New Applications Award
In 2025 the following projects were awarded:
Best Market Development Award
In the category of Market Development, the Gold Award was presented to Acerinox for their Vertex Keg; the Kegs are made of duplex stainless steel. Their keg, the world’s first and only duplex stainless steel beverage container, is up to 30% lighter and up to 30% greener than a traditional keg, making it easier to handle and transport. Beer has traditionally been transported in kegs made from 304 stainless steel. Instead, they explored using duplex stainless steel, known for its superior corrosion resistance and its ability to reduce material usage and weight. They overcame several challenges, such as difficulties in deep drawing, precise control of welding parameters, material anisotropy, achieving the correct balance between strength and weight to pass the conventional keg tests, and applying optimal pickling process parameters. .
The Silver Award was for Nippon Steel Corporation for the Lining on water release equipment of the Aso Tateno Dam and the Bronze Award went to POSCO for its Safety grating with high strength stainless steel.
Best Technology Award
The Gold Award in the Technology Category was for POSCO for their development of Ultra grain-refined austenitic stainless steel with high strength and good corrosion resistance for battery case. A new austenitic stainless steel for electric vehicle battery parts is designed to promote grain refinement, with processes optimized based on austenitic stability, cold-rolling amount, and annealing temperature. In the EV market, cost-competitive materials with excellent properties are key to bridging the EV chasm. To address this, innovative high-strength stainless steels with new design concepts are essential. Ultra grain-refined stainless steels offer high strength and corrosion resistance, while reducing hardening time and weight─contributing to energy savings and extended product life. These benefits further improve the competitiveness of stainless steel in the EV industry.
Acerinox was the winner of the Silver Awards, for their JAG Plate Heat Exchangers. And the Bronze Awards went to POSCO, for their Lightweight roofing solution made from high-strength stainless steel for high temperature, high humidity and corrosion environments.
The winning case studies can be downloaded here.
For the entries of previous years, please click on the year: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
