100 years the best metal can offer

Transcription

1 ne s Wickeder Westfalenstahl company magazine Issue 1/ years the best metal can offer Wickeder Westfalenstahl celebrates its 100 year anniversary page 4 Retrospect Outlook page 2 Clad Materials for battery-production page 3 Solutions for the automotive industry page 6 Newsflash page 8

2 ne s Editorial Dear Sirs, Valued customers, Valued members of staff, 100 years ago, in 1913, Bernhard Bauer founded the WICKEDER EISEN- UND STAHLWERK GmbH as a cold rolling mill and precision drawing plant in Wickede. Proudly, this same company, today named Wickeder Westfalenstahl GmbH, celebrates a significant anniversary this year. This important milestone is reason enough to reflect back to the earlier years - from the beginnings in the area of Clad Materials, via the manufacturing of high precision cold rolled steel, to the origin of today's Wickeder Group. Read more about the history on pages 4 and 5. Due to the more positive economic outlook in the first quarter, we are optimistic about the economic situation within the Wickeder Group and especially also at Wickeder Westfalenstahl. Another positive sign is the recent large increase in orders to Wickeder Westfalanstahl from the "energy" market segment. One of the companies within the Wickeder Group, Engineered Materials Solutions (EMS), devotes itself to a special market segment where Clad Materials are used for a variety of battery applications. A more detailed overview of these exciting uses of Clad Metals for battery production is given on page 3. On pages 6 and 7 in this news - illustration the focus is on materials for the automotive industry, dear customers. There we present solutions using Clad Materials and cold rolled steel strip for all suppliers of the automotive industry. Discover which possibilities and advantages the products of Wickeder Westfalenstahl offer you for your specific application. Finally, in our newsflash, on page 8, you can read some short highlights of the group members, forthcoming fair participation and improvements in the Wickede plant. Enjoy reading the first news - illustration in this anniversary year 2013! Yours truly Dr. Jürgen Platt Dirk Barschkett 2

3 Product Engineered Materials Solutions Clad Materials for battery-production Engineered Materials Solutions develops custom-fit solutions for customer needs EMS has been supplying Clad Materials for battery applications throughout the world for over 35 years. In addition to traditional button cell battery materials, EMS has been developing numerous Clad Material systems designed to address the emergent needs in the Li-ion battery market, zinc air storage batteries, sodium metal halide, as well as traditional zinc air cells. These new material designs are being developed for the battery cell markets ranging from low - to - high power applications. Applications are, for example, laptop and cell phone materials, hybrid electric vehicles, and uninterruptable power supplies (UPS), to name a few. One of the newly developed material systems is a 5 layer clad design suitable for pure nickel replacement for low to medium power applications such as lap tops and power tools. This new material design combines the lower contact corrosion resistance of nickel, the resistance welding properties of a ferritic stainless steel and conductivity better than pure nickel. This material has been recently approved by a development partner in Taiwan and EMS is expecting production start-up in the course of Also, additional market opportunities for this material with the customers are beginning to emerge. Besides these materials, EMS is also developing a new button cell battery material that is comprised of nickel/ carbon steel/copper. This material is a cost effective solution and is mainly designed to address the current market in China for these materials. It offers a performance advantage over plating. New battery material developments at EMS are designed to address a wide range of functional concerns from the customers. The functional attributes of these new material designs include higher conductivity, robust joining, improved corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance and reduced weight. Since their introduction in the 1970's by EMS, Clad Materials have become the industry standard of all major battery manufacturers. Engineered Materials Solutions continues to develop new material systems to meet the demanding market requirements for new battery technologies and materials. For further information please visit: 3

4 ne s 100 years Wickeder Westfalenstahl 100 years the best metal can offer Wickeder Westfalenstahl GmbH celebrates its 100 year anniversary When Bernhard Bauer founded a precision-drawing plant and cold rolling mill under the name WICKEDER EISEN- UND STAHLWERK GmbH in 1913 in Wickede (Ruhr), he probably could not anticipate how the company would develop. leading manufacturers of Clad Materials and cold rolled strip as well as parent company of the Wickeder Group. The target to grow internally as well as externally was completely achieved: Today a total of seven enterprises located on three continents belong to the group. (USA) as well as the micrometal GmbH in Germany. In total, the group has more than 1100 employees worldwide. In 2013 exactly 100 years later Wickeder Westfalenstahl is one of the Besides Wickeder Westfalenstahl which received its current name in the early 1990's by the merger of the 'Wickeder Eisen und Stahlwerk GmbH' with the 'Westfalenstahl GmbH', the following companies belong to the Wickeder Group: Engineered Materials Solutions (USA and China), Auerhammer Metallwerk (Germany), Deutsche Nickel and the Deutsche Nickel America (Germany and USA), Wickeder Steel Company 4

