With our two newest Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for Hot rolled and Cold rolled steels, ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products is now the only flat products steel producer in the EU with a full set of EPDs for products and solutions, signalling our commitment to sustainable building.

Vital for sustainable building certifications

EPDs are crucial for sustainable building certifications like LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, BNB, or HQE and are now being introduced into national regulations for construction. EPDs explain the optimisation potential over the lifetime of their products to manufacturers who can utilise the information to conserve resources, resulting in a low impact built environment and life cycle cost-effectiveness.

The Institut Bauen und Umwelt - IBU

An EPD details the environmental effects of building products based on a life cycle assessment. It is created by the manufacturer and then reviewed by IBU (the Institut Bauen und Umwelt e. V.) on the basis of ISO 14025 and EN 15804.

ArcelorMittal Europe is a member of IBU and, through IBU, global recognition is ensured by their ECO Platform, an organisation of national EPD programme holders in Europe that promotes the cross-border recognition and application of EPDs.

Text: Constructalia
Images: ArcelorMittal Europe, Institut Bauen und Umwelt e. V.

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Since 2014, ArcelorMittal has been working with the SCHRAG Group to publicise the benefits of Magnelis® in the German and eastern European markets. That cooperation has led to Magnelis® being recognised as an exceptional metallic coating which provides a breakthrough in corrosion protection. In September 2019, the Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik (DIBt) granted Magnelis® a Technical National Approval. This approval recognises that Magnelis® resists corrosion for more than 15 years and allows it to be specified for construction applications in Germany and other markets which rely on DIBt standards. For SCHRAG, it means that Magnelis® can be utilised with confidence in the company’s thin-walled cold-formed components, even when they are deployed in highly corrosive atmospheres.

Steel's role

Steel plays a substantial role in SCHRAG’s tailor-made solutions for roofing and cladding which are used in industrial and commercial construction. ArcelorMittal supplies a range of metallic coated and painted coils to SCHRAG. These products are typically utilised to create bent profiles which are used as lightweight parts for roofs and walls. Applications include purlins, transoms, skylight substructures, and moulded parts.

Durability of Magnelis® stands out

"The outstanding properties of Magnelis®, documented in the DIBt approval, have enabled SCHRAG to make full use of Magnelis® in many applications,” says Gunnar Koelsch, head of purchasing at SCHRAG. “For example, Magnelis® ZM310 is the only zinc-magnesium coating which remains durable for more than 15 years according to DIBt. And the approval covers constructions in zones with a corrosivity rating of C4 under the European norm ISO 12944-2. This is unique.”

Magnelis® effectively protects surfaces against corrosion in two ways: as a barrier and as cathodic protection. It also offers excellent protection on cut edges. In these areas, the coating reforms to ensure full protection for the steel substrate. After checking the self-healing effect of Magnelis® on cut edges, DIBt concluded that the coating (minimum weight of ZM310) can be utilised with uncoated edges of up to 6.0 mm. The uncoated edges should not have an aesthetic function. This is the only German technical approval for a metallic coating which includes uncoated edges up to a thickness of 6 mm.

Strong partnership relies on open communication

One of SCHRAG’s goals is to act as a problem solver for its customers. Common projects and long-term partnerships are essential for this as Gunnar Koelsch explains: “A real partnership requires long-term cooperation, commercial and technical transparency. We have found such a partnership with ArcelorMittal.”

The very good partnership between the two companies covers subjects ranging from classic sales topics to joint projects. Both appreciate the open communication, even during negotiations. “This is particularly evident in challenging times such as those we face today,” says Mechthild Janischowsky, market segment manager at ArcelorMittal Commercial Germany. “Models have been developed which offer viable solutions for both partners. This has only been possible through the mutual trust we have developed after decades of working together.”

About SCHRAG

Founded in 1892, SCHRAG began as a small business which produced enamelled, tinned, and galvanised products. Today the company is led by the fourth generation of the family and manufactures lightweight metal solutions for roofs and facades. The SCHRAG Group employs almost 500 people at 16 locations in Austria, Czechia, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

More information: www.schrag.eu

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: SCHRAG Group

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SCHRAG profiles with Magnelis®

SCHRAG profile with Magnelis®

SCHRAG profile with Magnelis®

Ever since ArcelorMittal first introduced SteelUser a decade ago, we have continued to develop our digital tools in collaboration with customers. SteelUser itself has evolved to become a multi-platform communication channel, enabling customers to interact with ArcelorMittal via apps, web services, and electronic tools integrated into their business systems. This has made it possible for customers to get production information, send orders directly to ArcelorMittal, and receive invoices and related documents electronically.

