2 09, 2014

Real Truck Drivers Put Aluminum To The Test

2015-06-18T15:33:04+00:00September 2nd, 2014|

As we get closer to the public launch of the aluminum-based Ford F-150, Ford is already ramping up its PR campaign. Part of that is addressing the unknown quantity about how “tough” aluminum truly is. Most people continue to associate it with easily crushed soda cans, but experts with material properties backgrounds understand why it was chosen.

For the everyday Joe, though, sometimes it’s easier to simply see a video demonstration. From HybridCars.com:

Four truck customers have been offered the chance to get behind the wheel of Ford’s new aluminum-built, EcoBoost-powered 2015 F-150.

Ford started releasing last Friday the first of four videos in the “You Test” series; these videos will show, said Ford, how these customers tested the all-new F-150 at www.BuiltToughTest.com.

The company explained these truck customers were selected from more than 15,000 submissions, in which entrants described how they would test the toughness of the new F-150 pickup.

“Our four winners demonstrate how Built Ford Tough isn’t simply a tagline – it’s our brand commitment that F-150 gets the job done, day in and day out,” said Doug Scott, Ford Truck Group marketing manager. “The videos show real-world testing beyond testing already conducted by Ford engineers. This is what matters most – serving our customers.”

Click through to the original article to see all four demonstration videos or go to the official F-150 website.

11 07, 2014

Alcoa’s Strong Earnings Bode Well For Industry

2015-06-18T15:33:04+00:00July 11th, 2014|

The aluminum industry feels like it’s gathering momentum from a range of sources. Mainstream media doesn’t always pick up on this, despite the huge spotlight created by the automotive industry. That’s why it was refreshing to see the impact of the earnings report from aluminum stalwart Alcoa.  From Marketwatch:

Stock reaction : Alcoa’s stock has rallied 15% since the end of the first quarter through Monday, and is up 39% so far this year, versus gains of 5.6% and 7%, respectively, for the S&P 500. Since Sept. 23, 2013, when the stock was booted out of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the shares have soared 78%, while the Dow has advanced 11% over the same period. However, the stock hasn’t had a great track record of rising after results. Looking back at the day after the company’s last 10 quarterly reports were revealed, the stock closed lower five times, according to FactSet.

Key points : Investors will keep an eye on Alcoa’s outlook for the global aerospace sector, given that the company announced last month that it acquired Firth Rixson for $2.85 billion to bolster its aerospace business. Analyst Anthony Rizzuto at Cowen & Co. believes the acquisition of Firth Rixson is part of the company’s transition away from being an aluminum producer to a specialty materials company.

Notice how Alcoa’s fortunes are tied more into the aerospace industry rather than automotive. That means that manufacturing teams across a range of industries see the benefits of going aluminum. Perhaps in the near future, seeing mainstream accolades will be the norm rather than a surprising find.

27 06, 2014

Ford Squashes Rumors About Delivery & Manufacturing Delays

2015-06-18T15:33:04+00:00June 27th, 2014|

The Ford F-150 and its aluminum body have gotten plenty of attention in 2014. With the launch imminent, rumors have started to swirl regarding delays and manufacturing difficulties. Is there any truth to this? Not at all, says Ford President Joe Hinrichs. From Time Magazine:

“Everything is on schedule and everything is going as planned,” Ford Americas President Joe Hinrichs told reporters, speaking at Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan (via Automotive News), adding that he was “very confident in this vehicle.” Morgan Stanley’s analyst Ravi Shanker had said earlier that Ford’s planned factory retooling, which it has to perform in order to produce the new pickup, would result in “slow changeover, with tight supply.”

Ford has noted the planned retooling would temporarily deplete its production by over 90,000 F-Series pickups, reducing company sales and profits. Furthermore, margins are expected to be lower on the new aluminum-bodied F-150. But Ford views all of that as necessary back-stepping to be first to market with a truck that uses a combination of “military-grade aluminum and high-strength steel,” and that’ll weigh roughly 700 pounds less than the version it’s replacing.

Of course, only time will tell whether or not Ford is putting on a brave face on top of manufacturing delays. But we’ll take it all at face value and assume things are full speed ahead for now.

