Quanex Corp., Houston, has announced that MACSTEEL, its engineered steel bar division and Sanyo Special Steel Company, Ltd. have signed agreements for the transfer of technology relating to automotive steel applications. The new agreement is the second between the two companies. In August 2002, Quanex announced a collaborative agreement between MACSTEEL and Sanyo to better support Japanese automotive and component manufacturers in the North American vehicular products market. Sanyo is a world leader in the production of specialty steel, particularly premium bearing steels for the automotive industry.
These agreements cover primarily non-leaded, free-cutting steels, a patented steel developed by Sanyo as a substitute for leaded steels; a high strength steel developed for lighter weight powertrain applications; and quality improvements for steel cleanliness levels beyond the current domestic standards.
“These agreements for technology transfer and further collaboration will allow MACSTEEL to target additional applications for the new American automotive manufacturers,” said Mark Marcucci, MACSTEEL president. “This will further improve our participation in this important segment of the automotive market as well as provide new alternative products to our existing OEM customers.”