New product 1985
Tailored Blanks
Tailored blanks are customized steel solutions used in the automotive industry. Individual sheets of different grade, thickness and coating are joined together by laser welding to produce tailored blanks. The intelligent design of these products means that the appropriate steel component is always at the right place of application. Expensive materials are only used at places where it’s absolutely necessary.
New location 1985
Germany
The idea of tailored blanks was born back in 1983. Galvanized steel sheets for the automotive industry were required in dimensions that could not be produced on hot-dip galvanizing lines at the time. Defying numerous skeptics, the then Thyssen Stahl AG took the daring step of laser-welding two sheets together.
Initial reservations proved unfounded. The results proved to be so good that in 1985 the decision was made to produce the laser-welded blanks on a large scale at the Duisburg-Bruckhausen (Germany) plant of Thyssen Stahl AG.
New location 1985
USA
Establishment of the joint venture TWB Company LLC by the two companies Worthington Industries and ThyssenKrupp Steel.
Tailored blanks were initially produced in a techcenter. Today’s production plant in Monroe, Michigan (USA) was established in 1995.
New location 1995
USA
1995 sees the start of production of tailored blanks at today’s production plant in Monroe, Michigan (USA).
New location 1996
Germany
The first tailored blanks were produced by Thyssen Stahl AG but in 1996 today’s ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks GmbH was established in Duisburg (Germany).
New location 1997
Germany
In 1997 ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks GmbH added a second production plant in Duisburg-Hüttenheim (Germany).
New product 1999
Tailored Engineered Blank
The difference between tailored blank and engineered blank is in the run of the weld. In tailored blanks the weld is linear and in engineered blanks it is a non-linear one. This means the area of a part that needs to be strengthened can be kept to the minimum necessary. This even more flexible use of material results in even larger weight and material savings.
New location 1999
Germany
Establishment of subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks Nord GmbH headquartered in Wolfsburg (Germany) in 1999.
New location 2000
Mexico
Establishment of subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks S.A. de C.V. headquartered in Puebla (Mexico). Today the Puebla location belongs to the joint venture TWB Company LLC.
The joint venture TWB Company LLC opened a further plant in Saltillo (Mexico) in 2000.
New location 2001
Italy
Establishment of subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks S.r.l. headquartered in San Gillio (Italy).
New location 2002
China
Establishment of the joint venture ThyssenKrupp Zhong-Ren Tailored Blanks Ltd. headquartered in Wuhan (China). Today the location is a subsidiary of Tailored Blanks GmbH, ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks (Wuhan) Ltd.
New location 2002
USA
The joint venture TWB Company LLC opened a further plant in Columbus, Indiana (USA) in 2002.
New location 2003
Italy
The subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks S.r.l. opens a new plant in Tito Scalo (Italy).
Expansion 2004
Germany
Another factory building expands the plant in Duisburg-Hüttenheim (Germany).
New product 2005
Patchwork Blanks
In the automotive industry, additional steel parts are used for reinforcement in numerous fields of application. These additional reinforcements are made superfluous by Patchwork Blanks, which we introduced in 2005. The necessary area of the blanks is strengthened by attaching (spot welding, remote laser welding) a patch to the basic blank, which can subsequently be stamped together.
New locations 2005
China, Sweden und Mexico
Establishment of joint venture TK AS (Changchun) Tailored Blanks Ltd. headquartered in Changchun (China).
Establishment of subsidiary Tailored Blanks Sverige AB headquartered in Olofström (Sweden).
The joint venture TWB Company LLC opened a further plant in Hermosillo (Mexico) in 2005.
New product 2006
Tailored Orbitals
In 2006 we succeeded in transferring the tailored principle to round parts. The difference versus previous tailored products is the base material. Instead of flat sheets, materials such as tubes, rods, turned parts, deep drawn parts and extrusions are now used. The advantages are the same: reduced weight, reduced costs and optimized function.
New location 2006
Germany
ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks GmbH opens a new plant in Mandern (Germany) to produce Tailored Orbitals.
New product 2007
Tailored Strips
Tailored Strips are made by welding two or three strips of different grade, thickness or finish lengthwise. The development of Tailored Strips means that the classic advantages of tailored products can now also be utilized in progressive die stamping.
New locations 2007
Turkey, USA and Germany
2007 sees the establishment of subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks Celik Sanayi VE Ticaret Ltd. headquartered in Nilüfer/Bursa (Turkey).
The joint venture TWB Company LLC opened a further plant in Pratteville, Alabama (USA) in 2006.
ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks GmbH opens a new plant in Gelsenkirchen (Germany) to manufacture Tailored Strips.
New product 2008
Hot forming
In 2007 we began supplying ThyssenKrupp Hotform Blanks, which are suitable for hot stamping. The manganese-boron-alloyed steels used here gain even increased strength levels as a result of hot stamping.
Volume production only became possible after we developed a laser decoating unit which removes the coating on the MBW1500 in the weld area. The coating has to be removed because it does not simply evaporate during laser welding. Residues could lead to uneven hardness in the part.
New location 2008
Czech Republic
Establishment of subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks Czech Republic, s.r.o. headquartered in Ostrava (Czech Republic).