The blacksmith and the researcher will invent tomorrow’s steel products together

10/11/2011

The blacksmith and the researcher will invent tomorrow’s steel products together

A new cluster collaboration is ”steeling” the attention in Halsnæs on Zealand in Denmark. The philosophy is that the ideas for new products and development should come directly from the employees. The new collaboration focuses on low tech steel products and anticipates that 200 new jobs and 10 new companies will be created within 2.5 years.
 

Nordisk Staal
The blacksmith and the researcher are to be taken out of their everyday routines and learn to talk to each other and understand each other. Photo: Nordisk Staal A/S.

In Halsnæs a new cluster collaboration is now being welded together. The Technical University of Denmark (Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU), Halsnæs municipality and a series of local companies are not only developing tomorrow’s steel products but also the entire industry, which is why they have now entered into a collaboration on a new centre: Centre for Steel Production and Metal Processing (Center for Stålproduktion og Metalforarbejdning (CSM).

The philosophy is that the ideas for new products should come directly from the employees. The CSM project will be focusing on low tech down to earth steel products that can be put into production without several years of development.

The collaboration is well on its way, and the parties expect the first product line to be ready at the beginning of next year and that new companies will emerge already in the spring of 2012. The goal is 10 new companies within 2.5 years.

The new collaboration is based on a historic tradition for steel industry in the area. Halsnæs municipality has approximately 65 companies within the iron and metal area. But the number of jobs is decreasing and the many skilled iron and metal workers are having difficulties finding new job possibilities – not just within the municipality but also in the entire region.

Carsten Møller

The CSM project is established as a public-private partnership between the municipality, local companies and research institutions. The collaboration is to be the corner stone in a conversion process that – through a locally manifested cluster collaboration – is to create growth within the steel industry and thus new business possibilities in the area.

Carsten Møller from Halsnæs municipality is the project manager on the CSM project. He says:

”We believe that the meeting itself between the researchers and the ones who are working with the physical products is decisive. We can see that they each have a unique knowledge, but that is necessary to build a bridge between them in order for their knowledge to come into play and to create new ideas and products. The municipality and the Technical University of Denmark are to be ”birthing coaches”, who are giving help on the way, but will cut the cord when the product is ready to be launched or the company is ready to be established”.

 
For further information:

Contact project manager Carsten Møller from Halsnæs municipality, or read more about the project HERE:

Facts on the CSM project

• Project period 1st of August 2011 – 31st of January 2014. The project is carried out in co-operation with the Technical University of Denmark , Applied Municipal Research (Anvendt Kommunal Forskning), Mega Flex A/S, Nordisk Staal A/S, Duferco Danish Steel A/S, Scion DTU A/S and Copenhagen Capacity

• The project received approximately DKK 2.7 million from the Renewal Fund (Fornyelsesfonden) and is expecting to create 200 jobs and 10 new companies within a period of 2.5 years.