According to Outokumpu, the manufacturer, RBS Group, has selected its high-chromium ferritic grade stainless steel, Core 4622, to make the light-box frames for the signs, which are being built for 7-Eleven convenience stores in Thailand.

Nopol Chuklin, managing director of RBS Group, said the company was looking for an alternative to standard 304-grade stainless and found it in the Outokumpu product.

“For the equipment RBS was supplying to 7-Eleven, it was critical that the stainless steel would offer needed corrosion resistance with good weld-ability. With Core 4622 meeting our requirements, and being price competitive with 304, we got a cost-effective material. Only some adjustments had to be made in the manufacturing process to accommodate,” he said in a statement.

Based on the success of the light box production, Chuklin’s company is expanding its use of Core 4622 to other equipment, beginning with countertops, according to Outokumpu.

Outokumpu said the new grade is a competitive alternative to standard 304 because it contains no nickel, yet it has similar corrosion resistance. It also has better deep-drawability, it said.