STEEL FOR MOTOR-CAR BODIES

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22341, 3 March 1938, Page 9

STEEL FOR MOTOR-CAR BODIES

NEW INDUSTRY FOR NEW SOUTH WALES

One of the outstanding qualities of modern industry is the manner in which research development and progress taring into being new industries, of greatly enlarge old ones. A striking manifestation of this has been provided by the world-wide swing towards steel motor-car bodies. The vogue of the steel body has created an enormous demand for light rolled steel sheets of a special auality suitable for moulding into the flowing contours of the modern car. "This demand called for the laying down in the United States, Great Britain, and the Continent of continuous sheet rolling mills and the necessary auxiliary equipment. In the United States alone steel manufacturers have invested more than £70.000,000 in plant capable of handling this class of steel sheet, modern equipment that makes possible the production of steel sheets for car bodies, not only at a lower cost, but also with a marked improvement in quality ana uniformity Great Britain also has a large sum invested in similar plants to supply the needs of the British motor industry. A continuous sheet rolling mill is also to be erected in New South Wales to take care of the requirements of the Australian oody building industry, which is now yearly making in the region of 60,000 car bodies. This annual output requires about 25.000 tons of 20 gauge motor oody steel panels. The capital of the Australian I company is £1,000,000.