US steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs completed a trial run to produce "exposed steel parts" from an automotive original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) aluminum stamping equipment, as it pushes for automakers to return to making steel-intensive vehicles.
The company has sought to capitalize on a three-alarm fire at aluminum roller Novelis' facility in Oswego, New York, which has caused supply disruptions for the broader automotive industry. That plant produced the majority of automotive-body sheet used by major US automakers, including Ford.
Cleveland-Cliffs noted that the pilot project produced stampings with "no defects", demonstrating that steel can replace aluminum in critical applications "without the need for costly retooling." The company said it had shifted to "routine production and delivery of regular orders" to the OEM, adding that it had "received inquiries" from other customers.
It remains to be seen if automakers will fully transition back to using corrosion-resistant steel in automotive bodies, given the limitations on fuel efficiency that prompted those companies to shift to aluminum for light-weighing purposes a decade ago.
Cleveland-Cliffs said the blaze would cause "presumably long-lasting" upheaval for aluminum supply chains, but Novelis expects to have its hot-rolling mill back online in December and other aluminum rollers have accelerated product qualifications and shifted manufacturing lines to help fill the void left by Oswego's lost output.
Cleveland-Cliffs did not respond to a request for comment.
