Case Study - HTS Stockmatcher
Information
| Company name: Heyne Tillett Steel | Tool launch: 2023 | Cost: Free to use |
The HTS Stockmatcher is an innovative tool developed by structural engineers at Heyne Tillett Steel, launched for free use by the industry in June 2023. This tool addresses the significant environmental challenges posed by the steel manufacturing sector, which is known for its high carbon footprint. By facilitating the use of reclaimed steel in new construction projects, the Stockmatcher offers a sustainable alternative to traditional steel production.
Stockmatcher is designed to align two critical datasets: one cataloging reclaimed steel and the other detailing design steel requirements. The system’s core function is to pinpoint opportunities where reclaimed steel can replace design steel elements effectively. It conducts an analysis based on geometric dimensions and fundamental structural characteristics, while also accounting for the waste generated by offcuts and over-specification.
By evaluating potential substitutions, Stockmatcher identifies the most efficient matches. This innovative approach aims to boost the adoption of reused steel, facilitating the application of circular economy principles in a practical manner.
Key benefits
- Environmental Impact: Reclaimed steel has 85% less embodied carbon than new steel, significantly reducing pollution and pressure on finite resources. It also mitigates the adverse impacts of raw material mining on biodiversity, health, and local communities.
- Efficiency: The Stockmatcher automates the selection process of reclaimed steel elements from large stockpiles, completing it in seconds with a high level of accuracy and complexity. This efficiency makes it easier to adopt reclaimed steel in higher quantities, maximising material efficiency.
- Functionality: By comparing lists of reclaimed and design steel, the Stockmatcher identifies where new elements can be substituted with reclaimed ones, considering geometric and structural properties as well as waste production from offcuts and over-specification.
- Accessibility: The tool can be used by various stakeholders in the steel value chain, including stockholders, contractors, and designers, promoting widespread adoption of sustainable practices in the construction industrys
Links/resources
ASBP's Reuse Now Campaign
This case study is part of ASBP’s Reuse Now Campaign. The campaign builds upon the ASBP-led DISRUPT project, which is exploring the innovative reuse of structural steel in construction through the creation and adoption of new circular business models. Project partners and supporters include reuse stalwarts Cleveland Steel & Tubes, global construction specialist ISG, National Federation of Demolition Contractors, and Grosvenor, the world’s largest privately-owned international property business.
ASBP has been working on the topic of material reuse for nearly 10 years, with past activities including the Re-Fab House feasibility study, research with University of Cambridge identifying the barriers to structural steel reuse, and more recently, a sold-out Reuse Summit.
This previous experience is further enhanced with in-house expertise from Technical Director Dr. Katherine Adams and Research Associate Dr. Asselya Katenbayeva, who bring 25+ years of academic and industry-focussed research and development on the topics of waste, reuse and circular economy.