Stators and rotors are the “backbone” of any electric motor or generator, and demand is booming from global OEMs in the Automotive industry to satisfy the challenges of the electric vehicles (EV) revolution. There is also increasing demand for advanced motor cores across wider Industry, driven by the rapid development of renewable energy generation and big advances in automation.
Eurogroup Laminations and ArcelorMittal are partnering to deliver smart, high-specification motor core solutions, combining EuroGroup’s global leadership in the design and production of motor cores with ArcelorMittal’s expertise and increasing capacity in non-oriented electrical steels (NOES).
“Responding to EU deadlines for the transition away from conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2035, global automotive OEMs are looking not only for the best performing electric motors, but also partners who can reliably develop the European capacity for high volume vehicle production”, says Marco Barabino, Key Account Manager Electrical Steel at ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products. “That’s why we’re collaborating closely with EuroGroup, and investing heavily in new electrical steel production lines at Mardyck in France, that will triple our annual production capacity to 300,000 tonnes”.
Marco Barabino, Key Account Manager Electrical Steel at ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products, Copyright: ArcelorMittal
“We’re expecting both our EV & Automotive and Industrial divisions and segments to grow significantly, as the world shifts towards the energy transition. While this transition will certainly be a lengthy and possibly bumpy process, everyone agrees on its inevitability: ‘the world is becoming electric!’. This is the reason why we are focusing on expanding our production footprint and installed capacity, with tailored investments in global production”, says Marco Arduini, CEO, EuroGroup Laminations.
Marco Arduini, CEO of EGLA, market leader in the design and production of stators and rotors for electric motors and generators. Copyright: EuroGroup LaminationsArcelorMittal has developed its dedicated iCARe® range of innovative electrical steels specifically for the automotive market. Its iCARe® Save , iCARe® Torque, and iCARe® Speed offerings provide the range of energy efficiency, power, and speed specifications that OEMs are demanding. Global R&D teams and engineers from ArcelorMittal and EuroGroup’s EV division have joined forces to build these iCARe® offerings into bespoke motor core solutions for EuroGroup’s customers, covering the fundamental traction requirements, and also the increasing range of high-end auxiliary motors now incorporated in all vehicles, such as Electric Power Steering, oil and water pumps and heat pumps for thermal management of the car.
EuroGroup’s Industrial division also works closely with ArcelorMittal employing the latter’s extensive portfolio of NOES products and grades, which are recognised internationally for their high-performance, quality and sustainability, and are used in a wide range of applications, including:
- Power generation: hydro, wind and turbo generators
- Industrial high power motors and generators
- High duty cycles small to medium power motors
“Each customer is looking for very specific performance characteristics from motor cores, and we have a range of standard and more tailor-made solutions. Our Global R&D teams are working closely with Eurogroup's engineering teams to co-develop the next range of products. The thickness of the steel and its lamination characteristics impact its polarisation, magnetic and energy loss properties. Together, all these factors, determine its performance. Therefore, product development and refinement are constantly evolving and never stands still”, says Marco Barabino.
EuroGroup is building its global footprint and product portfolio to satisfy demand from around the world. With its Italian pedigree going back to 1967, the Group has become a major beneficiary of the current focus on sustainability and the energy transition. It is not surprising that it has seen compound growth of 24% per annum over the last five years. The Group has expanded its footprint globally from its original base in Milan, to 7 further sites in Italy and 6 abroad, in US, Mexico, Tunisia, and China. EuroGroup has also recently announced the signing of a preliminary Memorandum of Understanding for a partnership agreement with Hixih Rubber Industry Group, aimed at accelerating growth in the local EV market, as well as its entry in the Indian market through the acquisition of a 40% share of Kumar Precision Stampings Private Limited, further consolidating its Industrial business unit on a global level.
EuroGroup aims for a “glocal” approach in how it runs its business, “Wherever we operate, we grant autonomy to our colleagues in managing the local market dynamics, which are indeed very specific based on the single geography, while regularly meeting and engaging with them, ensuring that everyone is aligned on the Group’s DNA, culture & practice, as well as on the ambitious targets to be achieved”, says Marco Arduini.
As the leading electrical steel manufacturer to the European market, ArcelorMittal is pleased to partner with EuroGroup in providing a more sustainable local-to-local business model; one which key clients increasingly require, and which is part of ArcelorMittal’s broader sustainability commitments.
“Our relationship with ArcelorMittal is very good. Today, they are one of our major suppliers of electrical steels for EV products, but our collaboration with them is also focused on the industrial market. The ArcelorMittal teams are constantly in contact and collaborating on a technical standpoint with the most important final OEM customers (both in the automotive and industrial sectors), which helps them to be homologated from the very beginning of each project. In the electrical steel segment, they are one of the key investors in the EU, guaranteeing both quality and quantity of output to meet our future demand and that of the OEMs and manufacturers we supply. Moreover, ArcelorMittal is a global group, also covering all the other regions, just like us – this means that we can develop a strong relationship and collaborate on an international level”, concluded Marco Arduini.
Summing up, Marco Barabino commented: “With our new capacity coming on-stream at Mardyck at the end of this year, we’re ready to build on our strong position in electrical steels. We offer a strong partnership approach with customers, while supporting them with our unique Global R&D and innovation capabilities. Our NOES steels are perfectly suited for the revolution taking place in the energy transition markets”.
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Discover ArcelorMittal’s iCARe® range of electrical steels for e-mobility
