Brdo pri Kranju, 11 September 2023 – Yesterday, as part of Innovation Day, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS) awarded national prizes to the most innovative innovators in companies and other organizations for the twenty-second time.

The central theme of this year's awards ceremony was "We Chose Sustainability”. Both gold-award-winning innovations from SIJ Group are also focused on a sustainable future. SIJ Acroni impressed with its innovation Steel of the Future – Innovation for Hydrogen Fuel Cells, while SIJ Metal Ravne, with its innovation Development of the UTOPTI / CHN35VT-VD Superalloy Using the Innovative ESR Process as the First in the World to Do So.

The CCIS rewarded the top innovative achievements of Slovenian companies with 10 gold, 24 silver, and 12 bronze awards, along with 1 special award for an innovation challenge. "In a world where we face environmental, social, and economic challenges, sustainability, meaning development with future generations in mind, is becoming the foundation of our actions. And it is innovations that play a central role in finding sustainable solutions that will ensure a better tomorrow," said Tibor Šimonka, President of CCIS and Senior Vice-President of SIJ Group, at the awards ceremony, and added that innovations "help address key challenges such as the transition to a circular economy and the reduction of environmental impact. Without innovations, there is no progress, and without them, there is no sustainable transformation."

The gold innovation of SIJ Acroni, Steel of the Future – Innovation for Hydrogen Fuel Cells, developed in collaboration with a German customer, is used as an application in next-generation hydrogen fuel cells – SOFC (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell). "This is a unique development of the stainless ferritic steel of the future, MKMCrMoW22, and the remelting of scrap iron and continuous casting processes, which give the steel long-term resistance to high temperatures while preserving all its properties," emphasizes Stanislav Jakelj, Head of Research and Development at SIJ Acroni.

“Innovativeness goes beyond ordinary work and is the result of a professionally qualified, cohesive, and dedicated development team. "As key components of their above-average work, I see a stimulating work environment and the encouragement of innovation within the company, which we also demonstrate through internal competitions,” says Branko Žerdoner, Managing Director of SIJ Acroni, who is confident that the gold award will be an additional source of pride and inspiration for the employees.

The breakthrough with the gold innovation, Development of the UTOPTI / CHN35VT-VD Superalloy Using the Innovative ESR Process as the First in the World to Do So, which is used to manufacture control cartridges critical to nuclear reactor systems, was achieved by SIJ Metal Ravne in collaboration with partners, the Institute for Metals and Technologies (IMT) and the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering (NTF). "Superalloys are a special group of metal alloys used in extreme conditions, such as in nuclear reactor cores. Our greatest achievement in the development of UTOPTI superalloy is increasing the homogeneity of the material to ensure constant properties across its entire cross-section. This ensures the safety and smooth operation of the control cartridges over an extended lifetime and consequently reduces the environmental impact," explains Marko Češnjaj, Head of the Innovation Team at SIJ Metal Ravne, who is extremely proud that they are the first in the world to achieve this technological breakthrough.

Jernej Močnik, Managing Director of SIJ Metal Ravne, proud of the expertise and flexibility of their development team, says that the gold national innovation addresses not only today’s challenges but also those of the future: "Special steels and superalloys for the energy industry represent an important segment and development potential of SIJ Metal Ravne, linked to one of the greatest global challenges of modern society: ensuring sustainable energy sources. Our main focus in this segment is the concept of ultra-high purity steels and alloys.“

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About SIJ Group

SIJ Group is one of the leading producers of stainless and special steels in Europe. They are committed to global and European climate goals and operate in line with the circular economy principles. With their steel and steel products, they are the right partner for facilitating the green transition in Europe. They confirmed their sustainability orientation in April 2024 by obtaining a certificate according to the demanding ResponsibleSteel standard. They have thus been placed among one of the most responsible and sustainable steel producers in the world. Their largest companies are modern recycling steel mills, and their steel is recycled, as it is made from steel scrap. With 3,600 employees, they are one of the largest employers in Slovenia and a pillar of the Slovenian steel industry. They are one of the leading Slovenian exporters. About 85 percent of their revenues are generated in foreign markets.

Find out more at:

SIJ – Slovenska industrija jekla, d.d.

Mag. Sara Wagner, Head of Corporate Communications

Phone: +386 1 242 98 27

Mobile: +386 41 313 532

E-mail: sara.wagner@sij.si