ArcelorMittal Flat Carbon Europe (FCE) is all set to supply about 140,000t of drawn and wall iron (DWI) steels to beverage can producers across the globe in 2013.
The company will produce the steel at its FCE Packaging Europe sites located in Florange (France), and Aviles (Spain).
ArcelorMittal claims that the properties of its steels enable its customers to produce 2,000 beverage cans per minute, with can walls that are not thicker than 60μm in some parts.
ArcelorMittal global R&D packaging development senior specialist Gilles Mangin said reducing costs related to metals consumption represents about 50% of the final cost of a beverage can and is one of the key objectives for its customers.
"This is achieved by reducing the metal thickness of can walls, and ArcelorMittal FCE is aiming at thicknesses between 0.190-0.180 mm, significantly below current standard levels of 0.210 mm," Mangin added.
The company's customers include beverage can manufacturers in North America and Europe Ball and Crown, and among the suppliers of metal packaging to the beverage as well as food industries.
The recyclable steel cans are said to be easy to brand, easy to fill at high volumes, rigid and tough, both on filling lines and at the point of sale.
