ArcelorMittal Multi Part Integration™ presented at the International Automotive Body Congress (IABC) in Livonia, Michigan (USA)

Opinion by Bala Krishnan, Director, Automotive Product Applications, ArcelorMittal Global R&D and Gagan Tandon, Vice President, Product Development, ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks

A global gathering of engineers, managers, academic researchers and automotive industry executives is underway at The International Automotive Body Congress in Livonia, Michigan on 28th and 19 September 2022 and starts with a keynote presentation from the Global Automotive & Mobility Solutions CMO Jean-Martin Van der Hoeven. The automotive industry is facing two important challenges head on – reducing emissions while improving safety standards. Sustainability in automotive technology and management systems is threaded throughout conversation amongst the hundreds of industry professionals in attendance.

Sustainability is at the heart of our company's purpose: Smarter steels for people and planet

ArcelorMittal is committed to reducing our CO₂ emissions globally by 25 percent by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050. In North America, more than $3 billion in investment committed over the next eight years supports this promise.

In addition to reducing our carbon footprint, using 100% renewable energy at all ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks locations, and a comprehensive approach to sustainability, we have placed unparalleled emphasis on our automotive research and development(R&D) strategy. We invest in both human capital and technologies to offer innovative, sustainable solutions that help customers reduce emissions and vehicle weight without compromising safety. Reducing vehicle weight by using lighter solutions is an obvious way to lower emissions, but steel offers unbeatable crash protection as well. Together, ArcelorMittal and ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks answer the call and demonstrate successful integration of sustainable strategy between steel and auto. 

A duo that delivers for our automotive partners

ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks (AMTB) is a world leader in the production of laser welded blanks (LWBs) with design and production facilities around the world.

A Laser Welded Blank (LWB) is a sheet of steel made of different steel grades welded together. Each blank can have different grades, thicknesses and/or coatings. ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks utilizes ArcelorMittal’s ultra-high strength cold stamping steels and hot stamping Press Hardenable Steels (PHS), Usibor^® and Ductibor^® for our laser welded blanks. PHS offers ultra-high strength and can be formed into complex shapes. These steels make ideal LWBs for the hot stamping processes and enable OEMs to achieve excellent weight reductions across the vehicle. . 

LWBs offer the following benefits:

• Lower CO₂ footprint of all parts as steel usage is reduced through improved material utilization, lightweighting of design and lower footprint joining process
• Laser energy sources are much more efficient than spot welding operations
• The  CO₂ footprint of logistics and part assembly is reduced through consolidation of parts at the blank level

The combined offerings of ArcelorMittal and ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks provide automotive partners with the following advantages:

• Concentrated strength in vehicle parts where it is most needed for crash resistance
• Reduced overall material thickness, which decreases vehicle weight and emissions and increases its performance
• Reduced manufacturing, material and transport costs

Lightening the load with a modular solution for multiple powertrains

ArcelorMittal Multi Part Integration™ (MPI) is a concept designed to incorporate many parts stamped from one LWB, thereby reducing body assembly complexity. With the goal of simplifying production for automakers, MPI uses PHS and patented laser-welding technology to create the single part, which can be further enhanced with varying patches to meet different crash requirements that adapt for different powertrains.

In addition to simplifying the vehicle production process, the ArcelorMittal Multi Part Integration™ (MPI) concept offers crash optimization and increased sustainability due to a lighter finished vehicle through material usage optimization. It reduces carbon emissions in a way only steel can. ArcelorMittal MPI may also offer customer cost savings of up to 10 percent.

At the International Auto Body Congress, Jean-Martin Van der Hoeven, Chief Marketing Officer of ArcelorMittal Global Automotive & Mobility Solutions, shared why automakers should consider MPI to decarbonize and simplify car manufacturing:

The ArcelorMittal MPI concept has proven vastly successful through studies of the rear H-frame and double door ring, which were on display at IABC, with more studies in the works. The results of the latest MPI research can be found here.

Creating automotive partnerships that go the extra, and sustainable mile

ArcelorMittal is collaborating with a growing portfolio of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) producers - including both traditional and emerging OEMs such as Atlis Motor Vehicles and Canoo – to help them achieve their business and sustainability goals.

Atlis Motor Vehicles is a vertically integrated start-up BEV company focused on addressing the challenging performance demands of emissions-free electric work trucks. Atlis sought a partner that could offer engineering solutions to meet vehicle crash and structural performance requirements while speeding up product development. Our steel material knowledge and S-in motion^® solutions delivered.

Atlis adopted the S-in motion^® pickup truck model, as well as cab and box designs to help guide the design of its XT, a purpose-built, fully electric pickup truck designed to support individuals and fleet owners who work in the agriculture, service, utility and construction industries. Atlis will also incorporate our body-in-white CAD engineering information to reduce weight and cost, while increasing the range of the XT.

Another partnership that demonstrates how joining forces can develop stronger, sustainable solutions is that of ArcelorMittal and Canoo. Canoo is a rapidly-growing emerging BEV OEM company. Canoo is developing purpose-built electric vehicles with proprietary and highly versatile platform architecture.

By collaborating with ArcelorMittal over the last five years, Canoo co-engineered and efficiently addressed diverse technical and commercial needs to launch a lifestyle vehicle that offers a breakthrough SUV-sized interior space on a smaller exterior footprint. The collaboration resulted in a vehicle that contains more than 90 percent steel in the body-in-white and skateboard, the underlying support platform of the vehicle.

Canoo will launch the Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle late this year in Bentonville, AK, followed by a larger multipurpose delivery vehicle and finally, a pickup truck. In 2023, the Torrance, CA-based company will open a new production facility in Pryor, OK capable of producing 150,000 vehicles each year.

Better together with steel solutions for automotive industry transformation challenges

About IABC

IABC is an important scientific event focusing on innovative car manufacturing solutions. The two days program covers a wide range of topics going from vehicle performance and material applications to stamping, assembly processes and body design & engineering.  

ArcelorMittal experts will join the panel of internationally recognized speakers with two presentations dedicated to the ArcelorMittal Multi Part Integration™ solution.  

• ArcelorMittal Multi Part Integration™ (MPI) concepts using press hardened steel laser welded blanks by Nachiket Gokhale, Manager, Product Development

• ArcelorMittal Multi part Integration™ decarbonizing and simplifying car manufacturing by Jean-Martin Van der Hoeven, CMO Global auto & Mobility solutions