Containers with the right stuff

Challenge

Langh Group Cargo Solution needed a strong and durable material for their containers that carry hazardous goods in corrosive environment.

Solution

Austenitic Outokumpu’s Forta stainless steel provides the right combination of strength, corrosion resistance and light weight, which results in number of improvements.

Delivery

Steel grade: Outokumpu Forta 316plus

When dangerous materials travel by road, rail or ship, strict international safety standards come into play, particularly for the containers that hold them. Both the manufacturing process and the components used to make these containers have to be of the highest quality. That is a fact well known by Langh Group Cargo Solutions, a Finnish company that makes portable tank containers for liquids as well as cargo containers for corrosive and sharp bulk shipments.

Recently, the firm upgraded the material it uses to manufacture both container types, switching to a new grade of austenitic stainless steel developed by Outokumpu.

 

Strong, light and hard-wearing

Changing over to, Forta 316plus, a high-chromium grade, resulted in a number of improvements for the company.

Langh Group Cargo Solutions had previously used wear-resistant carbon steel, but found that resistance to corrosion and wear in the new stainless was better. The Forta 316plus also went through cold working to increase its strength, making it more durable than the carbon steel and less likely to burst when sharp objects were loaded.

The strength lead to two more crucial factors: “We could now make thinner walls for containers, which results in both a lighter weight for the container and an increase in the amount of material that can be carried,” explains Markku Yli-Kahri, Product Manager from Langh Group Cargo Solutions.

 

Easy to use

Because it contains less nickel and molybdenum than standard grades, Forta 316plus came with a competitive price tag.

But for Langh Group Cargo Solutions, how the material handled during the manufacturing process was a key consideration. The company was glad to learn that Forta 316plus could be welded with the same tools and techniques used for standard grades, which made the fabrication fast and easy.

Recommended products and insights

Automotive and transportation

In transportation, today’s solutions must be dynamic enough to carry us to the future. Safe, strong, economical, durable and sustainable: Stainless steel delivers a new dimension of unmatched performance.

Road tankers and busses

Produced in a highly competitive industry, tankers and tank containers must be carefully conceived to meet both regulatory design requirements and functional needs. Stainless steel is essential for tanks that are light, strong and easily cleaned and maintained.

Forta

The Forta range contains duplex and other high strength stainless steels that enable thinner structures and weight reduction (measured in Rp0.2 > 400 MPa. PRE 16 to 43).

Sustainability

Stainless steel is a superb material for sustainable solutions as it is 100% recyclable, efficient and long-lasting. Our vision is to become the customers’ first choice in sustainable stainless steel.

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