Arcelormittal: Merry Steel-mas! How steel can make your season bright

2017-12-21

John Deere lawnmowers are strong where it counts because they’re made mostly of steel. You might be surprised to learn what other great holiday gifts contain steel. Steel is treated to be corrosion-resistant so it doesn’t rust and it forms well, enabling designers to give a stylish look to appliances without sacrificing quality. Remember that if you’re shopping for kitchen items this holiday season.

When you’re sitting in the seat of a John Deere riding lawnmower, you might not even notice. But aside from the plastic hood in your line of vision, most of the machine is made of steel.

The wheels are steel. The internal brackets are steel. The mower deck that houses the blade is steel. So is the one-piece fender deck that wraps from one side to the other beneath the seat and over the rear wheels.

That’s why John Deere mowers are strong where it counts.

“Those lawn and garden tractors take a pretty good beating for the hour, hour-and-a-half you’re cutting the lawn,” said Craig Wehausen, a John Deere account manager for ArcelorMittal, which produces the steel for these products in its Burns Harbor and I/N Tek and Kote plants in northwest Indiana. “That why Deere has always found steel as their primary choice.

“You wouldn’t have the strength with another material. If you’re looking for long life of equipment and value, steel is the answer.”

Whether it’s a lawnmower or a washer and dryer, much of what we use every day is strengthened by steel. That’s true during the holidays, too.

You might think first of twinkling lights and holiday music. But steel powers the party, from the feast to the presents. Did you know these 12 gifts are made of steel?

*You know the TV commercials featuring cars with big red bows on top? Those are made from innovative, high-strength steel that decreases weight and improves fuel economy. Ditto for lawnmowers and other vehicles.

*Let’s face it. Some practical gifts don’t have the same wow factor as a shiny new car, but that doesn’t mean a vacuum cleaner isn’t a great present. In fact, many high-quality home appliances are made of steel — refrigerator, range, microwave. Steel is treated to be corrosion-resistant so it doesn’t rust and it forms well, enabling designers to give a stylish look to appliances without sacrificing quality.

“Steel can bend into whatever the spec is for that particular appliance,” said Matthew Lams, a Whirlpool account manager for ArcelorMittal. “Lately there’s more of a sleek look (that’s in style). We work very closely with design engineers to provide solutions to what they’re looking for.”

*Steel is not just in the really big gifts. Golf clubs have steel shafts and, in some cases, steel clubheads. The little strings on a guitar? Yup, steel. Durable, dishwasher-safe pots and pans, silverware and champagne (in the wire cap that keeps the cork in place) all have steel, too. 

*Because you can’t think of anything else to get dad, there’s shaving cream — in a can made of steel.

Speaking of cans, steel has a big role in the holiday meal, too. Many popular ingredients for a bountiful holiday dinner can come from canned goods — vegetables like green beans and corn, fruit for a relish, canned pumpkin for pies, even fancy tins for cookies and candies.

Canned food generally is less expensive than fresh or frozen alternatives, making a smaller dent in your wallet. Plus, it’s healthy because it retains more nutrients.

"When you buy 'fresh' in the grocery store it may have been picked three or four weeks ago,” said Tom Goedeke, director of tin mill products for ArcelorMittal. “Food in a can is generally canned within 12 hours of picking and all those vitamins, minerals and nutrition are sealed in there.

“It’s not only a nutritious way. It is a more affordable and convenient way to have food on the table for your family.”

Not only are the holidays a great time to re-introduce canned food to your family’s diet, it’s also an opportunity to help others by donating canned goods to a local food bank. Canned food is good for years because of the canning process and the strength of the steel container, making it a safe reliable way of preserving food.

It’s also the environmentally responsible way.

“In terms of recycling you’re much better off with a metal can,” Goedeke said. “Today’s vegetable can could be part of tomorrow’s refrigerator, and 10 years from now it could be part of the next automobile and 10 years from there it could be part of a washing machine. You can re-melt it infinitely.”

Steel is the gift that literally keeps on giving.

Happy holidays!