5 100 years Wickeder Westfalenstahl The product portfolio of the group ranges from Clad Materials including thermostatic bimetals, cold rolled steel strip, hardened and tempered steel strip, metal strips and metallic foils, rods and wires made from nickel and nickel alloys up to precision-etched micro-components. With these various "modules" in metal processing, the Wickeder Group offers highly innovative, specialized solutions for many sectors. This broad range of products has a long tradition: The businessman Bernhard Bauer, known as a very hard-working man full of energy, had imagined such solutions from the beginning. In the 1920's, he began to clad various metals together and with this he provided the basis for today's successful product group known as Clad Materials. 100 years later, Clad Materials are used in a large spectrum of applications. There are many applications that are not possible without Clad Materials. As material for direct air cooled condenser tubes for example, FERAN, a combination of steel and aluminium, is the standard-material for an optimum and efficient cooling of the steam in a power station and therefore contributes substantially to energy availability. In the electrical industry, copper clad steel, known under the brandname CU- FER, is used because of its high electrical conductivity, sufficient strength and - in many cases - lower cost. CUFER is used, for example, in circuit breakers and motor contactors. And imagine other areas of your daily life if there were no Clad Materials: For example in every European purse a piece of clad metal might be found, because the middle core of the 1-and 2-eurocoins is made out of such a material. And also in architectural applications - like on the roof - a Clad Material is an ideal metal: CopperPlus, the clad compound of copper-stainless steel-copper is the perfect material for roofing or a facade. CopperPlus looks like copper, lasts longer than copper, is lighter than copper, is stronger than copper, and costs even less than copper. You can find CopperPlus on the roof of the company s headquarters in Wickede Ruhr. In the course of the construction of the top floor, it was decided to use the material due to its properties. This continues an architectural tradition of using metals at the company s headquarters in Wickede Ruhr: Another example is the windows in the stairwell which were designed in 1951 by artist Egbert Lammers using stained glass sections connected with lead. 15 years later it was again a product of Wickeder Westfalenstahl which played an important role in everyday life. Since 1966 the company had been involved in the development of the colour television as it developed a suitable cold rolled strip for shadow masks in joint cooperation with a partner. This high precision cold rolled strip was a large contributor to sales of the company until the new millenium when flat screen televisions became more and more popular. Even today the cold rolled steel of Wickeder Westfalenstahl is characterised by special factors - among others by the representation of a wide thickness range ( mm) and a wide width spectrum ( mm), the narrowest thickness tolerances and excellent flatness. Products which are made out of cold rolled strip from Wickeder Westfalenstahl are still popular today in daily life. Examples include components in the car such as gear components or airbag cartridges - but also in saws, relays and furniture flap hinges. At Wickeder Westfalenstahl our tradition is and our future will be providing the best products metal can offer. Therefore: challenge us, dear customers, and discuss your material issues with us. Wickeder Westfalenstahl and the Wickeder Group offer a huge number of possibilities and solutions for your material choice. 5

6 ne s Solutions for the automotive industry "Travel" with materials from Wickeder Westfalenstahl Solutions for the automotive industry: Clad Materials and cold rolled steel Clad Materials and cold rolled steel from Wickeder Westfalenstahl offer various solutions for virtually all companies within the automotive and automotive supply industry. Cold rolled steel, for example, is used in a wide range of areas such as an engine cam follower, a cartridge in an airbag-system or a safety belt part. Also, Clad Materials find wide use in automotive applications including heat shields, cylinder head gaskets, friction bearings and oil coolers. used in friction bearings. In case of a failure of the bearing lubrication, the bronze ensures the continuing function of the Safety belt part It is worthy to examine these applications in more detail: BRONFER (bronze clad on steel): Different bronze-alloys clad one side on steel are Bearing ring bearing due to its dry running operation properties. The bronze also prevents sudden stoppage due to high friction. 6

