Austrian steelmaker Voestalpine AG has recently announced the opening of a new ‘Steel Innovation Center' at its Linz site.
After one and a half years of construction with a total investment of almost €13 million, the new laboratory complex was officially opened on September 13. The building with a metal facade coated with a newly developed external automotive paint will house 70 researchers and testing engineers.
The company said that it has taken another step in the long-term strengthening of its technology and quality leadership, adding that it is dedicated to the development of new surface technologies for high quality steel strip, including underlying surface analysis.
"We have continued purposefully on our path and thanks to the quality of our products, we were able to get through the worst of the crisis faster and more successfully than others," said Wolfgang Eder, CEO of Voestalpine AG, at the opening of the research center. In order to continue to grow - above and beyond saturated sales markets and volatile raw material markets - it is of decisive importance to continuously develop "new products for new markets," he pointed out.
The company has a R&D budget of €110 million.