The new research centre will focus on steel innovations for the automotive, energy, construction, machinery and white goods industries
ArcelorMittal plans to open its 12th global research and development centre (R&D), in Brazil, in 2015. The new centre will open at ArcelorMittal Tubarão, Brazil in April this year, using existing lab facilities in the Vitória unit, Espirito Santo. The investment also includes the purchase of equipment for process simulations, product characterization as well as analytical models to reinforce the currently existing scientific structure. Around 30 researchers and technicians will be hired in Brazil over the next two years. Others may also join from European or American research centres within the Group on temporary assignments.
With a planned investment of $20 million over the 5 years, the new research centre aims to meet the demands from both long and flat carbon South America in the following three areas: product development, process development and customer services. The work carried out in Brazil will complement that of existing R&D centres in the Group. The centre plans to focus on innovations for the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, energy (oil pipeline and gas pipeline, off-shore structures, wind towers), construction and household appliances industries.
ArcelorMittal’s research and development teams aim to support the three strategic pillars of the ArcelorMittal group: quality, sustainability and safety. “As such, the Brazilian research centre will ensure competitiveness and increasingly aggregating value to our products, speeding up the implementation in Brazil of innovations and solutions from across ArcelorMittal, developing cleaner processes and broadening client services”, comments Charles Martins, research centre manager. “Brazil and other countries in South America are important markets, for which we see growth prospects in the long run”, he completes.
In 2014, the group invested US$260 million in research and development, with 57% dedicated for research in products, 37% for processes and 6% for exploratory research.
