Ford manager says Severstal should work hard for the US auto industry

Severstal and other companies in the US market should do their best to develop new high-strength steel for the automotive industry, said Severstal North America's vice president of quality and advanced engineering.

Mr. Johnson made such a statement in Detroit during the auto show, where Ford showed its new F-150 pickup made entirely of aluminum. We haven't invested enough to develop high-strength steel that can compete with aluminum, he added.

“We've talked a lot over the years about advanced high strength steels. But we as an industry have not invested enough to do that, ”Johnson said.

It is known that until 2014, the Ford F-150 was manufactured using steel sheets produced by Severstal. However, for the future, the automaker chose aluminum.

Ford spokesman Mike Levin said that his company evaluated the many options and materials for the new line of vehicles and determined that the best combination would be a high-strength steel frame and a defense-grade aluminum body. “This will be the best combination of strength and weight savings for our machines,” he said.

The stakes in the race for steel and aluminum in the auto industry are enormous. Loss of orders from Ford could turn into serious problems for Severstal in the United States.

However, Johnson is confident that the shift from steel to aluminum in the automotive industry is only a temporary phenomenon, which will last until metallurgists offer high-strength steel to the automotive industry.

There are two main requirements for new technologies, the manager of Severstal said, these are, firstly, strength at low thickness and, secondly, high ductility and ductility at increased hardness.