News and Events

On the 17th August Ovako will be part of a digital exhibition with a big difference, we are going to make it an immersive experience between digital and…

Sustainability is a fundamental element of Ovako’s business that enables its steel products to have a carbon footprint 80 percent lower than the global average. This year’s Sustainability Report highlights the continued progress in Ovako’s sustainability efforts, including the achievement of an intermediate target to reduce the ‘cradle-to-gate’ carbon footprint of its finished hot rolled steel products by 30 percent per metric ton.

Together with Linde Gas AB, Ovako have completed the world’s first successful full-scale trial in a production environment of using hydrogen to heat steel before rolling. The use of hydrogen in combustion would have a great positive effect on the environment since the only emission generated is water vapor.

Ovako has developed Hybrid Steel to merge the unique properties of tool steel, maraging steel and stainless steel into one high-performance steel grade that also offers the production economy of conventional engineering steels.

Rickard Qvarfort has been appointed as the new President of Business Unit Hofors. He starts his new role July 1, 2020 and succeeds Erik Bohman, who has decided to leave Ovako for new opportunities. In conjunction, Björn Wiborg has been appointed Acting President of Business Unit SmeBox.

Together with Linde Gas AB, Ovako has conducted a full-scale trial using hydrogen to heat steel before rolling. The trial was performed with good results in one of the company’s pit furnaces at the Hofors rolling mill in Sweden. This historic development for the steel industry proves that carbon dioxide emissions from rolling can be eliminated provided the right financial support and infrastructure are in place.

Steve Ooi is an Ovako Group R&D technical specialist based in England, at the University of Cambridge’s prestigious Maxwell Centre. We asked him to tell us about his background and to answer some questions about the particular benefits of Hybrid Steel.

As a result of the current situation with COVID-19, the world is facing one of the largest health, industrial and financial challenges in modern times…