Automotive lightweighting specialist company displays latest advances in Body in White, chassis and mechanics at the International Suppliers Fair (IZB) in Wolfsburg. A key highlight is the Multipath Platform Concept chassis which shows how production can be efficiently adapted for various powertrains, including ICE, PHEVs and BEVs.
23 Oct 2024 | 5102 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Gestamp, the leading global automotive supplier specializing in the design, development, and production of highly engineered technological automotive components, is among the many participants at the 12th International Suppliers Fair (IZB) in Wolfsburg, Germany (October 22-24).
With the automotive industry increasingly focused on electrification, connectivity, sustainability, and safety, the ...
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Gestamp, the leading global automotive supplier specializing in the design, development, and production of highly engineered technological automotive components, is among the many participants at the 12th International Suppliers Fair (IZB) in Wolfsburg, Germany (October 22-24).
With the automotive industry increasingly focused on electrification, connectivity, sustainability, and safety, the demand for lightweight and top safety standards presents both challenges and opportunities. Gestamp is addressing these needs with solutions that help automakers worldwide meet these requirements.
Gestamp’s technologies and products are designed to meet top safety standards while cutting CO₂ emissions and maintaining cost efficiency. The company prioritizes innovations that enable lighter, safer vehicles with lower energy consumption and a smaller environmental footprint.
Innovations across Body in White (BiW), Chassis, and Mechanics
The Ges-Gigastampings BiW family is an innovative product line of large-format components that combine multiple body parts into a single unit. These extra-large parts not only reduce weight but also enhances safety. Additionally, Ges-Gigastampings significantly reduce production and assembly times and minimize material usage. The combination of enhanced safety, reduced weight, lower costs, and CO₂ reduction in a single product sets new standards and offers manufacturers a cost-efficient solution for the mobility of the future.
Hot stamping
Gestamp, a global leader in hot stamping, is advancing the strength and durability of products through innovations in materials and processes that emphasize circular economy principles and CO₂ reduction. The company’s hot stamping technology uses ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) to create lightweight, energy-efficient vehicle components with outstanding crash performance. With about 100 hot stamping lines worldwide, Gestamp leads the way in this technology.
At the IZB, Gestamp has unveiled its new GES-MULTISTEP 2.0 hot stamping technology. As an industry pioneer, the company is developing alternative materials to achieve even greater strength and hardness. This advancement delivers uniform hardness distribution across components and employs a new grade of steel, enhancing lightweight potential compared to traditional materials.
Chassis: Modular platform for new energy vehicles
At IZB, Gestamp is showcasing its modular chassis platform, known as the Multipath Platform Concept, demonstrating how production can be efficiently adapted for various powertrains, including internal combustion engines (ICE), plug-in hybrids (PHEV), and battery-electric vehicles (BEV). The use of a single base frame cuts tooling investment by up to 50% and facilitates a more efficient manufacturing for different vehicle models. The design also reduces the number of individual parts, lowering assembly line costs and supporting combined welding processes. By using high-strength tube material (Highpertube) in the subframes, Gestamp further improves crash performance.
Mechanisms: Edscha sliding door for greater comfort and safety
In the mechanisms business unit, Edscha is presenting an innovative electrically powered sliding door system at the exhibition. The system, featuring an actuator and custom-developed software, offers flexible control options—ranging from app and gesture controls to voice commands—and can operate in either electric or servo-assisted mode to reduce effort. For maximum safety, an anti-pinch feature ensures safety by instantly stopping the door at any position, while a bi-stable brake secures it in place. A key highlight is the three-piece rail (TPR), which uses aluminum and plastic components to reduce weight and manufacturing costs, decrease tolerances, and speed up production.
Sustainability and Circular Economy as core business strategies
Sustainability has always been a strategic pillar for Gestamp, with the goal of achieving carbon-neutral production by 2050. By using recycled materials and transitioning to 100% green electricity by 2030, Gestamp significantly reduces CO₂ emissions and resource consumption.
The company states that it embraces a circular economy approach focused on the use of recycled steel as secondary material for the production of low emissions steel. Gestamp ensures the availability of high-quality scrap steel to support the increased use of low-emission steels in automotive components.
The integrated scrap management system allows for full lifecycle traceability: from collection and sorting to the reuse of quality scrap steel, the entire process is incorporated into the production chain. This way, Gestamp reintroduces recycled steel as a secondary raw material into the market, promoting a sustainable materials economy that reduces the need for primary resources and helps steer the automotive industry toward a climate-friendly future. Gestamp also collaborates closely with partners to advance sustainable innovations such as low-emission steel for vehicle components.
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Use of hotstamping materials has increased by about 40% compared to 2016: Glyn Jones, Gestamp India