In a recent project with Polish customer Inter-Max, ArcelorMittal has added the ability to specify the coating and colour of a product late in the order process electronically. Inter-Max, which uses ArcelorMittal’s EDI Light service, now has full transparency over its orders and can respond quickly and efficiently to demands from their own customers.

EDI Light

Inter-Max, a long-term supplier of roofing solutions, first asked ArcelorMittal about using our digital tools in 2018. By March 2019, the company had agreed to adopt EDI Light. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is an electronic communication method which defines standards for the exchange of data via any electronic means.

Krzysztof Szczerba, president of Inter-Max, explains: “EDI Light integrates the entire product ordering process into our enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Orders are now simpler, easier, more accurate, and faster. And by adhering to the same standard as ArcelorMittal, we can electronically exchange documents such as purchase orders, invoices, shipping notices, and many others.”

EDI Light also enables data from ArcelorMittal sales invoices to be automatically entered into the accounting modules of the Inter-Max ERP system. There is no need to print invoices or manually enter data.

Prevision orders allow late specifications

In the initial phase of the project, Inter-Max decided to use EDI Light to send and receive orders and order confirmations automatically. But in response to Inter-Max’s need to specify colours and coatings late in the order process, ArcelorMittal made modifications to the system to allow ‘prevision’ orders. Previously this had only been possible if the customer called or emailed their ArcelorMittal contact. By November 2019, the two companies were able to test and approve the new functionality which is now available to all ArcelorMittal customers on request.

“The solution is based on the latest data exchange format and uses files in CSV format,” explains Krzysztof Szczerba. “After several months of intensive work, Inter-Max successfully began placing prevision orders for coiled sheets from ArcelorMittal. It means we can submit an order for a steel substrate, and define the type of coating and colour later in the process.”

Streamlining processes and planning

Inter-Max now sees all orders placed with ArcelorMittal in its own software. They can also see when shipments are due. “This enables us to be much more efficient when we are planning production schedules,” says Krzysztof Szczerba. “It also helps with our own logistics, the analysis of market trends, and the strategic planning we do for Inter-Max’s future activities.”

For Inter-Max, the EDI Light system with late specifications has transformed its business notes Krzysztof Szczerba: “EDI saves us time and money as it prevents the chance of operators making mistakes. We no longer need to spend time chasing these errors. That translates into a higher level of organisation within the company, and has a positive impact on our economic results.”

About Inter-Max

Inter-Max started operations in 1992 as a sheet metal profiling operation. The company was one of the first in Poland to introduce ArcelorMittal’s range of innovative organic coated products including Granite® Deep Matt, Granite® HDS, and Magnelis®.

More info: Inter-Max

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: Inter-Max, ArcelorMittal, deepadesigns, viviamo, and violetkaipa / shutterstock.com

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Inter-Max roofing projects

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We value our partners. We are proud to cooperate with the companies and institutions that count on ArcelorMittal's technical know-how and expertise in their mission to create innovative, sustainable, and value-added solutions for their key markets. As our partnerships continue to grow, so has our newest Constructalia section – Partners.

Steel for construction

Our high quality steels are the perfect base for the creation of elements or finished products for use in a wide scope of the construction market. From heavy plates to organic or metallic coated coils, our production portfolio meets the highest demands in terms of resistance, corrosion protection, and aesthetics.

Meet our partners utilising our extensive Granite® range or corrosion resistant Magnelis®: Blachdom Plus, Budmat, and Regamet in their roofing solutions; BUCON for their steel tanks; Metpol with their plasterboard solutions; Meteor Systems and Zimmermann in their horticultural and agricultural systems; and InQuik for their innovative bridges.

Discover: Metal Union’s application of our metallic coated steels in their profiles, Gagnepark’s usage of sections and Cofraplus® for their multi-storey car parks, and Matière’s patented bridges with our heavy plates.

Steel promotion

From partnerships with associations promoting steel as a building material to new technologies and construction solutions with steel – and everything in between – we work closely with our partners to disseminate knowledge about steel in construction.

A new addition to our Partners section is ConstruirAcier, who inform and advise architects, engineering offices, and investors on the economic and environmental challenges faced by steel in architecture.

Text: Constructalia
Images: Blachdom Plus, BUCON, ConstuirAcier, Gagnepark, Matière, Meteor Systems, Metpol