ArcelorMittal has launched a new group website, developed around the company’s purpose of ‘Inventing smarter steels for a better world’. The site showcases the role that steel can play in a future low-carbon, circular economy; outlines how ArcelorMittal is embracing technology developments to address trends that will shape the future; and demonstrates the critical role ArcelorMittal’s products play in supporting societal transformation.

Commenting, Lakshmi Mittal. Chairman and CEO, ArcelorMittal, said:

“Steel is a material that has played a vital role in building the infrastructure of our world and much of what makes modern life more comfortable and accessible. As we now seek to transition to a more circular and sustainable world, I am convinced that steel has a central role to play and will continue to for decades to come. One of the miracles of steel is that it continues to evolve – half the grades of steel we are producing today didn’t exist ten years ago. And these new grades are being designed to meet expectations for lighter vehicles, new energy systems, and more environmentally friendly buildings. That is why we define our purpose as ‘Inventing smarter steels for a better world’.

Our website is an important point of contact with all our stakeholders including current and future employees, shareholders, customers, communities and civil society more broadly. It has been designed not only to incorporate new technologies and be easily navigable, but also to act as a central hub for all the work the company is doing to create value for our stakeholders. That includes: investing in new processes; inventing new steels for customers; improving efficiency through digitalisation; testing new technologies to reduce our carbon footprint; promoting policy suggestions that will support a transition to a low-carbon world; and offering exciting career opportunities to solve some of the world’s most complex problems.

The steel industry, understandably, is often associated with the past. I hope this site will serve to reinforce how it is also a vital part of the future.”

Smarter future

A central pillar of the new website is its Smarter future section, which explores the future of steel and its role in a changing world. It includes four episodes from the first season of a new podcast series, ‘Futurising,’ which features ArcelorMittal experts in conversation with a futurologist, covering:

• The future of construction: Olivier Vassart, CEO Steligence®, discusses the future of buildings and the role of steel in them.
• The future of steel manufacturing: Greg Ludkovsky, head of R&D, explores how steel manufacturing will be different in the future, and imagines its reinvention.
• Sustainability: Dr Alan Knight, head of sustainable development, reflects on the sustainable nature of steel, and how this positions it as the ideal material for a sustainable future.
• The future of mobility: Brian Aranha, head of automotive, discusses how mobility may change in the future.

Latest technological trend case studies

The website contains case studies which outline how ArcelorMittal is embracing the latest technological trends and applying them across its business to deliver efficiency and environmental improvements. Examples include:

• How we are looking at all possible technology pathways to reduce our carbon footprint.
• How steels are supporting the global energy transition.
• How ArcelorMittal is making significant investments in resources, time, and management attention to understand how it can take advantage of Industry 4.0 and use data and analytics to create value for its customers and to improve its performance.
• How ArcelorMittal’s global R&D team has developed a potato-based, biodegradable dust suppressant, applied as foam, which can reduce secondary sinter dust emissions by more than 80%.
• How artificial intelligence algorithms inspired by the path-finding behaviour of ant colonies in the wild has helped to improve production line scheduling, delivering cost, productivity, and quality improvements.

Making steel infographic and corporate library

The website also features a Making steel infographic which outlines the entire steelmaking journey, from mining to ironmaking through to the use of steel in modern life. It also hosts a Corporate library which includes ArcelorMittal’s reporting hub and houses its policies and procedures.

The website can be accessed at http://corporate.arcelormittal.com. It has been designed for optimal viewing on mobile and tablet devices but is also fully responsive across desktops.

Text: ArcelorMittal
Image: ArcelorMittal

Just like gold, steel can be endlessly recycled. A great example of this can be found in Kraków, Poland.

Tomorrow without smog

ArcelorMittal Poland recycled the steel from old stoves sent in by residents, producing 350 bicycle racks from the scrapped steel for the city. Residents who gave up their old, polluting stoves received a bonus from the company and contributed to 'Tomorrow without smog,' a programme for cleaner air in Kraków.

Not only will the environment benefit from the old stoves being replaced, but the aim is also to encourage cycling in Kraków further benefiting air quality in the city.

A great initiative from our Polish colleagues!

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications, Constructalia
Images: ArcelorMittal Europe
Video: ArcelorMittal

The relationship between steel and skyscrapers has been ongoing for over one hundred years, and this affiliation is growing ever stronger. In the 1930s, steel facilitated the boom of high-rise construction, while high strength steel ushered in its resurgence in the 1970s. Thanks to its affordability and durability, steel has always been the material of choice for the design and construction of tall buildings’ principal structural systems.

The current times bring with them a growing concern for sustainable development, including contradictory notions on the affordability, safety, and environmental impact of steel. This has resulted in some misperceptions about the role of steel in high-rise construction. In response to this, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and ArcelorMittal partnered together on a research paper entitled ‘Steel and Skyscrapers: A Productive History and a Sustainable Future’ in order to illustrate the recent developments in the partnership between steel and skyscrapers that make it a strong, sustainable choice for high-rise construction.

Overview

This research paper delves into the sustainability of steel while examining its impact on the life cycle analysis of a building with an overall aim to broaden innovation in design via an analysis of new ideas for the creation of sustainable, cost-effective, and optimised buildings for the future.

This paper provides a summary of the latest innovations in specifications with a special focus on high strength steel that can result in a reduced amount of steel being required for a building’s construction. The paper presents design methods that can streamline fabrication and erection for a reduction of energy usage during construction in addition to evaluation ideologies, such as standardising floor area, that increase operational efficiency and reduce negative environmental impact.

Findings

“Sustainable development is not a fixed state of harmony, but rather a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are made consistent with future as well as present needs” (WCED 1987). As our global knowledge and understanding deepens, it is clear that we all must band together to discern innovative and sustainable methods that will allow for greater economic and social development with the minimisation of environmental damage taking its vital place at the core of these methodologies.

In the same way that tall buildings revolutionised the urban environment, steel has been, and will continue to be, revolutionary and transformational in terms of the correlation between tall buildings and sustainable development. It is the responsibility of those involved in the design and construction process to incorporate the advice of the experts, innovations, and highly sustainable building products in such a way that we will reduce our carbon footprint for future generations.

Text: Constructalia
Research paper: Shelley Finnigan (Global Technical Sales Engineer, Head of Technical Sales & Marketing, Americas, ArcelorMittal), Dario Trabucco (CTBUH Research Manager, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat), Jean-Claude Gerardy (Head of Export, Sections and Merchant Bars, ArcelorMittal), Nicoleta Popa (Head of Global R&D Construction Applications, Infrastructures and Long Products, ArcelorMittal)

ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products is certified under the BRE Environmental & Sustainability Standard BES 6001, a responsible sourcing certification for the UK construction market demonstrating the division’s commitment to sustainable sourcing.

This covers the entire portfolio of ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products including angles, channels, merchant bars, rails, sections, sheet piles, rebar, construction bar, and wire.

Developed by the UK-registered research organisation BRE (Building Research Establishment), the BES 6001 standard requires manufacturers for the construction industry to prove that their products are made with responsibly sourced materials. A process of third-party, independent assessment covering organisational governance, supply chain management, and various environmental and social aspects is used to verify that manufacturers meet the required criteria. Manufacturers must also demonstrate the sustainable operations of their raw material suppliers.

Download the certificate in our Document library!