DB Cargo to deliver raw materials to one of Germany’s largest steel sites

DB Cargo has signed a ten-year contract with steel producer ArcelorMittal to supply its blast furnace in Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany. Thanks to the contract, which runs until 2031, DB Cargo will deliver raw materials to one of Germany’s largest sites in the steel industry.

By next summer, DB Cargo will purchase 352 multi-functional double wagons and 1,408 special containers to transport ore, coke and limestone. Its partner, the logistics provider Innofreight, designed the wagons and optimised their load volume specifically for these raw materials.

Innofreight will also build two semi-automated loading and unloading facilities at the Eisenhüttenstadt plant by summer 2021 and will operate them itself. The new transports will begin as soon as the facilities are completed. DB Cargo will then be able to transport up to 4.2 million tonnes of raw materials a year.

Durable underframe

The new wagons for ArcelorMittal will have a durable underframe, while the removable superstructure is designed to be flexible so that it can be replaced more frequently. It is also possible to customise the superstructure as requirements change.

“As the backbone of Germany’s economy, we have been supplying ArcelorMittal with raw materials and transporting finished steel to customers, in particular in the automotive industry and plant engineering, for years,” said Pierre Timmermans, Management Board Member responsible for Sales at DB Cargo. “Now we are investing a considerable sum in this long-standing partnership.

Fewer trains

“ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt is implementing one of the most state-of-the-art raw materials logistics systems in Europe,” says Sybille Klipstein, Lead Buyer for Rail at ArcelorMittal. “We will be able to increase the net load of each train by some 20 per cent by using special types of containers that are optimised for the different properties of ore, coke and limestone. That means we will need far fewer trains, which will protect the environment and reduce shunting at the depot.”