Ford committed that 100% of its passenger-vehicle range in Europe will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid by mid-2026 and will be completely all-electric by 2030. Similarly, Ford’s entire commercial-vehicle range in Europe will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2024, with two-thirds of its commercial-vehicle sales expected to be all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2030. Spearheading Ford’s advance into an all-electric future is a new $1 billion investment to modernize its vehicle assembly facility in Cologne, Germany, the home of Ford of Europe. The investment will transform the existing vehicle assembly operations into the Ford Cologne Electrification Center for the manufacture of electric vehicles, the company’s first such facility in Europe.

Boston Metal raised $50 million in Series B funding, positioning the company to accelerate industrial-scale deployments of its molten oxide electrolysis (MOE) technology toward emissions-free steel. The company’s MOE technology uses electricity to transform metals from a raw oxide form into high-purity molten metal products, facilitating CO₂ emissions-free steel production from a wide array of iron ores in a potentially more efficient, less costly and more sustainable approach.

Schuler installed two forging lines, including the dies and furnaces, in China. The screw press and the crank press forge aluminum chassis parts fully automatically. Screw presses from Schuler feature a press force of 250-28,000 tons. The water-cooled servo direct drive transmits the torque of the motor without losses and offers a high level of precision, operational reliability and economy. The 750- to 16,000-ton crank press is suited for mass production. Depending on the specific requirements, the press frame and drive system are designed for high manufacturing precision and high production rates.

Dragon Steel Corp. Ltd., a subsidiary of China Steel Corp. located in Taichung, Taiwan, granted SMS Concast, a company of SMS group, the final acceptance certificate (FAC) for the modernization of its six-strand billet caster. The objective of the revamp was to improve the billet quality for applications including fasteners, welding rod, mechanical components and others. The project, which consisted of an automation upgrade and the introduction of dynamic secondary air-mist cooling (COOL-DSC) as the main modernization measures, has achieved a distinct improvement in product quality in terms of internal structure and surface cracking. 

Andritz received an order from Thyssenkrupp rothe erde (Xuzhou) Ring Mill Co. Ltd. to supply eight chamber forging furnaces for its plant in Xuzhou, China. Thyssenkrupp rothe erde manufactures slewing bearings and seamless rolled rings used in applications ranging from industrial machinery, automotive engineering and aerospace facilities to wind turbines and tunnel-boring machines. Andritz’s scope of supply includes engineering, manufacturing, electrical equipment and automation software. The furnaces will include low-NOx burners that will minimize emissions and fuel consumption. Start-up is scheduled for the first quarter of 2022.

Crawford United Corp. of Cleveland, Ohio, purchased KT Acquisition LLC, doing business as Komtek Forge in Worcester, Mass. Komtek Forge provides complex, highly engineered forgings for the aerospace, industrial gas turbine, medical prosthetics, alternative energy, petrochemical and defense industries. The acquired business will continue to operate under the name Komtek. The acquisition will add about $7 million in annual revenue to Crawford United.

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. (AAM), a global automotive supplier of driveline and metal-forming technologies, and Suzhou Inovance Automotive Ltd. (Inovance Automotive), a provider of automotive power electronics and powertrain systems in China, formed a technology development agreement that will accelerate the development and delivery of scalable, next-generation 3-in-1 electric drive systems, which integrate an inverter, electric motor and gearbox. The collaboration will seek to enhance the power density, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of electric drive technology offered in the global market.

Anhui Anhuang Machinery Co. Ltd. placed an order with SMS group for a fully automatic closed-die forging line for pistons. The 2,500-ton line consists of a fully automatic closed-die forging press and an induction heating system from SMS Elotherm for heating the forging blanks. Anhui Anhuang will be one of the first automotive suppliers in China that is capable of manufacturing pistons for cars and trucks in a fully automated process. Commissioning is scheduled for the second quarter of 2022.

FORGE is hosting a free webinar “Lightweight Design with Forged Components” Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 2:00 p.m. (ET). Lightweight and forging are two words for which most people do not immediately see a connection. However, forging technology using modern steel and aluminum materials can significantly support lightweight design activities. In order to demonstrate this, the Lightweight Forging Initiative has worked between 2013 and 2018 to show the lightweight potentials of forgings in car and truck applications. This webinar will present the results of the Lightweight Forging Initiative, provide many concrete ideas how to achieve mass reduction in forged components and show many examples. We will conclude with an approach for forging companies to become a proactive supplier of lightweight solutions.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. successfully completed the acquisition of substantially all of the operations of ArcelorMittal USA LLC and its subsidiaries, forming the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America. In connection with the acquisition of ArcelorMittal USA, which includes the interests of ArcelorMittal USA of 60% in I/N Tek L.P. and 50% in I/N Kote L.P., Cleveland-Cliffs also acquired Nippon Steel’s remaining interests of 50% in I/N Kote and 40% in I/N Tek for a total consideration of approximately $183 million. With this additional transaction, Cleveland-Cliffs becomes the sole owner of 100% of I/N Tek and I/N Kote.