Steel manufacturers continue to grapple with conflicting demands

When considering conventional steel, the stronger it is, the less formable it becomes, yet both qualities are desirable in automotive manufacturing. More than ever, the steel industry’s job is to find ways to marry the two, and enable OEMs a wider variety of strategy options when it comes to lightweighting. Sander Heinhuis is Tata Steel Europe’s head of Marketing for Automotive, with responsibilities for automotive strategy, new product development and new services. As he explains, this safety-critical balancing act is an ever-relevant challenge for steel manufacturers.