Bendiro and SSAB: Together at the Forefront of Technology

In today’s modern industry, close collaboration between suppliers and customers is crucial. Technically demanding products and advanced profiles require shared expertise and joint development, with the goal of creating strong, safe and sustainable solutions.

Bendiro and SSAB have built such a partnership over many years. By combining Bendiro’s specialist expertise in roll forming and advanced profiles with SSAB’s know-how in high-strength steels, we can develop technically demanding and customer-specific solutions.

We met Lars Lagestam, Technical Development Manager at SSAB:

Lars Lagestam on his role at SSAB

– I act as a coordinating link and a support function for sales, production and product development. We are a team working with everything from claims and troubleshooting to material testing and analysis. My role is to support our customers, both internally and externally, with technical expertise, he explains.

Lars works primarily with the automotive industry, both in Sweden and internationally, with customers in countries such as South Korea, Thailand, India and South Africa.

Technology development and material expertise

SSAB continuously drives technological development, particularly in advanced and ultra-high-strength steels.

– We can tailor materials for specific functions, improve forming properties and use stronger steels in applications where it was previously not possible. This has always been ongoing, but we are now seeing development accelerate, says Lars.

Working with high-strength materials requires both the right expertise and adapted machinery.

– Not everyone can form materials such as our ultra-high-strength steels Docol 1500M and 1700M. It requires both experience and the right equipment. Bendiro is unique in Sweden in handling this type of material.

The collaboration with Bendiro

The collaboration between SSAB and Bendiro has been ongoing for many years, and Lars emphasizes that it is more than a traditional supplier relationship.

– One of my first encounters with Bendiro was when I saw their profiles at a customer site in Finland. It was an advanced steel grade, and I was impressed by how ingeniously and thoughtfully the profile had been designed. Bendiro has long been at the forefront of product development, and we have developed in parallel over the years. It has become a successful formula. I see us more as partners than as customer and supplier.

The partnership is based on a technical exchange in both directions: SSAB can adapt steel to Bendiro’s needs, while Bendiro develops advanced profiles that take full advantage of the steel’s properties.

– Roll forming is efficient for volume production and at the same time gentle on the material. The gradual forming process makes it possible to process ultra-high-strength steels with high quality, Lars explains.

The background is the increasing demand for both strength and low weight. As vehicles become electrified, batteries add weight that must be compensated for. Combined with strict requirements for battery protection in crash situations, this drives the use of thinner and stronger materials. Roll forming therefore becomes an important method.

Technical support and test center

SSAB offers comprehensive technical support through its ”Knowledge Service Center” and a sample plate warehouse where the most common steel grades are available for rapid testing and simulation.

– If Bendiro wants to test a new material, we can send as little as an A4-sized sheet of the specific steel grade. We combine engineering expertise with immediate material availability. That is a major advantage in partnerships like ours.

In addition, SSAB manages material approvals for OEM customers through accredited laboratories, ensuring that new steel grades meet all requirements.

HYBRIT® and fossil-free steel

A key part of SSAB’s development strategy is the investment in steels with low fossil emissions and fossil-free production processes.

– Within the HYBRIT initiative, SSAB together with LKAB and Vattenfall has developed technology to produce fossil-free steel from iron ore. At the same time, we are already delivering SSAB Zero, a steel based on recycled material and fossil-free energy. This makes it possible to offer sustainable solutions today while we continue developing the fossil-free processes of the future, says Lars.

This investment is important for both sustainability and technological progress, and the partnership with Bendiro makes it possible to translate these advanced materials into practical production.

The future of the partnership

Lars is optimistic about the future of the collaboration with Bendiro.

– The partnership will definitely continue to develop. Bendiro meets all requirements in terms of material expertise, has a state-of-the-art facility and a highly competent team. Together we can deliver advanced solutions to a global market.

– Steel is fantastic to form, and it is exciting to develop solutions that become even more useful. The automotive industry has a strong need for this, and it is inspiring to see the technology implemented globally.

Personal meetings and close collaboration, combined with taking an idea all the way from concept to finished product, are what motivate Lars in his work.

We learn a great deal by being involved in challenging projects, which makes it especially rewarding to work with such an innovative partner as Bendiro, Lars concludes before it is time for a tour of one of Europe’s most modern roll forming facilities – the Bendiro Profile Center.