Preparing for upcoming challenges in steel

Oliver Hoffman, chief technology officer at German tinplate producer, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein, provides insights into the company’s sustainability strategy and key focus points.

Companies face the challenge of producing more efficiently and with fewer resources. This is the only way for packaging manufacturers to meet increasingly stringent regulatory requirements and consumers’ growing environmental awareness.

In the interview below, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein’s Oliver Hoffmann explains how targeted innovations in packaging steel result in more sustainable and efficient products, the role of modern technologies and digital applications,
and how the industry can prepare for upcoming regulatory changes.

What sustainability vision guides thyssenkrupp Rasselstein, and what role do innovation and efficiency in production processes play in achieving them?

Our sustainability vision is holistic. We ensure that the environment, our customers, our employees, and ultimately the end consumer, benefit from our packaging steel through increasingly climate friendly and efficient production, consistent focus on the circular economy, and the highest standards in occupational health and safety. To achieve this holistic sustainability goal, continuous modernisation of our technologies and production processes is essential. Only then can we ensure steadily improving economic, environmental and social performance for our customers and ourselves.

To this end, we consistently take a holistic view of packaging steel and related products such as food and aerosol cans. We use life cycle assessments (LCAs) to track the entire process, from the extraction of primary resources to the recycling of our packaging steel into new steel products.

Packaging manufacturers strive for efficiency gains. In which areas is thyssenkrupp focusing its innovations to achieve them?

Efficiency gains can be achieved specifically by improving our tinplate products. With the development of rasselstein Solidflex, we created an entirely new product family that enables the production of packaging steel using fewer resources without compromising performance. This technology allows us to make the material both stronger and more formable, enabling the manufacture of thinner and lighter food and aerosol cans. Using less material while maintaining stability represents a significant efficiency gain that conserves resources and reduces CO2 emissions.  Thus, we enable our customers to achieve notable reductions in their Scope 3 emissions.

Are there additional process-related developments currently under research?

One particularly exciting EU-funded project in process innovation is Roll-Oil-free. We are investigating whether a long-term alternative to conventional rolling oil can be found. Ideally, the substance would also have a cleaning effect, which could simplify or even eliminate the need for subsequent degreasing, making it a highly promising approach in terms of sustainability.

In recent years, thyssenkrupp has increasingly embraced digital solutions. How are efficiency and digitalisation connected?

Thyssenkrupp Rasselstein is progressively digitalising its processes and developing proprietary applications. To accelerate this transformation, we established the digital solutions division about two years ago. This is where our experts create innovative IT solutions that support customers while
making supply chains, products, and production processes more efficient and transparent. Time and again, we demonstrate that the future of packaging
steel is modern, digital and sustainable.

Thanks to digital tools, we can identify opportunities for resource savings and efficiency improvements even before a product is physically produced. Using the finite element analysis (FEA), can manufacturers are able to comprehensively test the feasibility of new geometries and material reductions in a virtual environment before practical application. FEA-supported development of new packaging steel grades enables precise gauge reductions, which not only save valuable resources but also reduce CO2 emissions during transport. FEA also opens up a wide range of opportunities for product innovation in the packaging sector. Manufacturers can take bolder steps and explore more creative solutions.

Throughout these processes, we provide guidance to our customers to jointly develop the best applications for sustainable, modern packaging.

To make this process as streamlined and user friendly as possible, we developed an intuitive application that allows customers, in collaboration
with our technical customer service team, to digitally model a can on a tablet and adjust material parameters with just a few clicks. This enables simulation of optimal geometry and material thickness in a short amount of time, tailored to the selected packaging steel grade.

You previously mentioned that thyssenkrupp sustainability goals also include health protection. What does that involve?

Health protection means keeping the wellbeing of our employees and the safety of consumers top of mind. We therefore proactively implement regulatory requirements in a timely manner. Major regulatory changes are on the horizon for product applications. For example, the use of BPA-containing internal and external coatings for tinplate food packaging has been banned in the

thyssenkrupp Rasselstein commissioned a modern, efficient sheet-coating line earlier this year that can lacquer up to 7,000 sheets per hour

EU since 20 January 2025. A transition period for internal coatings of most food tinplate packaging runs until 20 July 2026. For internal coatings of packaging for fruits, vegetables, and fish, as well as for external coatings, the transition period ends on 20 January 2028. This means food can manufacturers must act now to ensure a seamless transition.

A successful transition involves much more than replacing a lacquer. The entire packaging system must be perfectly coordinated. That’s why we work closely with lacquer manufacturers and our customers to ensure that consumers ultimately receive a flawless and tested product. 

A key advantage for our customers is the chromium-free passivation rasselstein CFPA, which is ideally suited for use with the new BPA-NI lacquers. It provides higher surface energy than chromium-containing passivations, resulting in improved wettability.

Regulatory requirements can also driveinnovation. How can manufacturers
respond to upcoming changes?

The switch to BPA-NI lacquers should not be considered in isolation. Since chromium containing passivations are also being restricted, it is advisable to address both issues at the same time. CFPA is a forward-looking solution that provides manufacturers with long-term planning security. It is also important to recognise that BPA is subject to increasing regulation not only in the EU but also in countries such as Canada, China, South Korea, several US states (such as California), and parts of South America. Companies operating internationally should thus monitor global developments and not just EU requirements.

For the time being, we are pursuing a dual strategy. While we continue to offer conventional BPA-containing lacquers, we will soon rely exclusively on BPA-NI solutions for tinplate used in food packaging. To enhance energy efficiency, we commissioned a modern sheet-coating line earlier this year that is capable of lacquering up to 7,000 sheets per hour.

At our coating unit, primers, top coats and pigmented lacquers are applied in the desired thickness using a roller application process. Food packaging manufacturers who transition early to BPA-NI lacquers not only benefit from regulatory compliance but also strengthen their competitiveness by offering sustainable, future proof packaging solutions. Now is the right time to act.