As ArcelorMittal, we always want to be close to people. With our newest tool, your house plays the starring role in which visions can become reality. The protagonist of this stage design? Granite® organic coated steel from ArcelorMittal that gracefully wraps your roof - ensuring elegance, durability, and beauty.

We invite you to participate in the creation of a story in which four heroes meet – your dreams, your home, Granite® organic coated steel, and those who will help your dreams come true: manufacturers.

This design tool is dedicated to the Polish market and is currently available in Polish only. More language versions are in the works!

Text: Constructalia
Images: ArcelorMittal Europe

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Roofing configurator

Omega® roofing tiles made with Granite® Storm

Blachdom Plus roofing with Granite® HDX / Storm / Deep Mat 8

Konfigurator dachowy

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, World Expo, like other world events, has been postponed. The event will now take place from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 in Dubai, UAE. Called Expo 2020 Dubai, it will be the first World Expo ever hosted in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region. Expo 2020 Dubai is expected to attract 25 million visitors, and 190 nations have already confirmed their participation including Luxembourg with a 2100 m2 pavilion built with ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products’ steel.

Steel from Belval and Differdange

ArcelorMittal was selected to supply the steel products for the construction of the building’s structure. The 170 tonnes of hot rolled structural steel shapes from the IPE and HE European size series were made in the Luxembourg mills of Belval and Differdange - in electric arc furnaces fed with recycled scrap as raw material. This is today’s most energy and resource preserving production route. As a natural key advantage of steel, the structural components were designed with mechanically fastened connections. At no extra cost, this solution allows for the economical disassembling, transportation, and reassembling of the pavilion for its next-use life.

A breathtaking design inspired by its nation

The pavilion is inspired by its nation: small and ambitious, intriguing and reassuring, and above all generous and open. The overall theme is ‘Opportunity,’ reflecting the country’s history, its present, and its future. The overall shape of the pavilion resembles a Möbius loop, where the twisting of a ribbon yields one single surface with no beginning and no end expressing infinity and, in particular, symbolising the circular economy. The face of the ribbon transiently serves as floor, wall, and ceiling thereby allowing a multifaceted scenography from the starting point to the top floor.

The visitors’ experience begins in the entrance area. As a kind of red carpet, a wide ramp between the inside and the outside skin of the building invites you on a journey of discovery via a gently sloped path to the next floor. It enthrals the visitors as they merge with the pavilion’s exhibition, which in a natural an interactive way displays a series of visuals featuring the country and its people.

The ground floor mainly accommodates the gift shop, restaurant, and the visitor’s ramp to the first floor. The first level hosts a multi-functional area for receptions and conferences, as well as the ramp guiding visitors without interruption towards the top. The second floor, the highest point, is dedicated to an exhibition of Luxembourg’s space economy.

To reach the earth again, a visitor has three options: taking the stairs or the lift are the conventional options, but a slide winding through the picturesque green patio is the fun one.

Key facts

• Typology: Exhibition pavilion
• Size: 2100 m2
• Investor: Luxembourg Government
• Architect: Metaform
• Consulting engineer: AuCARRE
• Engineer of record: WME Global
• General contractor: Nüssli Adunic
• Main contractor: Al Ahmadiah
• Steel fabricator: Iron Steel Makers Industries

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications, Constructalia
Images: Metaform

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Expo 2020 Dubai: Luxembourg Pavilion

Expo 2020 Dubai: Luxembourg Pavilion - Inner steel structure

Expo 2020 Dubai: Luxembourg Pavilion

Expo 2020 Dubai: Luxembourg Pavilion

Citizens and cross-border workers of the Grand Duchy are aware of the major changes underway to improve mobility within Luxembourg: free transportation from 1 March 2020, the development of the bus network, and the extension of the tram line. It was for the Luxembourg tram project that ArcelorMittal’s Rodange plant was chosen to supply grooved rails for the sections going to the station.

ArcelorMittal rails meet Luxtram’s standards

In 2016, Luxtram placed the bulk of the order for section A of the project abroad. The order for section B was the first order from the Luxtram group to ArcelorMittal Luxembourg. It was received in February 2019 for 54G1, grade R200 rails of 18 metres in length. The Rodange site has produced grooved rails of one of the best qualities present on the market for over three years now. These high standards met the requirements of the Luxembourg tram project.

