Mining vehicle from Fermel named finalist for Swedish Steel Prize 2017

/ins.For developing the Maverick range of dedicated light duty vehicles (LDV) for mining, which provide maintenance, repair and lifecycle advantages never before seen on the market, Fermel has been named a finalist for the Swedish Steel Prize 2017.

The Swedish Steel Prize is an international prize that honors the art of engineering and innovation in the steel industry. Fermel, from South Africa, is one of four finalists for this year’s prize, which will be awarded during a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on May 11.

“We identified this opportunity on the basis that new mining legislation and tighter safety requirements were due in the not too distant future, and we knew the commercial units would soon be under pressure,” explains Corné Wehr, Product Design Manager at Fermel.

The resulting Maverick range of LDVs is designed specifically for the harsh underground mining environment.  It is an uninhibited mining vehicle that can be used for a wide range of applications and outperforms current offerings.  

In total, roughly 90% high-strength steel is used in the design of the Maverick range of vehicles. The combination of high-strength steel and wear-resistant steel provides improved safety and wear resistance, as well as higher payloads of up to 2.5 tons without compromising the vehicle’s fatigue life.

“In essence, the desired outcomes for this product would not be easily achieved if we did not have advanced high-strength steel materials as an option, as conventional methods would compromise the vehicle characteristics to the point that our product offering would have been very limited and possibly very difficult to sell,” explains Maxine Penn, Director of Sales and Marketing at Fermel.

The jury’s motivation for selecting Fermel as a finalist for the Swedish Steel Prize 2017 is:

“Fermel has developed a unique range of multi-purpose vehicles for safe transportation in mines. The vehicles meet new, more stringent safety legislation and are intended to replace the re-built standard vehicles currently used. Design optimization of the entire vehicle, including the car body, has given superior performance regarding personal safety, higher payload, agility, damage resistance, reliability and service life. All these benefits are achieved by extensive use of advanced high-strength structural and wear-resistant steels.”

For nearly 20 years, the Swedish Steel Prize has recognized and rewarded small and large companies as well as institutions and individuals who have developed a method or product that utilizes the full potential of high-strength steel. The winner will receive a statuette by the sculptor Jörg Jeschke and a cash prize of SEK 100,000 that SSAB encourages to be donated to a charity of the winner’s choice.

Read more about the Swedish Steel Prize on www.steelprize.com.

For further information, please contact:

Eva Petursson, Chairman of the Jury, Swedish Steel Prize, +46 243 712 04

Anna Rutkvist, Project Manager, Swedish Steel Prize, +46 243 716 40


SSAB is a Nordic and US-based steel company. SSAB offers value added products and services developed in close cooperation with its customers to create a stronger, lighter and more sustainable world. SSAB has employees in over 50 countries. SSAB has production facilities in Sweden, Finland and the US. SSAB is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and has a secondary listing on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.ssab.com.

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Company Information

SSAB Logo


SSAB AB

info@ssab.com
www.ssab.com

Press contact

     Via social media

About SSAB


SSAB is a Nordic and US-based steel company. SSAB offers value added products and services developed in close cooperation with its customers to create a stronger, lighter and more sustainable world. SSAB has employees in over 50 countries. SSAB has production facilities in Sweden, Finland and the US. SSAB is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and has a secondary listing on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.ssab.com. Join us also on social media: FacebookInstagramLinkedInTwitter and YouTube.

SSAB's vision - a stronger, lighter, more sustainable world


SSAB is a highly-specialized global steel company driven by close relationships with our customers. SSAB develops high-strength steels and provides services for better performance and sustainability.

The company is a leading producer on the global market for Advanced High-Strength Steels (AHSS) and Quenched & Tempered Steels (Q&T), strip, plate and tube products, as well as construction solutions. SSAB’s steels and services help to make end products lighter and increase their strength and lifespan.

SSAB has a cost-efficient and flexible production system. SSAB’s production plants in Sweden, Finland and the US have an annual steel production capacity of approximately 8.8 million tonnes. The company also has capacity to process and finish various steel products in China, Brazil and many other countries. In Sweden and Finland, production is integrated into a blast furnace process. In the US, electric arc furnaces are used for a scrap-based production process.

SSAB has been at the forefront of sustainability in many ways. With confidence deriving from our traditions, we now strive to do even more. Our plan is to eliminate all of our CO2 emissions by 2045. 

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