Alcoa Opens New Automotive Centre in Detroit

Alcoa has opened a new Automotive Centre in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA. At the same time the company announced that it has been awarded more than a dozen new product applications by some of the most respected brands in the automotive industry. The new Alcoa Automotive Centre has been created to integrate the efforts of Alcoa’s automotive resources around the world to provide new product and process solutions for some of the largest automakers.

Alcoa’s new automotive centre brings the company’s seven automotive businesses into one building. The 86,000 square feet building will house more that 300 design, engineering and marketing specialists. The opening of the building consolidates Alcoa’s North American automotive businesses into one location, incorporating the company’s other Michigan offices.

Speaking during the opening ceremonies, Alcoa vice president and chairman of Alcoa Fujikura, Bob Alexander said: “Housing all of Alcoa’s automotive businesses together will enable us to provide more customer-centred, consumer-targeted solutions, faster. These businesses manufacture automotive products ranging from electrical distribution and crash management systems to body structure, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, chassis and suspension components to drive shafts, closure panels and aluminium wheels. These Alcoa products generate annual revenues of nearly $3 billion in 2003.”

During the launch event, Alcoa also announced a number of new automotive applications. Theses include an agreement with Ferrari to provide an aluminium spaceframe for the latest Ferrari F430, which will replace the 360 Modena; the successful launch of a new family of forged aluminium wheels for the 2004 Ford Super Duty truck line and Alcoa Automotive Castings will produce the front and rear subframes for GM’s 2006 Corvette and Cadillac XLR. Alcoa has also successfully produced eight new cast aluminium wheels for Nissan and Chrysler Corporation vehicles.