Newsroom Tata Steel Nederland

Before new steel ends up in a car, it has already been on the road for a year

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:25:07 +0200

When you see a car on the road, you probably do not immediately think of trial coils, corrosion tests or how well steel can withstand cracking around the edge of a hole. In the Hole Expansion Test, a hole is first punched into a steel sheet. That hole is then gradually stretched further until a crack appears at the edge. This shows how much local formability the steel can handle when a part with punched holes or trimmed edges is being made.

Behind every piece of automotive steel lies a careful testing process. Especially now that we are working on a new way of producing steel with a lower environmental impact, that preparation is very important.

Car manufacturers do not simply switch to new steel. First, they need to be able to demonstrate that the material is strong enough, can be formed properly, remains safe and fits into their own production process.

Ingrid knows all about that. She works in Customer Technical Service for automotive: the department that forms the technical bridge between Tata Steel and car manufacturers. Together with colleagues in, among other countries, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, the Czech Republic, France and Spain, she is the point of contact for customers when it comes to technical questions, testing programmes and approvals. That international character suits her well; Ingrid is from Barcelona herself and has been working in the Netherlands for years.

No simple tick on paper

"Homologation is the word we use in the automotive world for an approval process," says Ingrid. That may sound like getting a tick on paper, but it is anything but that.

Tata Steel first tests the material itself. Customers then also carry out tests in their own laboratories. If those steps have gone well, a trial coil is used and a formal approval follows.

"From the moment you say: we are going to start this today, until it is approved, it can take a year," Ingrid explains. A year of preparing trials, producing coils, cutting sheets, sending samples to laboratories and measuring properties. Some tests, such as corrosion tests, take months. And if a customer has additional requirements, the steel or the process sometimes has to be adjusted again.

A piece of steel is put through its paces

The tests all differ. In a tensile test, for example, a small piece of sheet steel is pulled apart in a machine to measure how much force it can withstand and how far it can elongate before it breaks. The chemical composition, microstructure, zinc layer, coating adhesion, surface quality and formability of the steel are also examined.

‘Some tests are surprisingly practical. Cars have rounded shapes, sharp edges, openings, flanges, trimmed edges and connections with other materials. That is why one of the tests that are carried out aim to see how far a hole in steel can be stretched without the material tearing. It is also tested whether steel can be bonded properly to other materials, such as aluminium or plastic. "In a car, you have plastic, steel and aluminium. Sometimes you get a kind of sandwich of different materials that all have to stay bonded together."

Why car manufacturers are extra critical

The bar is high everywhere, but especially in automotive. Steel in cars has to be strong, but often also thin and lightweight. It has to absorb energy in a crash and remain formable during production. At the same time, car manufacturers are under pressure themselves: they need to control costs, improve the performance of their end products and meet stricter requirements around sustainability and CO₂ emissions. That is why customers do not only check whether a steel grade meets the standard on paper, but also whether the quality is high and consistent enough from coil to coil. The ability to meet those expectations is therefore an important factor when choosing a supplier.

The transition starts before the furnace is there

The switch to steel from an electric furnace also requires a great deal of preparation. The Electric Arc Furnace is on our agenda, but it is not yet in place. Waiting until it is ready is not an option. That is why we are already carrying out trials with material that resembles as closely as possible the steel that will later be produced via the new route. We have looked at the expected chemical composition, the use of scrap and the influence of residual elements: elements that come from scrap and cannot simply be removed from the steel.

When the new production route starts, the material must be suitable for customers as quickly as possible. "Our customers expect a good product – just as good as it was – but produced via a route with a lower environmental impact," says Ingrid. That requires new installations and preparation in laboratories, plants, customer teams and at the car manufacturers themselves.

From IJmuiden to Europe

The steel transition is therefore not only taking place on our site in IJmuiden. It extends into customers’ laboratories and factories across Europe. Automotive customers have their own goals, timelines and testing programmes. At the same time, we as a steel producer have our own transition path. Ingrid calls it "a bit of a chicken-and-egg story": everyone wants to move forward, but everyone also needs to be sure the whole chain is moving with them.

That is why we discuss our plans with customers years in advance, so that no one is caught by surprise. Needs differ per customer and per steel grade. Ingrid and her colleagues provide technical explanations, align on testing and, above all, help build the trust needed to take the next steps together.

Trust is just as important as technology

Ultimately, this is not only a technical story. Of course it is about properties, standards, tests and process settings. But trust is just as important. "It is all about trust," says Ingrid. "First you have to earn that trust." Customers need to be able to rely on Tata Steel to be transparent, communicate early and work with them to find the best way forward.

That makes clear just how much happens before new steel ends up in a car. By then it has already been tested, calculated, aligned, adjusted and checked again. And it shows exactly what the transition in steel production is about: not that steel itself automatically becomes ‘cleaner’, but that it is made via a route with a lower environmental impact. That requires more than a different furnace. It requires a whole chain of people, departments and companies working together to ensure steel is produced in a different way while still doing exactly what it needs to do.

Striking greenery set within steel and installations

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:20:17 +0200

Unique species on our site
All sorts of things grow and bloom across the site. Piet says: “In several places we have dune slack vegetation. These are very special places.” Among the species growing there are the marsh helleborine, military orchid, common marsh orchid and bee orchid. One species particularly stands out: “That is the lizard orchid,” Piet explains. “It is legally protected and was identified during the ecological survey carried out for the Heracles Groen Staal project. Naturally, I’m very keen to see it in bloom, so Perry is not allowed to mow it down,” the ecologist jokes. But smooth cat's ear, a highly protected species, also has one known growing location on our site. Many people are unaware of this, Perry notes: “Many people think nothing grows here, even though there are species here that you hardly see elsewhere, including in nature reserves.” Piet adds: “At the right time of year, everything is beautifully in bloom. It is really much more than just brambles and nettles. Even after 100 years of industry, we still have patches of genuinely old oak woodland.”