7 Solutions for the automotive industry Heat shield FERAN (aluminium clad on steel): FERAN very often is used for heat shields or cylinder head gaskets. In the engine area or in the exhaust tract, heat shields act to reflect the heat. This is necessary to protect parts sensitive to heat in the engine compartment or in other chassis areas. This avoids damage to sensitive electronics as well as to plastic parts, insulating mats or coatings. By cladding aluminum on steel the stiffness of steel is combined with the excellent heat reflection of aluminum to produce an effective heat shield. Because the surface is a closed, homogeneous aluminium layer, the Clad Material has better reflecting qualities as well as corrosion performance compared to a plated metal. In the area of the cylinder head gaskets, there is a long tradition of Clad Materials usage. Wickeder Westfalenstahl's FERAN has been selected for generations of gasket designs. In the beginning, FERAN was mainly used in one-layer seals - as an enclosure of the cylinder apertures. Here the soft aluminum layer worked as sealant when assembling the cylinder head. Today's development goes increasingly towards multi layer steel seals. FERAN is used as separating metal between the functional layers. The solid aluminum surface offers a considerably higher corrosion resistance in comparison with metals that are galvanized or aluminized. However, the hard steel core offers sufficient strength and resistance to ensure the gasket seal functions properly. Another possible application of FERAN or a clad combination of aluminum and copper is as a transition material. Due to the one side cladding, a material with two different metal surfaces is produced. If there is the need to join a component made out of steel and one made out of aluminium, this can be made easier by the use of a one side clad FERAN : Here steel can be joined to steel and aluminium to aluminium. In this area Clad Materials from Wickeder Westfalenstahl offer a variety of possibilities for the solution of complex joining tasks. Another automotive material supplied by Wickeder Westfalenstahl is cold rolled steel used as chain side bars for timing chains. In the vehicle, these elements have the function to provide the right connection between crankshaft and camshaft. The camshaft is responsible for an optimal valve timing. Due to the special demands on the timing chain concerning wear-resistance and narrow tolerance, a high-quality tempered steel is specified. As the pressure ratios in Timing chain modern and highly competitive turbodiesel engines continue to rise, special high-quality and fatigue endurable materials from Wickeder Westfalenstahl meet the challenge. For the production of airbag cartridges, materials with deep drawing properties and special surface properties are available. These materials are able to ensure the formability and functionality of the finished part. Of course, Wickeder Westfalenstahl delivers its products worldwide to wherever Airbag cartridge manufacturers and suppliers are located. Because well-known vehicle manufacturers have established factories worldwide, their suppliers also followed this trend. The result: Wickeder Westfalenstahl delivers the needed material in excess of Germany to all countries worldwide. We can confidently say that in many vehicles on the road, everywhere in the Seatbelt housing world today, components made from cold rolled steel or Clad Materials from Wickeder Westfalenstahl are inside. For further information about solutions for you as a supplier of the automotive industry please visit: 7

8 ne s Ticker Wickede: Revision and upgrading During the year end holiday period, the Sexto reversing stand was upgraded. Under a tight timeline, the various suppliers were able to accomplish all the tasks allowing a production restart on 2nd January, The upgrade involved the total revision of the rolling drive train and the installation of new thickness gage apparatus with modern x-ray and safetytechnology. Furthermore, the safety features were brought up to the technical standard with protection devices broadened and the hydraulic device modified. Plant Wickede - Restart-up of the four-high roll stand The rebuilding of the four-high roll stand, which was shut down last year due to a fire at the beginning of the year completed an important phase. After installation of the new electrical system, power supply and exhaust system the roll stand was successfully restarted. Certification DIN EN ISO 50001:2011 The locations in Wickede and Hagen were successfully certified in January, 2013, for the energy management system DIN EN ISO 50001:2011. Wickeder Westfalenstahl aspires to reduce its energy consumption in the long term and to increase its energy efficiency in a constant improvement process. Auerhammer Metallwerk: Finalist at German award for medium-sized business! Auerhammer Metallwerk was able to attain a special success. At the award for German medium-sized businesses of the Oskar-Patzelt-foundation in September 2012, the company was one of the six finalists out of 262 companies from Saxony, Germany. For this award, the companies are assessed in their entirety and also in their role in society: important is the whole development of the company, job creation and their protection, modernization and innovation, regional engagement, service, customer focus and marketing. MICROMETAL: strategic supplier of Continental Automotive In a complex qualification process, MICROMETAL was nominated in November 2012 by Continental Automotive as strategic supplier for future projects. To be connected to the different target groups, MICROMETAL will expand its fair trade presence considerably: in 2013 MICROMETAL will be present at the Südtec (Stuttgart, Germany), the MD&M West and MD&M East in the US, the Hannover Messe (Hannover, Germany), the Compamed (Düsseldorf, Germany) and at last at the Productronica (München, Germany). At these leading international fair trades, the multisided application possibilities of etching technology for the production of High end components will be presented. For more information about the Wickeder Westfalenstahl subsidiary please visit: Successful year 2012 at Wickeder Wickeder Steel Company Steel Company Wickeder Steel Company (WSC) celebrated 10 years as a member of the Wickeder Group in August. The tight-knit team is committed to the success of WSC, as evidenced by the fact that 19 of our 47 employees have worked at WSC the entire time. Thirteen of them are shown in the photo. Production Manager, Mark Beckman (5th from right in the photo), dates his tenure from was an eventful year for WSC, matching the record revenues of 2008 for hardened and tempered steel strip. WSC established itself as the primary supplier for chain saw guide bar strip at one customer. The company also implemented the cloud-based ERP system Plex, and installed an atmospheric monitoring and control system on furnace line 2. Imprint Editorial staff: Wickeder Westfalenstahl GmbH, Hauptstrasse 6, Wickede (Ruhr) Tel. +49 (0) / , Gaia Schleifer, gaia.schleifer@wickeder.de Authors: Markus Bankamp, Paul Duffy, C. Kent Greenwald, Jörg Jolitz, Dr. Claudia Pieper, Gabriele Röhr, Nathalie Rousseau, Gaia Schleifer, Andreas Wellié Translation German English: Jim Glennon, Jörg Jolitz, Gaia Schleifer, Lena Schüpstuhl Responsible for contents: Managing Directors Dr. Jürgen Platt (chairman) and Dirk Barschkett Realization: Spark GmbH Werbeagentur