In 2014, Gestamp started to develop a new front lower control arm for the Toyota Yaris in Europe. It soon became clear the steel grade required to develop this part did not yet exist. This was when Gestamp approached SSAB. Gestamp’s innovative, lighter design for the front lower control arm lead to a 7-year collaborative effort with SSAB, resulting in new 1000 MPa complex phase steel. This effort demonstrates the power of early design-stage — and ongoing — collaboration, combined with SSAB’s capacity to deliver multiple steel grade iterations to solve challenging lightweight requirements. “This is exactly how SSAB likes to work: to be invited right at the start of the project,” said Ben Cook, Sales Segment Manager, SSAB UK. Dr. Mehdi Asadi, Manager Materials Engineering, Gestamp Chassis Germany, added, “We embarked on the challenging, seven-year journey to develop a new high-strength steel grade that would become Docol 1000CP.”

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