Constellium and UACJ have officially opened their new manufacturing plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, to supply aluminium automotive body sheet to the North American automotive industry through their joint venture, Constellium-UACJ ABS.
The 225,000 square foot facility will house an initial capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes. It has secured its metal supply with both partners' rolling mills. The factory expects to offer a flat rolled product portfolio for a wide range of applications including closure panels, as well as body structures. The plant is currently in qualification phase, with ramp-up planned over the next two years. The line is essentially committed with orders from unnamed "leading automotive OEMs" in North America.
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"The opening represents a significant step towards securing our position as a leading player in the fast growing North American automotive body sheet market," said Simon Laddychuk, chief executive officer of the joint venture. "Constellium and UACJ's combined industrial legacy and best-in-class assets, as well as our leading position in innovation with the opening of a new R&D hub in Plymouth, Michigan, position the joint venture to be the partner of choice for North American automotive OEMs."
"The opening of the first North American automotive body sheet finishing line with our partner UACJ, is an important milestone in our goal to become a global leader in aluminium automotive solutions," said Jean-Marc Germain, chief executive officer of Constellium. "As a one-stop shop, Constellium is well-positioned to provide automotive OEMs with innovative rolled and extruded products, which lighten vehicle weight, while offering exceptional performance characteristics."
The North American aluminium body sheet market is expanding rapidly to respond to stringent automotive regulations calling for major car weight reduction and fuel efficiency. As a growing number of automotive OEMs integrate aluminium in their models, the use of aluminium automotive body sheet in North America increased from 70kt in 2012 to approximately 500kt in 2015 and is forecast to reach more than 1,000kt in 2020.
