Steel forgings are rightly regarded as extremely safe and reliable components. Consequently, they are widely employed in automobile construction, e.g. for steering, chassis, transmission and engine components. Steel forgings are given preference, in particular, in the case of safety components in which absolute reliability is imperative. Forgings offer three main quality-related benefits: high process reliability in production, superior material properties and ease of testing. The advanced possibilities of component design employing forging technology can be best utilised - particularly in the case of new designs - through direct and early cooperation between the designing engineer, forging specialist and manufacturer.