ArcelorMittal Rodange supplied the rails for the switches produced in the Kihn workshops in Rumelange. This is a source of pride for the site and for all of the collaborators working on this project.

A satisfied customer

Luxtram wanted to visit the production site to observe the quality and the end result of the grooved rails that ArcelorMittal Rodange was going to send them. They left very satisfied with the high quality provided on site in the production of these specific rails thanks to analysis of the samples, their G-shape tolerance, and straightness.

In Rodange, approximately thirty people were impacted by the completion of this order for Luxtram. This figure can easily be tripled if we take into consideration everyone from the start of the chain in Luxembourg.
 
The first rails delivered were received on 21 February 2020 at Place de Paris in Luxembourg City and on 4 and 5 March in other streets of the capital of the Grand Duchy.

Text: ArcelorMittal Luxembourg, Constructalia
Images: ArcelorMittal Luxembourg

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54G1 grade R200 grooved rails in Luxembourg

54G1 grade R200 grooved rails at Rodange plant

Customer service team leader quote B

Customer service team leader quote A

The French company Matière first introduced its Unibridge® concept in 2004. Today these patented structures are shipped around the world where they are used as permanent or temporary crossings for vehicles and pedestrians. Thanks to their modular nature and ease of construction, the Unibridge® is particularly popular in remote regions where materials and skilled workers are hard to find. The solution uses ArcelorMittal’s S355K2+N and S460M high strength steel plates which are known for their durability, giving the Unibridge® a 100-year design life.

Close cooperation with ArcelorMittal

“The close cooperation between ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products and ArcelorMittal Projects, together with the quality of the plates produced in ArcelorMittal’s mill in Gijón, Spain guarantees the best level of service for Matière,” says Michaël Regal, Account Manager for Matière at ArcelorMittal Projects.

Since 2018, heavy plates from our Gijón mill have been successfully delivered to Matière and its subcontractors in France, Belgium, and Portugal. “When a very short lead time is required, we are in the position to offer a delivery in less than a week at any Matière yard thanks to our own stock of plates, beams, and tubes,” says Michaël Regal.

Designed for remote and developing regions

The Unibridge® was initially developed as a solution for the military but was never adopted. Matière immediately saw the potential of the solution in developing countries and remote locations as Hervé Blanc, Deputy General Manager of Matière, explains: “These areas typically require many bridges, but there is a lack of resources and skills to produce them.”

Ease of transport and construction in remote areas was a key consideration in the early design phase notes Hervé Blanc: “We developed a structure that does not require welding on site, and which can be assembled without heavy lifting devices. In some cases, the girders can be offloaded and pushed into place with an excavator, or sometimes by the truck that delivered them. It takes around five days to install a typical two-lane (nine-metre wide) bridge that is 40 metres in length.”

The only preparatory work that needs to be done is preparing the bridge’s abutments. That can be done by an onsite partner who can complete the work while the bridge is being manufactured and shipped.

Simple design makes transport simple and efficient

Matière adapted the design to ensure two of the box girders which form the basis of the Unibridge® could fit into a standard shipping container. “Our box girders are 11.4 metres in length, ensuring two can fit into each container,” says Hervé Blanc. “The girders can be pinned on site to create a maximum length of 60 metres. But if you include piles, you can extend the length of the bridge significantly. We’re currently constructing a Unibridge® in the Philippines which will be four kilometres long. There is no limit on the width of the Unibridge® as the box girders can be simply linked with spacers.”

Weight saving with S460M

Another consideration was keeping the weight of the container below 25 tonnes. “Thanks to the use of ArcelorMittal grades such as S460M, weight is not an issue,” says Hervé Blanc. “In the beginning we constructed the entire bridge from S355, and a typical box girder weighed 12 tonnes. Today we are using more S460M, and the average weight is 10 tonnes, a saving of almost 20 percent. Now we are looking at replacing the S355 with S460M from ArcelorMittal to achieve even greater weight savings. That will reduce the cost of transporting and installing the bridges.”

