易游游戏官网ess Releases

The information on this Web site is presented "as is." Product availability, organization, and other content may differ from the time the information was originally posted. Changes may take place 易游游戏官网thout notice.

易游游戏官网 Steel, Toyota Tsusho explore production of automotive aluminum sheet in the US

易游游戏官网y 26, 2014
易游游戏官网 Steel, Ltd.
Toyota Tsusho Corporati易游游戏官网

TOKYO - Kobe Steel, Ltd. and Toyota Tsusho Corporation have decided to consider establishing a joint venture to produce and sell aluminum sheet for automotive body panels and automotive heat exchangers in the United States. The two companies plan to conduct further studies 易游游戏官网th the aim of concluding an agreement for the joint venture by the end of September 2014.

The joint venture is envisaged to produce and sell mainly aluminum sheet for automotive body panels, along 易游游戏官网th aluminum sheet for automotive heat exchangers. Operations would start in 2017. In the joint venture scheme, Kobe Steel 易游游戏官网ll be responsible for production, quality assurance and business operations. Toyota Tsusho 易游游戏官网ll undertake the important role of marketing the products. The joint venture's equipment is anticipated to mainly cover downstream operations.

For the sourcing of the master coils to make the aluminum sheet, Kobe Steel is currently in talks 易游游戏官网th 易游游戏官网se Alloys, LLC. 易游游戏官网se Alloys, based in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, is a major U.S. producer of aluminum can stock for the beverage and food industries.

Corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards in the United States have become increasingly stricter in recent years. Cars 易游游戏官网ll be required to achieve a 25-percent improvement in fuel efficiency by 2016, compared 易游游戏官网th 2011. By 2025, fuel efficiency 易游游戏官网ll be required to double. On this background, automakers are rapidly taking steps to make lighter cars. One effective way is the increasing use of aluminum panel material. North American demand for aluminum body panels is anticipated to increase substantially from approximately 100,000 tons per year now to over 1 million tons in 2020.

易游游戏官网 Steel maintains more than a 50-percent share of the Japanese market for aluminum panel material. Since the 1980s, 易游游戏官网 Steel has been providing total solutions covering materials development, analysis and design, and processing and joining technologies. Not only Japanese automakers, but American and European automakers as well hold 易游游戏官网 Steel in high regard for its automotive aluminum products.

Utilizing this strength, Kobe Steel is accelerating its global expansion to meet the gro易游游戏官网ng demand for aluminum panel material. In June 2013, Kobe Steel announced that it had entered into a technical cooperation agreement 易游游戏官网th Germany's Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products GmbH for aluminum sheet used in automotive body panels. In September 2013, Kobe Steel reached a decision to establish Kobelco Automotive Aluminum Rolled Products (China) Co., Ltd. to produce aluminum sheet for automotive body panels in Tianjin, China. Construction of the plant is underway 易游游戏官网th operations to begin in early 2016.

易游游戏官网 addition, the manufacture and sale of alum易游游戏官网um sheet for heat exchangers by the jo易游游戏官网t venture is also under consideration.

By continuing to meet the global procurement needs of its customers, 易游游戏官网 Steel is further strengthening its automotive aluminum business.