Kanthal AB - Experts & Thought Leaders

Kanthal, a global pioneer in industrial heating technology, has won the prestigious industry award ‘E-prize’ in the category of energy optimization for its technology that helps companies and industries transform to fossil-free production.  Organized by Sweden's largest business newspaper, Dagens Industri, and the newspaper - Aktuell Hållbarhet, together with the energy group - E.ON, the prize is awarded to the sharpest innovations for the 16th year in a row. a modern and innovative approach The jury's motivation read: With a 90-year-old invention combined with a modern and innovative approach, this year’s winner is paving the way for a fossil-free industry through the electrification of high-temperature processes. Natural gas is replaced with efficient electric heating in industrial applications, enabling fossil-free production processes that improve both the environment and working conditions. The company is a global pioneer and a key player in sustainable industrial electrification, contributing to the production of fossil-free steel and the sustainable manufacturing of solar cells and batteries. electrification "We are very proud that the jury chose us and our technology for this prize. With our technology, industries around the world such as steel, battery, semiconductor, and glass can use electricity instead of fossil fuels for their industrial heating processes, which can contribute to major emission savings in the global industry," says Robert Ståhl, President of Kanthal. He adds, "The technology has a 100-year legacy of innovative development and is more relevant than ever. There is a large potential and more and more industries are making use of it." fossil-free electricity "The greatest opportunities of the energy transition are still ahead of us. It is necessary to level up in both temperature and scale and find completely new solutions for industries such as steel and cement," says Nicolai Schaaf, Sustainability Manager at Kanthal. He adds, "In addition, our products themselves have become a huge lever for this transition: Not only do they reduce the emissions of the customers – they also contribute to the expansion and improved management of fossil-free electricity." increase efficiency and reduce CO2 Kanthal's products enable the electrification of various industrial processes that require high temperatures Kanthal's products enable the electrification of various industrial processes that require high temperatures. By replacing fossil fuels with electricity, companies can increase efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions or eliminate them if fossil-free electricity is used. The technology has its roots in a 93-year-old innovation, but with the world's focus on climate change and the need to phase out fossil fuels the solutions can now reach their full potential. heating solutions Industrial heating processes are found in all manufacturing industries such as steel, aluminum, glass, and cement and today are mostly powered by burning fossil fuels. These processes are invisible to the consumers but account for around 10% of the world's total CO2 emissions and 75% of Europe's industrial CO2 emissions. In addition to reducing emissions in various industries, Kanthal's heating solutions are also crucial components in the manufacture of advanced solar cells, semiconductors, and batteries.

Kanthal, a global pioneer in electric industrial heating technology, and Danieli, a major global supplier of turnkey plants and equipment for the iron- and steel industry, have announced a strategic partnership to jointly scale up Kanthal’s demonstrated electric process gas direct-heating solution, Prothal® DH, to full industrial scale. By installing Prothal® DH in Energiron hydrogen-ready DRI plants, fully green DRI production will be achieved. Furthermore, the introduction of Prothal® DH technology in blast furnace operation will reduce CO2 emissions in ironmaking. H2-DRI Global megatrends are driving the demand for decarbonization of the industry Global megatrends are driving the demand for decarbonization of the industry and as one of the world’s largest emitters of CO2, representing 7% of global total emissions, the iron- and steel industry is in the spotlight. Several projects, mainly in Europe, are developing solutions such as hydrogen-based direct reduced iron processes (H2-DRI) to remove CO2 emissions, enabling the production of green steel. Prothal® DH Under the name Prothal® DH, Kanthal has developed a direct heated electric solution for high-temperature process gas heating – one important step towards enabling zero-emission DRI plants. The solution has been tested and verified on a pilot scale and with this partnership, Kanthal and Danieli aim to further develop this technology to full scale, which means up to hundreds of megawatts. The ambition is to have a solution ready for commercialization in 2027. reducing CO2 emissions "We are now taking another step towards commercializing large-scale, electric gas heaters, which will be key to substantially reducing or even eliminating CO2 emissions," says Simon Lile, President of Business Unit Heating Systems at Kanthal. Simon Lile adds, "We’re excited to join forces with one of the world’s foremost experts in DRI technology to make the steel industry’s green shift possible." heating solution The heating solution will be developed for hydrogen, natural gas, and combinations, thereby enabling retrofitting of existing DRI plants. "Even for natural gas-based DRI plants, you will achieve more than 30% reduction of CO2 emissions when you electrify the heating system," says Marco Lapasin, Vice President of Danieli Engineering Centro Metallics. Marco Lapasin adds, "This partnership allows the unlocking of huge potential for a new technology that will drive Energiron DR plant's carbon footprint furtherly ahead in the race of green steel." Energiron Energiron is a DRI technology jointly developed by Tenova and Danieli. The partnership was announced at the Future Steel Forum event in Stockholm, Sweden. Speaker Dilip Chandrasekaran, Global Business Development Manager at Kanthal, has led the development of this unique direct electric heater. He says, "After years of research, designing, and testing, the solution is now ready to be verified on an industrial scale. We build this on already proven technology but on a scale that has never been done before. If successful, this has the potential to revolutionize the steel industry."

Industries such as lithium-ion batteries, semiconductors, and automotive show a strong demand for sustainable heating solutions to help them achieve higher efficiency and reach their decarbonization targets.  To meet the increased need, Kanthal will expand its production capacity in Sakura, Japan, with an investment of approximately SEK 100 million. The aim is to capture mid- and long-term market growth in Asia. Kanthal’s heating solutions At the Kanthal production site in Sakura, Japan, the company manufactures products for the electrification of industrial heating processes. The strong global growth in lithium-ion batteries and semiconductors is a driver for an increased demand for Kanthal’s sustainable heating solutions. In addition, a broad range of industries, such as steel and automotive, are looking to convert their heating processes from fossil fuel to electric solutions, making their production more energy efficient, while also lowering their CO2 emissions. Development of a new facility The asset will continue to ensure a strong local fact, improving manufacturing capacity The total investment is approximately SEK 100 million between 2024 and 2025 and includes the development of a new facility near the current premises in Sakura, as well as new equipment and a new layout. The expansion is expected to be fully operational in the end of 2025, increasing the current production capacity by approximately 60% and enabling additional job opportunities.  The investment will continue to ensure a strong local presence, improving manufacturing capacity, lead times and serviceability. demand for heating solutions “We see this investment as necessary to meet our customers’ current and future needs. We expect a rapidly growing demand for our heating solutions, both for our traditional products but also for our high-temperature process gas heaters, as they enable industries to make the green technology shift. The investment will ensure that we can capture the demand in Asia,” says Simon Lile, VP and President of Business Unit Heating Systems at Kanthal. During the past year, expansions in Walldorf, Germany; Perth, Scotland; and Concord, USA; have been announced. This investment is another example of how Kanthal expands its production capacity to meet demand.