of 2028.
The order underscores the long-standing cooperation between the two Austrian groups, Andritz notes.
Christian Koehl Germany
SKF decarbonises production using Austrian and Swiss Steel
European roller bearings producer SKF and voestalpine Wire Technology have produced the first prototype bearing made from steel that contains hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (H-DRI).
SKF and voestalpine have been working together since 2022 to explore the possibilities of using H-DRI steel for bearing applications, Kallanish hears from the Sweden-based company. The spherical roller bearing prototype was handed over to voestalpine Wire Technology at SKF’s factory in Steyr, Austria. Spherical roller bearings can be used in many different applications and industries, such as marine, pulp and paper production, mining and construction.
“Steel is a critical raw material in bearings, and to achieve the change and speed needed in decarbonising bearing production, the whole industry must come together,” says SKF chief technology officer Annika Ölme.
SKF recently announced it also started sourcing low-carbon steel from Swiss Steel. Since the beginning of the year, Swiss Steel has been delivering its GreenSteel Climate+ brand made at German unit Deutsche Edelstahlwerke (DEW) exclusively to SKF.
Christian Koehl Germany