By Lindsey Munson, editor, The American Mold Builder
“Progress through sustainable steel” is boldly positioned on Swiss Steel Group’s home webpage, highlighting its focus on reducing environmental impacts, supporting social responsibility and ensuring long-term economic profitability. In mold manufacturing, among other general areas, sustainable steel is significant in meeting customer demands for greener products, regulatory pressures and global climate goals.
Swiss Steel Group is headquartered in Emmenbrücke, Switzerland, with a business structure based on three divisions: engineering steel, stainless steel and tool steel. It is known for its broad product range extending from 0.013 mm drawn wire to 1,100 mm forged bar diameter. Additionally, Swiss Steel has a US presence with six distribution and service centers, and a steel production site known as Finkl Steel in Chicago, Illinois.
The American Mold Builder magazine had the opportunity to interview Daniel Frie, vice president of Deutsche Edelstahlwerke Services GmbH Sales Europe and Americas Tool Steel Division. He provided an inside look at the center of Swiss Steel’s commitment to sustainability, the framework for building a green steel platform and how actions by key players have an integral part in its strategy, operations and decision-making processes.
Planting Steel in the US
Dating back to the late 1970s, Swiss Steel has held a space in the US market distributing specialty steel long products. Then, in 2004, the former ThyssenKrupp Specialty Steels was acquired by Schmolz and Bickenbach. In 2008, a merger of the former Ugitech USA and Swiss Steel USA was completed – creating one entity that remains today. As mentioned, the company has six distribution and service centers for various steel products located throughout the Midwest, East Coast and West Coast.
Alongside Swiss Steel’s US distribution market, Finkl Steel, a steel production site for the Swiss Steel Group located in Chicago, Illinois, is a global supplier of forging die steels, plastic mold steels, die casting tool steels and custom open-die forgings, processing over 200,000 tons of steel each year. Its products are manufactured at four production facilities in Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Quebec. Falling under one entity with two melt shops, three forging facilities and four production locations, Finkl Steel has built “a tradition of progress and quality.” It was the first steel manufacturer in the US to receive ISO 9001 certification.
In early June, Finkl Steel unlocked the door, fired up the machines and made space for the moldmakers, welcoming members of the American Mold Builders Association for a plant tour workshop. During this event, attendees gained insights into Finkl Steel’s advanced manufacturing processes, quality control systems and innovative approaches to steel production; it also held a mold steel workshop. In an extremely intense industrial environment, members were mesmerized by the molten steel, massive machinery and extreme heat, as well as by those speaking on behalf of Finkl Steel about operational awareness and best practices.
Strong in Steel and Sustainability
Finkl Steel and its parent company, Swiss Steel Group, enjoy strength in numbers, both in steel production and in history. Their commitments to sustainable practices are ramping up and warranted, now more than ever.
“For Swiss Steel Group, focusing on sustainability represents a clear competitive advantage. More and more customers, particularly large global companies, are placing increasing emphasis on sustainable production processes and CO2 reduction across the entire supply chain. Sustainability is thus seen not only as an ethical responsibility but also as a key to market differentiation,” said Frie.
Swiss Steel Group is implementing a range of innovative measures to reduce emissions. Frie said, “For example, the use of hydrogen and green electricity is being promoted actively wherever possible, such as in the heating furnaces used in production. Another central element is the recycling of scrap and chips from customers, which are brought back to the plant and processed in electric arc furnaces (EAFs) that can be operated 100% with green electricity. This closed-loop system plays a significant role in lowering the CO2 footprint of production.” Through Swiss Steel Group’s diligent efforts in the use of energy from renewable
sources, its total emissions are up to 83% lower than the industry average.
Tech-Driven and Going Green
Familiar to customers across sectors in automotive, construction, aerospace and toolmaking, among many others, the demand for low-emission materials is reshaping supply chains – particularly steel. This industry shift is driving a rising market demand for green steel, which is imperative to the environment but also a competitive necessity.
Frie said, “For decades, we have been using EAFs to produce steel with significantly lower CO2 emissions compared to conventional methods. This technology enables us to produce only about 20% of the average CO2 emissions of global steel production.”
In North America, the company already operates electric heat treatment furnaces that are fully powered by green electricity, representing an important step toward even more eco-friendly production. “In addition, the Finkl Sorel plant will soon commission its first electric forging furnace, which will allow for zero CO2 emissions in a portion of the production. These efforts are just the beginning of an extensive journey toward even more sustainable steel production that meets the growing customer demand for green steel,” said Frie.
Additionally, Swiss Steel Group actively pursues the integration of advanced technologies to further improve efficiency and sustainability. This includes the use of Artificial Intelligence and automation in various areas of production to optimize processes, reduce energy consumption and enhance quality. Frie said, “Especially in logistics, digital solutions are employed to provide precise control and monitoring of supply chains, reducing waste. Furthermore, we are working intensively on the introduction of green hydrogen to replace fossil fuels in production and reduce emissions in the long term. These innovations contribute to the continuous improvement of production processes, lowering the ecological footprint while enhancing competitiveness.” Steel is one of the most circular materials in the world, and often is underestimated – after repeated use, it retains its high quality and performance.
Global Presence with an Impact
When asked how the company adapts to supply chain disruptions, energy price fluctuations and changes in regulations, Swiss Steel Group stated it greatly benefits from its global presence – with production sites in North America and Europe. This geographic diversification allows for products to be manufactured in the most suitable plants depending on demand, mitigating the impact of disruptions in one region.
Frie said, “In addition, we rely on agile logistics processes and modern planning systems that enable quick responses to unforeseen challenges. This ensures that product quality remains high and delivery times are met.”
Future-Ready
“The machine tool industry is expected to evolve significantly in the coming years,” said Frie, “with a strong shift toward automation, digitization and sustainability. These changes are driven not only by technological advances but also by the increasing need to manufacture more environmentally friendly products and reduce CO2 emissions. We actively are working on the development of products and solutions that meet these requirements by combining highly precise, sustainable steel products with innovative manufacturing technologies. Our focus is on long-term partnerships with our customers to help them adapt to upcoming market and environmental changes.”
Swiss Steel Group has joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a corporate climate action organization that enables companies and financial institutions worldwide to play their part in combating the climate crisis. 1 In collaboration with the SBTi, Swiss Steel has set meaningful goals and targets – committing to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The initiative is through a partnership between the CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature, which encourages climate action by enabling organizations to set science-based targets for reducing emissions. n
More information: www.swisssteel-group.com or info-USCA@swisssteelgroup.com (Patrick Gerkin, CEO / country manager)
Sources
- Science Based Targets.
www.sciencebasedtargets.org/about-us.