Low maintenance steels extend bridge life

One of the key advantages of ArcelorMittal’s steels is that they don’t need a lot of maintenance as Hervé Blanc explains: “ArcelorMittal’s steels are very tough! The bridge simply needs a fresh coat of paint every 15 to 20 years to protect it. In some areas we recommend a C5 paint system due to the marine environment.”

A sustainable solution thanks to steel

As the Unibridge® is prefabricated, there is no waste produced on site. All scrap steel produced in Matière’s factories is recycled or reused. The sustainability of the solution is further enhanced as it can be transported by ship from Matière’s plants in Europe.

The bridges themselves can be fully recycled at the end of their life or disassembled and reconstructed in another location. “The company which is building a traffic deviation around Strasbourg, France is renting two of our Unibridge® solutions to divert traffic around the roadworks,” says Hervé Blanc. “They will be in place for two years before they are dismantled and reassembled in another location.”

To date, Matière has installed over a thousand Unibridge® solutions in more than 35 countries around the world. “The introduction of the Unibridge® in 2004 was the beginning of Matière’s success story,” says Hervé Blanc. “But every Unibridge® is also a human success story. They can cut a journey that normally takes a day, to just an hour. This dramatically changes the way people in remote areas live and interact.”

About Matière

Matière was founded in 1932 and is still a family-run company. The business operates three plants in France and one in Belgium. All the plants produce components for Matière’s bridge business. In addition to the Unibridge®, Matière produce reinforced and prestressed concrete bridges, metal bridges, and composite structures which use both metal and concrete. The company is also involved in the repair of concrete and metallic bridges. Around 65 percent of its bridges are exported outside Europe.

For more information, visit: www.matiere-tp.com

About ArcelorMittal Projects

ArcelorMittal Projects has a global network of offices to support customers wherever their projects are located. We can leverage all parts of the ArcelorMittal group and source steel products from different segments.

We have specialty stocks of steel strategically located around the globe. That enables us to provide a complete and customised range of steel solutions and services, which include dedicated project management and prefabrication.

For more information, visit: https://projects.arcelormittal.com

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications, Constructalia
Images: Matière

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Matière Unibridge® banner

A Matière locomotive Unibridge®

A Matière Unibridge® in Kourouba, Mali

Pont de Juba: a Matière Unibridge® in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Matière Unibridge® with piles

Matière Unibridge®

Matière logo

Matière

ArcelorMittal Europe - Flat Products has released a new EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) for heavy plates and structural steels.

This declaration refers to heavy plates - hot rolled products produced in dedicated quarto plate mills. It is certified by IBU (Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V.) according to standards ISO 14025 and EN 15804 and covers all structural steel grades according to EN 10025, including weathering steels.

Heavy plates for construction can be used in various construction applications such as:

• Buildings: structural and built-up welded sections, trusses, box girders for heavy industrial steel frames, high-rise buildings, long-span structures for transport terminals and other infrastructure.
• Road and railway bridges: steel and composite structures made of welded built-up sections or box girders or trusses, arch and bow-string bridges, pedestrian and bicycles bridges, cable-stayed and suspension decks, and pylon bridges.

You can also download this new EPD for our heavy steel plates in our Document library.

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Cover image of EDP for heavy steel plates

Heavy steel plates Environmental Product Declaration

ArcelorMittal Europe - Long Products has released an updated version of the 2020 edition of its complete sales programme of hot rolled steel sections and merchant bars.

The 2020 version includes new steel grades: A913 (2019) Grade 80, EN 10025:2019, S500M, and S460W.

Visit our Document library to download your copy.

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Sections & Merchant Bars - Sales Programme Cover

Sections & Merchant bars

The European Investment Bank (EIB), with the support of the European Commission, has granted a 75 million EUR loan to ArcelorMittal for the construction of two ground-breaking projects at ArcelorMittal Ghent, Belgium, to considerably reduce carbon emissions by converting waste and by-products into valuable new products, helping to develop low-carbon steelmaking technologies, in line with the EU’s climate objectives.

