STEEL PROPELLED TO THE TOP World production of aerosols has been increasing since 1992, and Europe has been recording by far the most consistent growth. Production in 1995 amounted to 3.8 billion units, representing a 5% increase over 1994, and an 18% rise over 1992. By the year 2000, it is expected that steel will have an 80% share in an expanding market. In world aerosol production, which amounted at 8.6 billion units in 1995, Europe claims the lion's share with 44%, compared to 35% for the USA and 8% for Japan. And in Europe, the most significant growth has been recorded in Great Britain, where production increased by 20%, from 1,034 billion units in 1994 to 1,243 billion in 1995. This can be explained partly by the fact that various can producers have relocated to the United Kingdom, which accounts for 32.5% of European aerosol production. This upward trend comes after a fall observed before 1992, in the wake of environmental fears about the use of CFCs as propulsion gases. The latter have now been completely replaced. In the aerosol sector, steel is consolidating its domination vis-à-vis rival materials such as aluminium and glass. In Europe, its market share grew from 65% in 1994 to 70% in 1995. According to experts, it will reach 80% in the next few years. In the United Kingdom, the largest European producer, 66% of aerosol fillings are in steel (30% are in aluminium and 4% in glass). In the United States, steel already has 80% of the market. Technological progress This progress in terms of market share reflects the various advantages offered by steel in the manufacture of aerosol cans. There are economic advantages, of course, in the form of the relatively stable price of steel and the fact that the cost of a steel can is lower than that of an aluminium can. And there are environmental advantages in that steel aerosols, like all steel products, are extracted from household waste using electro-magnets (and those aerosols no longer containing CFCs do not call for any special treatment during recycling). But, there are above all technological advantages. The considerable progress made in recent years has made it possible to enhance greatly the performance of steel in the conditions under which aerosols are used. Let's take, for example, film-coated steel, which has been used for several years in the production of aerosol domes and cones. Its attractive appearance and high resistance to rust, particularly for products such as creams and capillary products, mean that this is the ideal product for the manufacture of aerosols. What is more, when it is used in the manufacture of valve cups, it makes it possible to reduce production costs by around 25%: the addition of a plastic joint is no longer necessary to seal the valve to the aerosol cone. Film-coated steel therefore offers a preferred alternative to the one-piece aluminium products which had hitherto been widely used for personal hygiene products - a segment of the market which accounts for 54.5% of all aerosol cans used. The 2-piece steel can from DCC resulting from the transfer of technology used for the drinks can. 2-piece instead of 3-piece Another important development is the 2-piece steel aerosol can. A pioneer in this area, Dispersion Containers Corporation (DCC) has marketed this in the form of the Uni Can. This can is the result of a technology derived from the steel can drawing process applied to drinks cans, and is some 40% lighter than a 3-piece can with the same capacity. This results in major savings in the amount of steel used. This has been obtained by using a high-ductility grade of steel. It has been possible to reduce the thickness of the walls by almost 50%, without loss of the can's rigidity. Moreover, the external appearance has been enhanced by the removal of the traditional weld seam, and thus the can is able to be compressed after use. CarnaudMetalbox also introduced a major innovation at the end of 1995 when they launched a 2-piece aerosol with a 38-mm body onto the market. This product is mainly intended for the pharmaceutical and perfumery industries, sectors in which only aerosols in spun aluminium had hitherto offered such a small diameter. Yet another example of progress in steel... The CarnaudMetalbox 2-piece aerosol: a body 38 mm in diameter. The Cappuccino aerosol: an innovative and distinctive shape. The future lies in shape and decoration As is the case for drinks cans, shaping is a topical issue for aerosols, too. Innovative shapes are an essential attribute in brand differentiation. These new shapes are obtained thanks to steel's exceptional strength and its forming capacity. Thus, CarnaudMetalbox has just launched a shaped can intended for the cream foodstuffs market. An example is the Cappuccino aerosol can, in which a series of contractions at the base and neck results in a reduction in the volume of steel needed for its manufacture. In addition to can shaping, progress has also been made in the way in which cans are printed. During the Aerosols '95 conference, Corus Packaging Plus exhibited sleeving technology, which affords exceptional decoration quality: up to nine colours are used and special effects in 3-D can now be created. Body spray, Parfums Fabergé Thanks to its economic, environmental and technological advantages, steel is replacing aluminium in the manufacture of aerosol cans. In the personal hygiene and cosmetic products sector, the only sector in which aluminium aerosols still have a firm grip on the market, the situation is developing favourably. L'Oréal, for example, which has long favoured aluminium, has recently begun using steel aerosols for various products in certain countries.