Recycling in vogue

AMAG convinced: car brand says yes to more scrap metal

Around 200 suppliers provide AMAG with aluminum scrap, which can be recycled and processed by the Ranshofen-based company. AMAG aluminum is also used in cars and airplanes.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Markus Wenzel EPA)

In the battle to reduce CO2 emissions, recycling is the order of the day. For the Ranshofen-based aluminum producer AMAG, this has long been part of everyday life and has been rewarded with the trust of well-known brands. The Innviertel-based company has already won over premium vehicle manufacturer Audi.

"Another important piece in the mosaic on the road to green steel production." This is how Voestalpine CEO Herbert Eibensteiner describes the project with the vehicle manufacturer Mercedes-Benz and the recycling company TSR. Single-variety old scrap is to be collected and then processed in such a way that it becomes steel for the side panels of the Mercedes A-Class sedan models.

Recycling content is increased wherever possible
Just 120 kilometers from the Voest headquarters in Linz, aluminum producer AMAG in Ranshofen is a prime example of how well things can go with scrap. Aluminum recycling has been part of everyday life at the Innviertel company for decades. However, because reducing CO2 emissions is now the order of the day in all industries, scrap is shining in a new light: attempts are now being made to increase the recycling content wherever possible.

Kaufmann is proud: "We can also use more contaminated and different types of scrap."

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

"A lot of persuasion"
"It takes a lot of persuasion for a customer to dare to replace an established alloy with another one that was produced using more scrap and is not much different in terms of chemical composition, but it is," reveals CEO Helmut Kaufmann.

Aluminum rim with recyclate content of more than 70 percent
Audi is now using an aluminum rim for the Q4 e-tron that has a recyclate content of more than 70% - the result of a collaboration between AMAG, the Ronal foundry and the vehicle manufacturer itself.

Bottlenecks are inevitable
The growing demand for scrap will lead to bottlenecks, Kaufmann predicts: "Because contrary to general expectations, aluminum is used in very durable products: for example, in buildings, in power lines, in cars."