SSAB and Fassi start partnership in fossil-free steel for cranes

Fassi, one of the world’s largest loader crane manufacturers, has pioneered the use of advanced structural steels in cranes. With SSAB’s Strenx®steel, Fassi has added lifting power, reduced weight and extended reach for their heavy-duty cranes. Now SSAB and Fassi expand their long-running partnership to include future deliveries of SSAB Fossil-freeTM steel and SSAB ZeroTM. By doing this, Fassi will be able to bring to market a new generation of cranes with radically reduced CO2 footprint.

“We look forward to deepening our collaboration with Fassi by delivering premium high-strength steel produced with significantly lower carbon footprint,” says Per Elfgren, Head of SSAB Special Steels. “At SSAB, we are proud to partner with leading companies that share our passion for innovation, sustainability and unique advanced products.”

“Innovation is a projection towards the future. And there is no future without sustainability” says Giovanni Fassi, CEO of Fassi. “For this reason, we have chosen to participate with enthusiasm and determination in this partnership with SSAB to develop our cranes of tomorrow”.

Traditional steel production accounts for around 7% of global CO2 emissions, with both primary steel and recycled steel production contributing to emissions. To reduce the climate impact, SSAB is investing in new innovative production technologies that will enable steel production with close to zero fossil carbon emissions, regardless of whether the raw material is recycled scrap or primary iron ore.

SSAB ZeroTM is made using recycled steel and produced with fossil-free electricity and biogas and is available for commercial deliveries since 2023. SSAB has also developed fossil-free steel made from iron ore with the HYBRIT® technology, which uses hydrogen and fossil-free energy instead of coal in the steelmaking process. This process largely eliminates the heavy CO2 emissions associated with traditional steel production. In 2021, SSAB produced the world’s first fossil-free steel as a proof of concept using HYBRIT® technology and has since then made several pilot deliveries to customers in different industries.

Fassi is a "Leader in Innovation", this is the reason why the company has always invested in projects, processes and products with a strong vision oriented towards the future, also from a sustainable perspective. Fassi has created its "Innovation Center" where every day an entire work team is responsible for designing, testing and developing new solutions in the lifting field.