Overview of the projects

Steelanol: a 165 million EUR industrial-scale demonstration plant that will capture waste gases from the blast furnace and biologically convert them into recycled-carbon ethanol, the first commercial product of ArcelorMittal’s Carbalyst® family of recycled carbon chemicals. The ethanol produced can be blended for use as a liquid fuel. The technology was developed by LanzaTech, with whom ArcelorMittal has entered a long-term partnership, together with Primetals and E4tech.

Once complete, the plant is expected to produce up to 80 million litres of recycled-carbon ethanol a year. The new installation will create up to 500 construction jobs over the next two years and 20 to 30 new permanent direct jobs. The project is expected to be completed in 2022.

Torero: a 50 million EUR large-scale demonstration plant to convert waste wood into bio-coal, partially replacing the coal currently injected into the blast furnace.

In the early stage, the Torero plant will be able to convert up to 60 000 tonnes of waste wood into around 40 000 tonnes of bio-coal every year. This volume will be doubled in a second stage of the project, after the start of the first Torero reactor. The new installation will create around 70 external jobs and will create around ten new permanent direct jobs for the operation of this installation. The plant, which is being developed in partnership with Torr-Coal, Renewi, Joanneum Research Centre, Graz University and Chalmers Technical University, is expected to be operational by the end of 2022.

Comments on the projects

EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle said: “Even in the current difficult times, Europe keeps its ambitious climate targets and the EIB, the EU climate bank, is committed to continuing to be a key partner. In particular in the steel industry, it means finding new ways to power machines and processes that are essential for reducing carbon emissions. Thanks to a strong partnership with the European Commission, the EIB is very pleased to support the Steelanol and Torero projects in their efforts to work on more climate friendly and competitive processes.”

Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “This EU backed loan will enable us to demonstrate that European steelmaking plants can be competitive while reducing carbon emissions and help us attain our climate goals. More than this, if we invest in European research, education and innovation we can demonstrate the global leadership that can secure and strengthen these industries and the people and communities they support for future generations.”

Geert Van Poelvoorde, CEO ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products said: “To date we have committed more than 250 million EUR to developing and testing technology that will help make steelmaking carbon neutral, leveraging our R&D facilities around the world. These two projects are our first large-scale implementations of new breakthrough solutions, as part of our commitment to reduce carbon emissions and transform steel production. With the EIB and European Commission’s support, we can scale up technologies and transition steel to carbon neutrality, and thereby play a significant role in helping Europe achieve its green ambitions.”

Jennifer Holmgren, CEO LanzaTech said: “The European Commission and the EIB continue to play a key role in enabling a new carbon economy for Europe by supporting innovative projects. Chemicals and liquid fuels, especially in the aviation sector, still need a source of carbon, while power generation can and should be fully decarbonized. Carbon recycling gives us a choice as to where the carbon in our products comes from: fresh fossil or reused carbon emissions. Our groundbreaking partnership with ArcelorMittal highlights their continued leadership in helping to create a low carbon economy in Europe.”

Additional details

• The Steelanol and Torero projects are set to reduce up to 350 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year in the first phase.
• The CO2 reduction is equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions of a quarter of a million passenger vehicles being driven for one year.
• ArcelorMittal Europe has committed to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030, with a further ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050, in line with the EU’s Green Deal and the Paris Agreement.
• EIB investment is supported by InnovFin Energy Demonstration Projects and financed under Horizon 2020 and the NER 300 funding programme of the European Commission.

Text: ArcelorMittal
Images: ArcelorMittal

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3D image of completed plant

The steel industry in Luxembourg has often been praised by men and closed to women. Times have changed and so have mentalities. 11 women, working at the heart of our production, wanted to express their love for their profession and of steel making.

Text: ArcelorMittal Luxembourg
Image: ArcelorMittal Luxembourg
Video: ArcelorMittal

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Julie Malherbes, ArcelorMittal

Women of steel

ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products has worked with Polish roofing manufacturer BLACHPROFIL 2® to develop a series of animated videos about steel and roofing. The 10 videos in the BP2 SteelStories series are designed to educate distributors, roofers, and end users about the properties of steel and the extensive services offered by BLACHPROFIL 2® to its customers. The cartoon style of the videos makes them easy to understand while conveying a large amount of technical information.