12 03, 2014

Two Months Later: What Has Ford Learned About Aluminum?

2017-01-26T23:37:29+00:00March 12th, 2014|

These days, aluminum and the Ford F-150 are pretty synonymous. Since the big reveal a short while back, the automotive industry has been buzzing and Ford has been in the media non-stop answering questions and responding to comments about the topic.

 

At the recent 2014 Geneva Motor Show, Ford executives reflected on the past two months since the reveal, and Motor Trend has it covered:

 

Mark Fields, Chief Operating Officer: This Was Not A Risky Bet

“Well the first thing we learned is people really like it… not only the response at the show, but obviously in looking at the blogs, in looking at the comments. I think people love the design, because it’s very progressive.

 

They’re very curious around… tell me more… tell me more about the payload, towing, fuel economy, things of that nature. So it’s been a lot of learning around that, which is really helpful for us as we look at our go to market strategy. So we’re very pleased with the response we’ve had so far.

 

Jim Farley, Executive Vice President, Global Marketing, Sales, Service and Lincoln: About The Repair Training Program

“I think we learned a lot to be honest. There was a lot more questions about repairability, so we’ve suddenly had to take our service engineering team primetime with the media now.

 

“We are about halfway into signing up the number of dealers that we need for the repairability. You know about 20% of the repairs for full size trucks are done by dealers, about 80% are independent repair body shops. We signed up about 400 dealers now – I think it’s just shy of 500 dealers – and so we’re about halfway to our goal. And we’ll have that training done by the third quarter, and all the equipment installed, the rivet guns, the MIG welders, all the containment

[gear]…

 

For much more, including further responses from Fields and Farley, as well as input from Global Product Development Vice President Raj Nair, see the full article.

1 03, 2014

Steel Industry Reacts To Aluminum-Based Cars

2017-01-26T23:37:29+00:00March 1st, 2014|

Aluminum is gaining momentum. There’s no two ways about it. The most obvious sign is the probably the amount of mainstream attention the Ford F-150 has gotten since its unveiling (the second most-obvious sign is the volume of car-related posts on this blog). The steel industry used to be the main force behind automotive manufacturing, and with aluminum being recognized for both its strength and mass properties, the balance of power is shifting. From the New York Times:

The shift to aluminum is gaining momentum. Automakers are under increasing pressure to meet strict new fuel-economy standards by 2025, and their use of lighter aluminum is expected to double between 2008 and 2025, according to Ducker Worldwide, a research firm in Troy, Mich.

As a result, Severstal sees little choice but to move toward making advanced — and lighter — high-strength steel.

This year, it plans to make half a million tons more in its Dearborn facility than last year’s run of 2.1 million tons. Part of that demand will come from the F-150, whose frame has increased its use of high-strength steel from 23 percent to 77 percent, a change that will save up to 60 pounds, according to Ford.

“The F-150 is a big turning point,” said Andrew Lane, a metals analyst with Morningstar. “It’s a bold effort by Ford.”

Other steel makers are changing their ways, too. United States Steel has invested $400 million in a joint venture with Kobe Steel of Japan to make advanced high-strength steel in a Leipsic, Ohio, factory expected to produce 500,000 tons annually.

The consideration by carmakers of using more aluminum is actually opening up opportunities for producers of advanced steel, according to Jody Shaw, manager of automotive technical marketing at U.S. Steel.

“It’s those little changes that they’re willing to accept that’s creating an opportunity,” Mr. Shaw said.

While we’re obviously happy that aluminum is getting greater usage and recognition in the auto industry, the truth of the matter is that this will drive innovation in the steel industry – and the more industries innovate and reinvent themselves, the more the consumer wins.

19 02, 2014

GM Looks To Aluminum For Manufacturing Overhaul

2015-06-18T15:33:05+00:00February 19th, 2014|

Tesla was just the start. Ford was the next domino to fall. Now, America’s other big auto manufacturer is ready to follow suit. General Motors must think aluminum is a good idea, because a report from the Wall Street Journal states that the company wants most of their truck fleet to have aluminum bodies by 2018.

 

General Motors Co. GM +0.66%  is accelerating efforts to field a largely aluminum-bodied pickup truck by late 2018, under pressure from federal fuel efficiency standards and archrival Ford Motor Co. F +0.17%  , according to people familiar with the matter.

 

The No. 1 U.S. auto maker recently locked-in supply contracts with Alcoa Inc. AA +4.56% and Novelis Inc., which are now working to increase their aluminum sheet production to supply the next-generation GM pickup, the people said. Aluminum sheet for automotive bodies is in such high demand that companies need to order it years in advance.

 

The push to develop what the industry calls an “aluminum intensive” large pickup marks an apparent change of direction for GM, which has pursued smaller and lighter weight steel-bodied trucks.

 

The article goes on to state that Chrysler, the other member of Detroit’s Big Three, is looking to increase fuel efficiency by looking at other options: transmission mechanics, axle efficiency, and gasoline options. From our perspective, though, we’re inviting them to come take a look at the aluminum revolution — we think they’ll be pleased with what they find.

5 02, 2014

Aluminum Repair Industry Reaches New Heights

2015-06-18T15:33:06+00:00February 5th, 2014|

One of the many questions coming out of the Detroit Auto Show involved the repair process of aluminum-body cars. More specifically, pundits were concerned with the new type of repair and manufacturing needed to enact repairs on an entirely new material, and there was even word that Ford would subsidize F-150 repair costs.

On the other side of this, companies that make aluminum repair tools must have seen dollar signs when all of these concerns were voiced. For example, VSG member Elektron polished off a brand new press release just the other day. From PR Newswire:

Elektron’s new MultiTool Aluminum Dent Repair Station is a complete mobile workstation equipped with the tools technicians need to properly repair dents in aluminum sheet metal body panels and hoods.

Because ferrous metal can contaminate aluminum and cause corrosion (leading to adhesion issues and paint failure), best practices for aluminum repair call for dedicated aluminum repair areas and equipment. Elektron’s MultiTool Aluminum Dent Repair Station includes a work area as well as space for storing the tools used exclusively on aluminum components.

“The new MultiTool Aluminum Dent Repair Station is self-contained and mobile, making it easy to use in shops with dedicated aluminum repair bays as well as those that only work on aluminum occasionally and need something that can be pulled out as necessary,” explains Mike Cranfill, vice president of collision for Vehicle Service Group (VSG), Elektron’s parent company. “Many vehicle hoods are already made out of aluminum and the use of aluminum in vehicles in North America will continue to increase. The Elektron MultiTool Aluminum Dent Repair Station represents an affordable investment in a shop’s future by providing equipment necessary to work on the next generation of cars and trucks.”

MotorTrend also took a look at this from a more objective perspective:

There are multiple new requirements for dealerships and repair facilities that work on aluminum bodies. However, Ford is making some concessions to dealerships by waiving a the requirement for a completely separate “clean room” and just requiring a curtained-off work area for the aluminum body. It’s important to keep aluminum and steel separated to prevent possible galvanic corrosion.

Eurovac, a small manufacturer of specialized vacuum and air extractors based in Concord, Ontario, which currently has 25 employees, expects that number to grow substantially in the years ahead. Rob Retter of Eurovac calls the new F-150 “the biggest thing in the history of our company.” Ford is requiring the purchase of a specialized vacuum to remove aluminum dust from shop floors. The Eurovac II vacuum model costs $10,125.

Not only is the aluminum manufacturing industry benefitting from the recent trend, it’s now clear that the business tangential to the industry will reach new highs as well.

28 01, 2014

Bloomberg TV On The New F-150

2017-01-26T23:37:29+00:00January 28th, 2014|

The Detroit Auto Show has come and gone, and now that the curtain has been lifted on Ford’s aluminum-based 2015 F-150 trucks, mainstream pundits are looking at the impact of aluminum on the auto industry. Bloomberg TV dedicated an entire segment to this topic, and you can see the whole video here.

