The Steel Market Development Institute Launches Brand New Website

New site accelerates technology transfer - offering steel-intensive solutions to the marketplace

News provided by

Mar 23, 2011, 10:00 ET

DETROIT, March 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) has launched a brand new website that accelerates the technology transfer of steel-intensive solutions in the automotive, construction and container industries. The new site, www.smdisteel.org provides information about the North American steel industry's market applications, research and reports on new product advancements and the industry's commitment to sustainability.

"The SMDI website was designed to meet the needs of our customers, who are looking for technical information in our selected markets," Lawrence W. Kavanagh, president of SMDI, said. "Our goal is to make these resources easy to find while placing them in a functional and organized format."

Highlights of the new www.smdisteel.org site include:

Updates on advanced high-strength steel research in the automotive market, including new technologies being utilized in automotive applications, such as body structures, wheels, bumpers and fuel tanks;
Easy access to research, design aids and training opportunities in the construction market;
Fast facts on the benefits of steel packaging and access to research on the nutritional benefits of canned food in the container market; and
Expanded focus on the environmental and sustainable advantages of steel, which go beyond steel being the most recycled material on the planet.

Kavanagh said that the site also focuses on the synergies created by the SMDI investor companies' commitment to partnering with like-minded steel customers and associations. "A critical component to the success of our SMDI programs lies with the value each of our partners bring to the table," he said. "In each section of our website, you'll see these organizations highlighted."

A unique feature of the www.smdisteel.org website is the global navigation bar at the top of the page that enables visitors to move across the steel network of websites. At present, in addition to SMDI, the network includes the Steel Recycling Institute, Autosteel (one of SMDI's market programs) and the American Iron and Steel Institute. The network is expandable and websites, including the Strategic Alliance of Steel Fuel Tanks ( www.sasft.org) and the Auto/Steel Partnership (www.a-sp.org), will become accessible in the near future through the global navigation. The site also features a media center, events area, online store and a place to access protected content reserved for SMDI investors.

The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute, grows and maintains the use of steel through strategies that promote cost-effective solutions in the automotive, construction and container markets, as well as for new growth opportunities in emerging steel markets. For more news or information, visit www.smdisteel.org.

Steel Market Development Institute investors include: