INDUSTRY NEWS
Defence against cyberattacks
Industrial manufacturers ranked network security as their top cybersecurity investment to guard against adverse cyber events , according to a ‘ State of Technology in Manufacturing ’ survey by global technology intelligence firm , ABI Research .
“ With increasingly connected and digitised industrial assets providing ever more information about processes and workforce , manufacturers are focusing their security on network security technologies such as authentication and access control . Coupled with a growing body of industrialfocused security regulation and an expanding cybercrime element ( for whom data in discrete manufacturing processes are extremely high value ), this puts pressure on manufacturers to safeguard their operations better ,” outlined the analyst .
Network breaches can have significant repercussions on industrial manufacturers . Unplanned downtime impacts production , which could lead to revenue loss or potential regulatory liability for data breaches . In Europe alone , three regulatory instruments impose financial penalties for non-compliance : the General Data Protection Regulations , the NIS2 Directive and the Cyber Resilience Act .
“ Industrial manufacturers are one of the top targeted sectors by threat actors . Not only is counterfeiting in contract manufacturing rife , but ransomware is a prevalent threat ,” said Michela Menting , Senior Research Director , ABI Research .
“ Supply chain vulnerabilities and social engineering constitute important vectors for threat actors , and manufacturers are understandably concerned about security as they increasingly connect their industrial assets to operational networks ,” she continued .
Image : Chris Reid , Unsplash .
Demand for cybersecurity solutions focused on operational technologies is growing quickly as a result , as ABI Research forecasted a US $ two-billion market globally in 2024 . Much of it is driven by demand for network security and segmentation technologies . Manufacturers in the survey cite network security solutions ( such as access control , authentication and threat detection ) as their top security investments . n
www
. abiresearch . com
SSAB and Snop collaborate on steel supply
SSAB and Snop have entered into a longterm partnership for future deliveries of fossil-free steel . The partnership will help Snop to reduce the CO₂ footprint of its products and to meet its target to reduce CO₂ emissions by 30 % by 2030 .
The Groupe Financière SNOP Dunois ( FSD ) is a privately owned , major , tierone automotive supplier with established relationships with European OEMs . The group has three divisions ( Snop , Smom and Balconi ) and employs over 8,200 people in twelve countries at 36 production sites and four technical centres . Groupe FSD offers its customers a broad product portfolio , supplying body structure stampings , rollformed parts and assemblies for cars and commercial vehicles , as well as stamping dies and automatic presses .
“ We are delighted to have signed this agreement with our partner , SSAB . Achieving our objective of reducing our CO₂ emissions by 30 % before 2030 and to be net zero in 2050 , is a ‘ must ’ for us , our industry and the preservation of our planet . We know that to achieve it , we can count on SSAB , which is a major player in the decarbonisation of the steel industry ,” said Pierre Mainguy , Purchasing Director , Snop .
“ We are pleased to support Snop ’ s sustainability goals in the automotive industry in delivering the tough CO₂ reductions that both producers and consumers require for more sustainable cars . The virtually fossil emission-free steel we produce retains
L-R : Pierre Mainguy , Huy Nguyen , Hervé Daenens , Svante Fält and Tony Harris . L-R : Hervé Daenens and Tony Harris .
its high quality , but its climate impact is significantly lower compared to steel based on traditional blast furnace technology . This helps to reduce our customers ’ carbon footprint and provides a competitive advantage in the market ,” added Huy Nguyen , Sales Director , SSAB Europe .
This agreement marks a new step in the long-standing partnership between Snop and SSAB , comprising a variety of actions addressing all aspects of the development chain . This ranges from sales to production to testing and customer experience , as an example of inter-company cooperation in the world of steel products .
Traditional steel production represents a significant source of global CO₂ emissions , By changing the way that steel is produced , SSAB wants to cut emissions and create a fossil-free value chain with customers and partners , regardless of whether the raw material is scrap or iron ore .
“ In 2021 , we produced the world ’ s first
fossil-free steel as a proof of concept using HYBRIT ® technology . The revolutionary steelmaking technology , using hydrogen reduced sponge iron , removes the primary source of CO₂ emissions with water as byproduct , instead of CO₂ . Since then , several pilot deliveries have been made to customers in different industries . When available in commercial volumes , the fossil carbon emissions in our production of SSAB Fossilfree™ steel are targeted to be less than 0.05 kg CO₂e / kg steel in Scope 1 , 2 and for iron ore upstream Scope 3 , of the GHG Protocol ,” concluded SSAB .
SSAB is a Nordic and US-based steel company . It has employees in over 50 countries and production facilities in Sweden , Finland and the USA . n
www
. ssab . com
www . snop . eu
14 | ismr . net | ISMR December 2024 / January 2025