ArcelorMittal produces more than 1.6 million tonnes of steel for packaging in Europe at five production sites in France, Belgium and Spain
As a worldwide leader in steel production, ArcelorMittal has been at the forefront of the steel for packaging market for many years. With production plants in Europe (France, Belgium and Spain), North America (US and Canada), South Africa and in Kazakhstan, ArcelorMittal serves customers worldwide with a wide range of products.
In Europe, ArcelorMittal Flat Carbon Europe produces more than 1.6 million tonnes of steel for food, drink, aerosol and industrial or decorative cans, along with easy-open ends and caps. The production sites are supported by five service centres and a dedicated global research and development (R&D) centre.
Our service centres are in Canossa and Avellino (Italy), Barcelona (Spain), Gemlik (Turkey) and Odessa (Ukraine). These centres comply fully with regional can-making operations to help reduce delivery times, and implement just-in-time inventory management practices.
Innovation
We aim to develop innovative solutions that give our customers a competitive edge, and work in close partnership with customers to help them integrate fast-moving consumer goods companies’ requirements throughout the supply chain. Our dedicated R&D packaging centre in Maizières-les-Metz, France, means we can work on innovative solutions across the packaging market.
These include:
- reducing product weight by developing thinner steel;
- increasing the formability of steel, to enable the production of appealingly shaped cans;
- ensuring products are compliant with increasingly stringent environmental regulations.
We offer an extensive range of products that serves all parts of the packaging industry, including a wide range of mechanical properties from 230 megapascals (Mpa) to 750 Mpa, gauges from 0.49mm to 0.10mm, adapted equipment for slitting and cutting into sheets, and a variety of coating options. We also offer tailored steel ranges for specific applications, either to allow existing packaging to be more lightweight or to facilitate brand differentiation.
ArcelorMittal has developed Maleïs®, a range of steel with enhanced mechanical characteristics and improved elongation for use in cylindrical easy-open ends.
The company also produces microwaveable steel trays, and Creasteel®, which enables the creation of innovative shapes in ready meal packaging.
Sustainability
Recycling is second nature for steel as it is infinitely and 100% recyclable. Steel is a permanent material, which regardless of how many times it is recycled, loses none of its strength or inherent properties. Each item of recycled steel packaging saves one-and-a-half times its weight in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In 2010 alone (the most recent figure available), recycling of steel for packaging in Europe prevented as much as 4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions from being released into the environment, as well as achieving energy savings of 70%.
Thanks to its magnetic properties, steel is the easiest and most economical type of material to sort and recover for recycling. In 2011, 2.4 million tonnes of steel packaging was recycled in Europe (EU27), with strong growth recorded across the continent. Rates were higher in Belgium (98%) and Germany (93%).