News 08.05.2025

Volkswagen and Matplus Win Swedish Steel Prize 2025

We’re proud to have contributed to the success of SIBORA®. Volkswagen has been awarded the prestigious Swedish Steel Prize 2025 for their groundbreaking work on SIBORA®, a next-generation hot stamping solution for structural automotive components. Our contribution to this achievement, in collaboration with our partner Comtes FHT and a strong consortium of innovation-driven companies, is a source of great satisfaction.

Volkswagen Wins Swedish Steel Prize 2025

What is SIBORA®?

SIBORA® is a breakthrough in hot stamping technology, combining:

A newly developed, high-performance steel, and
Advanced, process-integrated hot stamping, to produce structural automotive components that are lighter, safer, and more sustainable.

Project Highlights and Benefits

Crash Performance: Exceptional ductility and elongation for improved energy absorption in crash scenarios.

Scalable Material Behavior: Tunable strength and ductility across different zones — even within a single component.

Lightweight and Sustainable: Reduced vehicle mass without compromising structural integrity or safety.

SIBORA® Technology in Car Safety Structure - Source: steelprize.com Image source: steelprize.com

Our Contribution

In collaboration with Comtes FHT, we supported the SIBORA® project with advanced digital and experimental methods:

Materials Design & ICME: Applied Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) to link processing, structure, and performance.

Simulation & Modeling: Performed material and process simulations to optimize microstructure and mechanical behavior.

Process Execution & Characterization (Comtes FHT):

Steel melting and alloy design
Forging, hot and cold rolling
Full microstructural and mechanical characterization

This combination of simulation and experimental work enabled rapid, cost-effective materials development.

Consortium Partners

We extend congratulations to the full SIBORA® team, including:

Volkswagen Group Innovation
Comtes FHT
Metakus
SSAB
GNS Gesellschaft für numerische Simulation
Kirchhoff Automotive

Scientific Background

More detailed insights into the material and process innovations behind SIBORA® can be found in the recently published paper:

“SIBORA® – A new approach for advanced hot stamped automotive components”
Published in Journal of Materials Research and Technology

Read the paper

We are honored to have been part of this award-winning project and remain committed to advancing sustainable materials innovation in the automotive industry.

Visit Official Swedish Steel Prize Website