SSAB participates in the 11th SAE Brazil Agricultural Machinery Symposium

SSAB, a Swedish multinational and manufacturer of high-strength steels, is participating as an exhibitor at the 11th SAE Brazil Agricultural Machinery Symposium, which takes place on August 29, at the FIERGS Convention Hall, in Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul). The event aims to discuss the economic perspectives and the vision of the main manufacturers in relation to the market and will be attended by major agricultural players, such as John Deere Brasil, AGCO América do Sul, CNH Industrial América Latina, Kuhn SA and Jacto. The meeting should also address technologies in agricultural machinery and their implements for optimizing activities and launching products and services linked to the sector.

In recent years, agriculture has needed to reinvent itself to meet the demands of sustainable production and environmental conservation. According to Ana Schmitt, regional manager at SSAB for Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, one of the sector's current challenges is to seek solutions to improve productivity and generate sustainable savings. “New technologies open space for a sustainable economy, ensuring soil productivity and the preservation of natural resources. In addition to contributing to technological innovation in various segments, the use of SSAB steels contributes to better quality and durability of the equipment used to improve this sector”, she comments.

Ana Schmitt emphasizes that, with technology and technical knowledge, it is possible to develop lighter, more sustainable and more resistant projects. “The application of high-strength steels in agricultural equipment brings numerous benefits, such as weight reduction, increased payload, greater durability, tire savings, fuel savings and reduced emissions,” she explains. Another factor that cannot be forgotten when talking about agricultural equipment is the useful life of parts subject to excessive wear. As they are machines aimed at applications in which contact with the soil, stones, grains, rice, among others, is constant, the level of abrasion of some parts is excessive. “Solutions that can increase the useful life of these parts mean longer equipment operation time, without the need for stops, in other words, productivity gains. In this field, there is also the possibility of using steels with high hardness that allows a sharp increase in useful life”, she reiterates.

Furthermore, the sector must adjust to the effects of climate change and adopt changing practices in its production processes, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this regard, SSAB is committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from its power plants. “The steel company's commitment to the environment is not only focused on lighter and more resistant projects. The steel company plans to use technology based on hydrogen gas as a substitute for coal, making its processes free from the use of fossil fuels to minimize environmental impacts”, highlights the SSAB regional manager.