Auto/Steel Partnership

What Auto/Steel Partnership does

Auto/Steel Partnership (A/SP) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) research consortium founded in 1987 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It operates as a pre-competitive forum bringing together North American automotive OEMs (Stellantis, General Motors, Toyota Motor North America), sheet steel producers (Nucor Corporation, POSCO America, Ternium), and Tier 1 affiliate suppliers (Magna International, Martinrea International, Metalsa) to collaboratively address technical barriers in the application of Advanced High-Strength Steel (AHSS) in automotive body-in-white, chassis, and closure applications. The organization manages eight active project teams and over 30 research projects spanning materials characterization, forming and stamping simulation, resistance spot welding, GMAW welding, corrosion testing, and Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME), with focal projects on Liquid Metal Embrittlement testing, 3rd Gen AHSS press tonnage prediction, and springback prediction and control.

A/SP's core technology outputs include proprietary test procedures (e.g., ASP LP1.1 Bake Hardenability Index, ASP LP2.1 LME Gleeble-Based Procedure, ASP LP3.1 Rapid LME Test), global best-practice AHSS Application Guidelines hosted at ahssinsights.org via WorldAutoSteel, and a proprietary members-only SharePoint hub housing the full archive of project results, weld schedules, and technical reports. The organization also delivers free public webinar training on AHSS metallurgy, formability, and joining, taught by Dr. Danny Schaeffler of Engineering Quality Solutions, and publishes annual reports and research publications.

The business model is a member-funded subscription structure: A/SP generates revenue through annual membership dues paid by OEM members, steel mill members, and non-voting Tier 1 affiliate members, with membership granting access to the SharePoint communications hub and participation in governance through the Joint Policy Council and Board of Directors. The consortium also maintains a lean operational footprint of approximately five core staff members, supplementing internal capability with member-company subject-matter experts and university research partners including Ohio State University, University of Waterloo, Oakland University, University of Windsor, and Michigan Technological University.

Name

Auto/Steel Partnership

Legal name

Auto/Steel Partnership Foundation

Website

https://a-sp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Auto/Steel Partnership is a non-profit research consortium founded in 1987 that brings together North American automotive OEMs, steel mills, and Tier 1 suppliers to collaboratively advance Advanced High-Strength Steel (AHSS) application through shared research, standardized test procedures, and free public training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Steel Research Consortium

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Vehicle Body-in-White & Structural Assemblies Manufacturing (IMACAGAG)

Keywords

• Automotive steel research
• AHSS application consortium
• Pre-competitive R&D
• Resistance spot welding
• AHSS training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Auto/Steel Partnership is a non-profit foundation (501(c)(3)) funded primarily through annual membership dues paid by automotive OEMs, steel mills, and affiliate tier suppliers. Membership grants access to the members-only SharePoint communications hub housing all A/SP project results, as well as participation in governance through the Joint Policy Council and Board of Directors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Auto/Steel Partnership is a 501(c)(3) pre-competitive research consortium that conducts collaborative engineering research, validation, and training on Advanced High-Strength Steels (AHSS) for North American automotive applications. It coordinates eight project teams spanning corrosion, stamping, constitutive and fracture modeling, GMAW, joining, repairability, tooling optimization, and steel testing harmonization, while publishing standardized test procedures (e.g., LME testing, Bake Hardenability Index), weld schedules, and application guidelines for member OEMs, steel mills, and Tier 1 suppliers.

Product overview

Auto/Steel Partnership (A/SP) is a pre-competitive research consortium of automakers, steel mills, and tier one suppliers formed in 1987. Rather than a single unified product, A/SP operates as a collaborative platform offering multiple interconnected services: AHSS Metallurgy and Formability Training Courses (taught by Dr. Danny Schaeffler), AHSS Joining Training Courses (covering resistance spot welding and LME), and Leadership Series Webinars. The organization facilitates research through eight Technology Project Teams addressing topics from corrosion protection to steel testing harmonization, publishes technical reports and presentations, maintains the AHSS Application Guidelines database, recognizes excellence through its Award program, and publishes annual reports. These offerings work together to advance automotive steel technologies through education, collaborative research, and knowledge dissemination.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AHSS Metallurgy and Formability Training Courses

