Outokumpu Stainless Fuel Tank Wins ISSF Award

The Outokumpu designed stainless steel tank won the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) Best Design Award at the ISSF Annual Conference in Hong Kong, China. The International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) is a research and development non-profit organization that was founded in 1996 and serves as a global forum for the international stainless steel industry.

ISSF has received special attention this year for an innovative stainless fuel tank jointly developed by one of the leading stainless steel manufacturers, the Finnish company Outokumpu, and the Swedish company TechROi Fuel Systems (TFS). The properties of stainless steel make the tank a competitive alternative to plastic tanks. The use of Outokumpu HyTens® grade steel allows the tank to be made with extremely thin walls while maintaining high strength, making the tank almost three kilograms lighter than a conventional plastic fuel tank. This pisolite will reduce the overall weight of the vehicle and the fuel consumption of the vehicle, and therefore will provide lower emissions.

In ISSF's opinion, Outokumpu's win comes from the concept of a combination of good design, appropriate material selection, engineering expertise and high reliability. The stainless steel tank outperforms the competition in shock resistance and requires no surface treatment or maintenance.

“We are very pleased with ISSF's recognition of this development, which demonstrates the potential that customer-centric stainless steel innovation can meet the demands of the automotive industry. In addition, the versatile, durable and 100 percent recyclable material, stainless steel, offers great opportunities for a range of industries to create a more sustainable and greener future, ”said Outokumpu CEO Mika Sietovirta.

The award received from ISSF is the first for Outokumpu's developments. However, the ISSF previously awarded Outokumpu in 2011 for the reduction of the waste dump in Sheffield, UK, and in 2014 for long-term research and assessment of the cancer risk among stainless steel workers at Outokumpu's Kemi and Tornio plants in Finland.