“I’m very keen to see that lizard orchid in flower”

From policy to practice
We also want to preserve all this remarkable greenery. In projects that fall outside routine maintenance, biodiversity is already being considered in a structured way. “What we already do very well is the project-based work,” Piet explains. “That is always preceded by a flora and fauna survey.” A concrete example is the Heracles project, where it was investigated in advance which protected species were present. To apply that same care consistently everywhere, Piet is working with colleagues from HSE and Sustainability on a biodiversity policy. “That way, we get clear guidelines and a clear way of working down on paper,” says Piet. “And ultimately, the mandate to make choices as well.” In addition, for routine site management we are looking at working with a code of conduct for nature management. This makes it possible to plan activities more effectively – for example outside the breeding season – in order to prevent damage to flora and fauna.

The strength of working together
The collaboration between Piet and Perry proved crucial. “Things were happening on site where we did not always know what was and was not allowed,” says Perry. “By involving Piet, we sometimes discovered that things had to be done differently.”

By now, the two work well together and know how to find each other easily. The next step is to embed biodiversity across the whole site. Perry says: “We want to prevent work from being carried out and only afterwards realising that a lot of greenery has disappeared. We would much rather be involved in advance, so we can help think through alternatives.” Piet adds: “And then we can also combine things efficiently. If excavation work is planned in a particular location, for example, we can combine it straight away with invasive species control. If you are digging anyway, you might as well remove those plants at the same time and dispose of them properly.”

“Piet has driven quite a few rounds to map unique species”

Making different choices
According to Perry and Piet, what is still missing is mainly a more careful way of working. “At the moment, we often are still a bit too rigorous,” Perry explains. Careful working often comes down to small, practical choices. Piet says: “When mowing, for example, leave some corners untouched and do not do everything at once. That way, insects keep their habitat.” Green management is also being viewed differently. “Safety is of course the most important thing. This means sometimes, for example, a tree in the sightline by the railway must go. Instead of felling that tree, we can also replant it elsewhere on the site,” Piet says enthusiastically. “That immediately improves the site as well,” Perry adds. In this way, unwanted trees or shrubs in one location can be given a new place on the site, instead of buying new non-native planting stock. That is more sustainable and, in the long term, cheaper.

Together we preserve our unique nature
The ambition is clear: first preserve what we have and subsequently improve it. “We want to preserve what we have – and add an ecological plus to it,” says Piet. “That can only be done together. In this way, with small steps, we can make a big difference together.”

A home for birds and bats on our site

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:30:43 +0200

400 football fields
“Many people don’t realize how much green space we actually have,” says Jeroen van Vlaanderen, Asset Owner Infra and Sites. “If you add it all up, you quickly reach around 250 hectares of green space. That’s about 400 football fields. That’s quite a lot, and it makes it an interesting habitat for different species.”

A great initiative
The idea for the bird and bat boxes came through contact with a retired colleague. Jeroen explains: “Through him, we came into contact with Veel in Hout, a social workplace in Heemskerk where nest boxes are made. That immediately made us think this is a very beautiful initiative. By now, bird and bat boxes have been installed in various locations across the site.” The installation of the boxes fits well with our Green Steel project, in which parts of the site are being redesigned. The nest boxes are a valuable addition to the natural shelter and nesting places that are already present.

A corridor across our site
According to ecologist Piet Admiraal, our site is surprisingly suitable for certain species. “Especially building-dwelling species benefit from the boxes,” he explains. “Think of bats and tits, but also the black redstart, a migratory bird that finds a temporary home here during the breeding season. These species thrive in an environment with both buildings and green areas. And we have plenty of that combination here.” In total, there are now 75 boxes installed on the site: fifty for birds and 25 for bats. The locations have been carefully selected. “Most boxes are placed in or near green areas. But we have also installed boxes near buildings, because some species prefer to nest there. In places where natural nesting sites are scarce, the boxes offer a solution. They essentially fill a gap. Not everywhere there are trees with natural cavities. With these boxes, we still provide animals with a suitable place,” Piet explains. “In this way, we connect different habitats. It creates a corridor that allows animals to move more easily across the site, strengthening nature,” Jeroen adds.

Safe shelters
For birds, the boxes are mainly used as nesting sites in spring and summer. Some species also use them as shelters in winter. Bats mainly use the boxes as summer roosts, where they rest during the day. In addition to bird and bat boxes, we also have bat bunkers on our site. During the annual survey, these were found to be well used. Across the four bunkers, nineteen Daubenton’s bats and four brown long-eared bats were counted.

Preserving ecological value
But the project goes beyond just providing a place for animals to sleep. “The most important thing is that we preserve and preferably enhance ecological value,” says Jeroen. “We need to take nature into account in all activities on the site. Our nature policy is laid down in a management plan. It describes the measures we take to preserve and strengthen nature and biodiversity. In addition, we are working on supplementary plans for specific topics, so that everything ultimately comes together in one clear approach,” Piet adds. According to him, there are still plenty of opportunities. “The site is large enough for more initiatives, such as ecological site management and additional nest boxes for different species. This is really just the beginning.”