Quantifiable outcome

• Lightweight twist beam achieved 30% mass reduction at lower cost than alternative materials.
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Michigan Technological University (MTU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026A/SP is sponsoring a Capstone Project at MTU to explore additive manufacturing for fabricating trim tools used to process AHSS in automotive components. On March 5, 2026, an MTU team of four engineering students toured Detroit-area facilities including Sun Steel Treating, MacLean Additive, Oakland University, and Gestamp to gain manufacturing exposure relevant to the research.
• Sun Steel TreatingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSun Steel Treating hosted MTU students as part of the A/SP-sponsored Capstone Project on additive manufacturing for AHSS trim tools. Students learned about commercial ion nitriding and vacuum heat treatment processes for stamping die tool steels.
• MacLean AdditiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMacLean Additive demonstrated laser powder bed fusion technologies to MTU students during an industry tour supporting the A/SP-sponsored Capstone Project on additive manufacturing for AHSS trim tooling.
• Oakland UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOakland University's Research and Innovation Center hosted MTU students as part of the A/SP-sponsored Capstone Project. Students toured the formability laboratory, reviewed a trim die test system, and learned about research methodologies for evaluating trim die wear and performance. Oakland University received the 2025 A/SP Key Collaborator Award.
• GestampminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGestamp hosted MTU students and A/SP staff at its facility, where students toured the production of large automotive body components ('giga-stampings') manufactured from laser-welded blanks, as part of the A/SP-sponsored Capstone Project.
• WorldAutoSteelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA/SP collaborates with WorldAutoSteel on the AHSS Application Guidelines, a comprehensive online searchable database of global best practices for forming and joining AHSS and 3rd Gen steels. The guidelines database is hosted at ahssinsights.org under WorldAutoSteel's platform. A/SP's Dr. Danny Schaeffler serves as Technical Editor of the guidelines.
• University of WaterloocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Waterloo is a key research collaborator on A/SP projects, contributing to Constitutive & Fracture Modeling and Stamping Team work. Waterloo researchers (Dr. Cliff Butcher, Advaith Narayanan, Rhys Northcote, Patrick Cleary, Cameron Tolton, Elliot Biro) have presented at GDIS and received the 2025 A/SP Key Collaborator Award. Research includes in-plane bending fracture characterization, edge stretchability, and bake hardening methodology for 3G AHSS.
• voestalpineminorStrategic or Co-development Partnervoestalpine received the 2025 A/SP Key Collaborator Award in recognition of valuable contributions to overcoming A/SP project challenges. voestalpine personnel (Patricia Miller, Jim Van Epps) have contributed to collaborative research.
• Engineering Quality Solutions (EQS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering Quality Solutions, led by Dr. Danny Schaeffler, is the primary instructor for A/SP's AHSS Metallurgy, Formability, and Joining training courses. EQS received the 2024 A/SP Key Collaborator Award. Schaeffler is the lead content developer and presenter of all A/SP training materials and serves as Technical Editor of the WorldAutoSteel AHSS Application Guidelines.
• Ohio State University (OSU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA/SP co-developed the A/SP LME Gleeble-Based Testing Procedure (ASP LP2.1) with Ohio State University. OSU researchers (Austin Gordon, Caleb Llaneza, Dr. Antonio Ramirez) collaborated on LME testing methodology for 3rd Gen AHSS.
• University of WindsorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA/SP commissioned Dr. X. Nie of University of Windsor to develop a sliding wear test machine for die wear research supporting the Stamping Tooling Optimization team.
• American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAISI is the parent organization for the automotive steel program and Great Designs in Steel conference. A/SP serves as a key technical collaborator within the AISI automotive program, and AISI presents the Automotive Excellence Award to A/SP collaborative teams at GDIS. A/SP's Executive Director previously held roles at AISI's automotive program.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/auto-steel-partnership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Auto/Steel Partnership