Some highlights include:

  • The fact that the aluminum body makes the F-150 700 lbs less.
  • Audi has been using aluminum for more than 20 years.
  • The F-150 is “the most important” unveiling of the year.

Now that the public has seen the F-150, dealerships are considering the logistics of this new model, particularly the repair. More on that in the coming weeks.

30 10, 2013

Breakthrough Aluminum Research Opens The Door To New Manufacturing Possibilities

2015-06-18T15:33:06+00:00October 30th, 2013|

Aluminum is already one of the most preferred manufacturing materials in the world thanks to its many beneficial properties and near-zero-waste recycling. Of course, as with any material, there’s still much to learn to help get the most out of the manufacturing process. Good thing that scientists over at two Oregon universities have discovered a way to make aluminum even more desirable. From Science Daily:

Researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Oregon today announced a scientific advance that has eluded researchers for more than 100 years — a platform to study and fully understand the aqueous chemistry of aluminum, one of the world’s most important metals.

The findings, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, should open the door to significant advances in electronics and many other fields, ranging from manufacturing to construction, agriculture and drinking water treatment.

Aluminum, in solution with water, affects the biosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere and anthrosphere, the scientists said in their report. It may be second only to iron in its importance to human civilization. But for a century or more, and despite the multitude of products based on it, there has been no effective way to explore the enormous variety and complexity of compounds that aluminum forms in water.

Now there is.

That’s a pretty bold statement — but for the uninitiated (i.e. anyone without an advanced degree in chemistry or material science) it’s a little convoluted. So what does this exactly mean?

In layman’s terms, this new technique opens the door to nano-level precision with aluminum manufacturing.

Besides developing the new platform, this study also discovered one behavior for aluminum in water that had not been previously observed. This is a “flat cluster” of one form of aluminum oxide that’s relevant to large scale productions of thin films and nanoparticles, and may find applications in transistors, solar energy cells, corrosion protection, catalytic converters and other uses.

Ultimately, researchers say they expect new technologies, “green” products, lowered equipment costs, and aluminum applications that work better, cost less and have high performance.

The easier way to look at it is this: scientists have discovered the door that opens up all new possibilities with aluminum manufacturing. As with any breakthrough, we’re only on the cusp, and the possibilities will probably surprise us in the near future.

2 10, 2013

American Automakers Now Source More Aluminum Than European Ones

2017-01-26T23:37:29+00:00October 2nd, 2013|

Over the past five years, European car manufacturers carried the flag as users of aluminum. However, this year marks a tipping point as American companies have now overtaken their European counterparts when it comes to aluminum usage. This is most likely due to a combination of factors — market demands for innovation, overall vehicle frame size, and government standards for MPG. From Bloomberg:

Ford Motor Co. is among manufacturers rolling out new cars that substitute aluminum for heavier steel. Use of the lightweight metal in vehicles is rising about 5 percent a year, according to Barclays Plc. Making car bodies consumes about 350,000 metric tons of aluminum sheet a year, of which Atlanta-based Novelis produces 250,000 tons, according to Erwin Mayr, president of Novelis Europe.

U.S. vehicles are incorporating more aluminum because of Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards that limit fuel usage and consumer demand for cars that are more economic and cause less pollution, Mayr said in an interview. European manufacturers including Volkswagen AG’s Audi unit and Daimler AG were leaders in the past five years, he said.

“Now the trend is being completely taken over by the big carmakers in North America,” Mayr said in Geneva on Sept. 18. “Americans tend to drive big cars, so they need to make them lighter. You need a lot of aluminum.”

Ford’s F-150 truck, containing more than 1,000 pounds of the metal, may raise the average content in vehicles to 650 pounds, according to Bloomberg Industries estimates. Aluminum usage per car will average 160 kilograms (352 pounds) by 2020, against 140 kilograms last year, according to slides in a presentation last week by Werner Stelzer, a former executive at Canadian producer Alcan who is an auto and aluminum consultant.

In addition to the F-150, Chevrolet’s new Corvette Stingray will feature an aluminum frame. It’s not just for hybrid’s and MPG-conscious commuter cars; now we’re seeing aluminum used as the body for American standards across the spectrum.

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