SSAB and Gestamp begin partnership in fossil-free steel for automotive components

SSAB has entered an agreement with Spain-based Gestamp, a global tier-one automotive supplier of lightweight and safety components, to deliver fossil-free steel for body-in-white and chassis system products.

Gestamp is a multinational company specialized in the design, development and manufacture of highly engineered metal components for the main vehicle manufacturers. It develops products with an innovative design to produce lighter and safer vehicles, which offer lower energy consumption and a lower environmental impact. Its products cover the areas of BiW, chassis, and mechanisms. Gestamp is present in 24 countries with 115 production plants (5 under construction), 13 R&D centers, and a workforce of nearly 43,000 employees worldwide.

This agreement marks a new step in the long-standing partnership between Gestamp and SSAB that comprises a variety of actions addressing all aspects of the development chain, from sales to production to testing and customer experience as an example of inter-company cooperation in the world of steel products.

SSAB plans to deliver fossil-free steel to the market at a commercial scale in 2026, and to largely eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from its own operations in around 2030.

SSAB Fossil-free steel is produced by using HYBRIT technology (earlier post), with direct reduction of iron ore using fossil-free hydrogen—emitting water instead of CO₂. During the process, coking coal, traditionally used for iron ore-based steelmaking, will be replaced with fossil-free electricity and hydrogen.