Novelis says it is to supply high-strength, military-grade aluminium for the upcoming Ford F-Series Super Duty line-up of trucks.
Following the launch of the 2015 Ford F-150, the aluminium-intensive F-Series Super Duty trucks also feature Novelis aluminium alloys in the body and bed, reducing overall vehicle weight by up to 350lb.
The weight reduction enables the use of tougher underbody components such as a new fully-boxed high-strength frame, stronger axles and springs, larger brakes and driveline parts.
The truck series will represent the second-highest volume aluminium application in automotive to date, surpassed only by the F-150, maintains Novelis, which saved up to 700lb pounds of weight.
"Novelis is proud to be a supplier of aluminium sheet for the Super Duty, helping Ford remove weight, improve towing and add payload capability to its truck," said Novelis North America SVP and president, Marco Palmieri.
Novelis will produce the aluminium sheet for the F-Series Super Duty trucks at its plant in Oswego, N.Y. The plant is in the process of commissioning its third automotive sheet finishing line, which has been contracted to support production of the Super Duty and will begin shipping product in spring, 2016.
Novelis forecasts the global demand for aluminium automotive sheet will continue to grow and automotive aluminium will represent around 25% of Novelis' total shipments when all five of its new global automotive lines are fully utilised.
Since 2011, Novelis has invested more than US$550m globally to triple its automotive sheet capacity.
Demand for aluminium is rapidly increasing as automakers strive to design a new generation of lighter, higher-performing vehicles with improved fuel economy and reduced life-cycle emissions.
In the automotive industry, Novelis products are featured in more than 180 models of vehicles produced by automakers around the globe.
