Shape Corp. named Swedish Steel Prize 2019 finalist

The Swedish Steel Prize, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, aims to recognize the good engineering, cooperation and steel innovations that lead to a better and more sustainable world. Shape Corp., from the USA, is one of the four finalists for this year’s prize, which will be awarded during a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on November 14. The award ceremony is part of a three-day event where hundreds of international participants will take part in seminars and a site visit at SSAB.

Shape Corp. is nominated for its 3D roof rail tube, a new innovation that represents a first in the automotive industry and will result in both cost savings for OEMs and safer cars for the general public.

“In the mid-2000s we developed bending technology that could bend in one direction in the same plane, in line with our roll forming process. We called it 1D bending, and over the next few years this technology progressed to handling bending in two directions on the same plane – and then three directions. We call it 3D bending,” explains Brian Oxley, Product Manager at Shape Corp.

We have taken the highest strength steel on the market and combined it with the perfect application – a bit like pairing wine with food. The results are very tangible in terms of mass savings, but it also shows the industry what is possible with these advanced grades – and that steel will have a place in automotive for a long time to come”.