Customer case

Roller containers from Winfa weigh less yet outperform with Hardox® steel

September 27, 2021 6 min read

Case details

Product Hardox® 450

Country Slovakia

Company Winfa

Industry Recycling

Brand program Hardox® In My Body

“When a product is made from Hardox, it outperforms the competition.” That’s why spare parts and container producer Winfa chooses Hardox® 450 over S355 steel in its heavy-duty containers.

Delivering 2-3 times more abrasion resistance than S355 steel, weight savings of 400 kilos (882 lbs.), and annual fuel savings of 350 liters (92 gallons), Hardox^® 450 steel provides Winfa’s roller containers with performance and savings that are hard to beat. The company, a leading Slovakian spare-parts producer, also appreciates the design improvements they could make to their heavy-duty containers to make them lighter, tougher and more durable than when using a thicker gauge of S355 steel.

“SSAB’s steels enable our customers to cut fuel consumption, due to the weight reduction that comes from the use of thinner materials, without having to compromise on strength, hardness or safety,” says Milos Vinš, Winfa’s owner. “And lower fuel consumption also means less money spent on fuel,” he adds.

Trust in quality, gains in roller container service life

Founded in 1996 as a retailer for special abrasion-resistant high-performance steels, Winfa has evolved over the years into a manufacturer of spare parts for construction, loading, recycling and lifting machinery. The company also makes its own line of roller containers for scrap metal and other abrasive materials that cause major wear and tear.

For over 20 years, Winfa has used different steel products from SSAB across its product line. Here are some reasons why:

“The advantage of Hardox® wear plate is that it elevates the quality of the final product, while guaranteeing a longer product lifetime, as well as delivering economic advantages to our end customers in the long run,”

Vinš says.

The average weight of this container is roughly 30% less than comparable containers.

Winfa roller containers deliver 2-3 times more abrasion resistance than comparable ones in thicker gauges of S355 steel.

Case details

Product Hardox® 450

Country Slovakia

Company Winfa

Industry Recycling

Brand program Hardox® In My Body

Doing the math: heavy-duty savings for heavy-duty containers

Winfa’s customers are willing to pay more for a premium container built using Hardox^® wear plate because of the long-term savings they gain.

Vinš explains: “That’s exactly what SSAB high-strength steels do: by lasting longer, consuming less fuel and outperforming other materials.”

Vinš has figured out how to keep his heavy-duty containers fully loaded to their maximum capacity and travel more miles while saving on equipment weight and fuel. Winfa decreased the gauge of the high-strength steel sheets to the lowest possible thickness that was technically feasible. They reduced the wall thickness of their roller containers to 2 mm (0.078”) and the bottom to 2-3 mm (0.078”- 0.118”). Although this does not introduce a significant increase in resistance, it produces a remarkable decrease in weight. So, they could slash the weight and increase the payload by 800–1,200 kg (1,764–2,646 lbs.) in their 30-40 m³ (39.238 - 52.318 cubic yards) roller containers.

The bottom, side walls, front and door of the roller container are made from 3-mm (0.118”) Hardox^® 450, which has a typical yield strength of 1,250 MPa. The resistance of this Hardox^® gauge to plastic deformation due to impact is roughly the same as the resistance of 7.5-mm (0.295”) S355 steel. Similarly, the company finds that as far as abrasion goes, Hardox^® 450 is about 2.5 to 3 times more resistant to abrasion than S355 steel.

Winfa roller containers deliver 2-3 times more abrasion resistance than comparable ones in thicker gauges of S355 steel.

This roller container in 3-mm (0.118”) Hardox^® 450 offers about the same abrasion resistance as one in a 7.5-mm (0.295”) S355 steel.

Less weight, and less fuel and fuel costs

Vinš explains that using Hardox^® steel lets them reduce the average container weight by around 30 percent, translating to an overall weight reduction of up to 400 kg (882 lbs.).

“If you reduce the weight of vehicle by 400 kg (882 lbs.), this typically corresponds to a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 2 percent. So for a vehicle that drives 70,000 km (about 43,500 miles) a year, 2 percent less fuel amounts to more than EUR 1,000 saved,” he says.

This roller container in 3-mm Hardox® 450 offers about the same abrasion resistance as one in a 7.5-mm S355 steel.

The average weight of this container is roughly 30% less than comparable containers.

Benefits of SSAB partnership and membership in Hardox® In My Body

For Winfa, their decades-old partnership with SSAB has delivered many benefits beyond access to Hardox^® and other SSAB steels. These include gaining access to priority technical support, expertise in processing high-strength steels, and the opportunity to share experiences between manufacturers. This last benefit has become even more apparent since Winfa joined the Hardox^® In My Body member program in 2004.

Winfa’s owner Vinš admits this was an easy choice to make.

“Joining Hardox^®In My Body was the logical outcome of our 23-year cooperation with SSAB. For us, the greatest benefit has been the opportunity to cooperate, share information regarding production and the use of different marketing efforts with a global company like SSAB.”

And as far as Winfa’s customers go, Vinš believes that the Hardox^® In My Body logo, with a unique traceable ID on each roller container, acts as assurance that the product is made from the highest quality materials.

Beautiful and built to outperform in Hardox® 450 steel.

The lower weight yet high strength of these containers translates into major fuel savings.

Beautiful and built to outperform in Hardox^® 450 steel.

About Winfa

Based in Trnava, Slovakia, Winfa has been producing special metallurgical materials since 1996. In 2000, the company started manufacturing spare parts for construction, loading, recycling and lifting machinery, and in 2004 it joined the Hardox^® In My Body program and became an official Hardox Wearparts center. Winfa employs 40 people and has an annual turnover of EUR 12.2 million.

Customer benefits

Longer product lifetime
Up to 30% less weight – in thinner gauges of steel than otherwise needed with S355 steel
Higher payload and less fuel consumption
Containers that are lighter, tougher and more durable than competing materials, despite their use in extremely challenging environments