ALL THIS FOR SCRAPS? GREEN STEEL LOGISITICS FOR SCRAP MATERIAL

greentec steel is voestalpine Steel Division's clear plan for climate-friendly steel production. Scrap is not waste to us, it's a valuable raw material. It is the “food” for our new electric arc furnace (EAF), which will go into in 2027. This is an important step in reaching our goal of steel production with net zero CO2-emissions.

THE JOURNEY OF SCRAP IRON - SURPRISINGLY SUSTAINABLE!

This is where the important topic of logistics comes into play: due to the increased demand for scrap for the EAF, significant changes will need to be made.

Together with our logistics partners LogServ and DB Cargo, we have developed a comprehensive logistics concept to get our scrap shipments "on track". The concept is based on three pillars: 

  1. Scrap is purchased in a closed-loop concept from customers, e.g. from the automotive industry. 
  2. Recyclable material is purchased from traditional scrap dealers such as Eisen Neumüller. 
  3. Of course, we recycle scrap from our own production. 

STELLA STYLE WAGONS 

Our scrap concept requires fresh ideas and new solutions, from railroad infrastructure to wagon management and digitalization, solutions for storage, concepts and equipment.

This also includes a new prototype lightweight freight wagon. It was specially developed for the transportation of scrap with our partner TransAnt GmbH and scores points with a train load advantage of around 30%.  The best thing about the new wagon: the body and platform are made of greentec steel!  Two of these wagons are currently in the test phase and are being put through their paces. 

THE COURSE IS SET

The Eisen Neumüller site in Ennsdorf is already undergoing major expansion. The first scrap metal hub is being built here as part of a pilot project, where scrap metal will be stored, pre-sorted and prepped for transportation.

In addition to the two newly-built tracks, three more will be added to handle the future volumes of scrap metal. Two to three full freight trains will then be handled daily at this transshipment point. This means that around one million tons of scrap metal will be delivered to our “hungry” electric arc furnace in Linz every year.

Scrap will collected from all over Germany to ensure that the scrap hub is sufficiently supplied with material. Our logistics partner DB Cargo then delivers the valuable freight from Schwandorf to Ennsdorf.

It's clear that not just production, but our entire infrastructure is becoming increasingly green, a key factor in making the leap to net zero CO2-emissions. 

That tracks: turning scrap into greentec steel is a great way to reduce our environmental impact. And the logistics behind it really delivers - by train of course!

Stella Sustainable, Sustainability Expert