BLACHPROFIL 2® manufactures steel roofing solutions using a range of organic coated steels from ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products. The company’s customers are typically roofers and distributors working in Poland and nearby countries.

Logical extension to existing marketing

“Our users don’t really know how BLACHPROFIL 2® works or why we have chosen to use steel as the material for our products,” notes Paul Kudzia, marketing director for the company. “We are constantly looking for ways to provide them with information about these topics in a format that is easily accessible. Animated videos seemed a logical extension to our existing marketing activities.”

The series begins with the story of steel – the material on which the modern world was built. This is followed by videos explaining how steel is made and why BLACHPROFIL 2® uses steel to manufacture its products. “Steel is an environmentally friendly material, and by extension so are our products,” says Paul Kudzia. “To be on this planet you need to be eco-friendly. And for that you just have to have steel.”

Technical information from ArcelorMittal

Technical information for the Steel and Steel Production videos (the first two in the series) was provided by ArcelorMittal. This included real footage of the steelmaking process which the illustrators used as inspiration for the animated videos.

Among other topics, the video series also explores logistics, coatings, corrosion, UV resistance, the BLACHPROFIL 2® product offer, and the company’s in-house laboratory. “We are one of the only roofing manufacturers in Eastern Europe to have our own laboratory,” notes Paul Kudzia. “That allows us to verify the quality of the steels we receive from ArcelorMittal and ensures we are creating high-quality and durable products for our customers.”

The original videos were prepared in Polish and are available on BLACHPROFIL 2®’s YouTube channel. Two of the videos have been translated to English.

Masters Academy reaches out to roofers

The last animated video is about the BLACHPROFIL 2® Masters Academy. The Academy was established in 2017 as a series of meetings where roofers could learn more about steel, the innovative products made by BLACHPROFIL 2®, and the latest technology solutions for roofing.

“The Masters Academy was born out of our sense of responsibility for the quality of roofing prepared with our products,” says Paul Kudzia. “By being in direct dialogue with the people who are installing our products we are helping to maintain high standards in the industry.”

The Masters Academy is held at the BLACHPROFIL 2® production centre in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland. The events are attended by roofers from Poland and Central Europe. “In a typical year, we welcome around a thousand ‘students’,” says Paul Kudzia. “Last year we organised around 18 meetings, each with 50 to 70 attendees.”

ArcelorMittal has its own timeslot to present information about its products and quality. Paweł Patyk, head of ArcelorMittal’s Technical Client Team for Region East, has presented this part of the programme himself: “It’s a good chance for ArcelorMittal people to meet roofers who are using our products every day. The customers and distributors who attend these events don’t necessarily know a lot about steel or the processes ArcelorMittal and BLACHPROFIL 2® use. We can pass on information, but it’s also a perfect opportunity for us to learn from people in the field and hear their ideas for product improvements.”

About BLACHPROFIL 2®

For 25 years, BLACHPROFIL 2® has been one of Central Europe’s leading manufacturers of modular steel roofing tiles (marketed as IZI® and ZET®), LAMBDA® roof panels, structural sheets, facade systems, cassettes and elevation panels (SKRIN® and LINEA®), INGURI® gutter systems, and sandwich roof and wall panel systems (CorePIR, CorePUR, and CoreWOOL). To manufacture these products, BLACHPROFIL 2® makes extensive use of the Granite® range of organic coated steels from ArcelorMittal. BLACHPROFIL 2® also manufactures lighting and whiteboards using steels from ArcelorMittal’s Estetic® range.

BLACHPROFIL 2® has over 300 employees who work at its four production centres in Poland and Romania. The company sells its products in Belarus, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia.

More info: www.bp2.eu

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications, Constructalia
Images: BLACHPROFIL 2®

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Episode partner: ArcelorMittal

Video screenshot

Video screenshot

BLACHPROFIL 2 stylised logo

Paul Kudzia, marketing director for BLACHPROFIL 2

BLACHPROFIL 2 logo

The BLACHPROFIL 2® production centre in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland