Sidenor Corporate Report 2019

33 HAND IN HAND WITH SUSTAINABILITY A thousand ideas on how to reduce weight in vehicles We have made further progress in Phase III of the Lightweight Forging project, an unprecedented international initiative involving top worldwide companies from the steel and forging sectors. It aims at drawing on innovation and design in order to achieve a significant weight reduction in various vehicle components, resulting in lower CO 2 emissions and a more efficient use of materials and resources, thus contributing to environmental care. The first trials within the framework of the COCOP project are being performed at Sidenor’s premises The COCOP project, which is supported by the European Commission within the framework of the Horizon 2020 programme, has already reached the implementation phase of the process optimisation models in secondary metallurgy and continuous casting. The trials carried out in Basauri steelworks have shown in real time how the tool works and how this enhanced process control will lead to potential improvements at predictive level as well as for the control of various indicators. The project is expected to enable a reduction of pollution, GHG emissions as well as the consumption of raw materials and energy, due to a better control and improved sustainability of production processes. It is also expected to provide advantages in productivity, quality assurance and process costs. INEVITABLE project The manufacturing industry is facing various challenges, such as the lack of resources (raw materials, energy) and the increase in prices, as well as environmental constraints. Dependencies regarding the supply of raw materials as well as the pressure to generate high-quality products at the lowest costs possible make it more difficult for manufacturers to remain competitive. The INEVITABLE project arises from this need and focuses on the areas of steel and non-ferrous metals. Its overall objective is to optimise the performance of production processes by means of scanning technologies, which will help to improve energy efficiency and product quality, as well as to optimise production processes by providing accurate process models to test the effect of process parameters and define these before the production stage. The INEVITABLE project will enable an improved and flexible production performance, with a simultaneous reduction of resource consumption and CO 2 emissions, which will contribute to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of the metal industry in the European Union