Alcoa Opens State of the Art Aluminum Wheel Facility in Suzhou, China
Grand Opening Celebration Set for Today
Alcoa (NYSE: AA) today announced that its Alcoa Wheel and Transportation
(AWTP) business is opening a production facility in Suzhou, China,
marking an expansion that creates a full wheel manufacturing,
distribution, sales and service network in China. This facility brings
to China Alcoa′s industry-leading forged aluminum wheel technology that
manufactures lighter, stronger and more fuel efficient commercial truck,
trailer and bus wheels. This is the first wheel manufacturing facility
Alcoa has opened in China, adding to the list of existing wheel
facilities in North America, Europe and Japan.
'With the growth of China′s infrastructure and the success Alcoa′s wheel
products have seen in the Chinese market over the past several years, it
was a natural choice to further expand our global manufacturing
footprint by building a facility that could manufacture our products
locally,? said Tim Myers, President, Alcoa Wheel and Transportation
Products. The plant, which is currently up and running with a trained
work force, machines and finishes forged aluminum wheels for commercial
vehicles. Forged wheels are made from solid metal providing an aligned
grain structure with four times the strength of cast wheels. Cast wheels
are made from molten metal and subject to porosity or tiny air bubbles
in the wheel.
AWTP has had a presence in China since 2004, when it began selling
wheels out of Shanghai. Since then, the business has grown to include an
employee base in Guangzhou, Beijing, Jinan and Suzhou. Through additions
to our distribution network earlier this year, Alcoa has built a robust
sales and service presence capable of supporting all of China.
'We are thrilled that our new facility is located in Wuzhong, part of
the Suzhou municipal district, a city currently seeing enormous growth,?
Myers said. 'We have received tremendous support from the Suzhou Wuzhong
Economic Development Zone and local governments. Their professionalism
and guidance greatly facilitated the establishment of the business and
allowed Alcoa to commence operations ahead of schedule.?
To commemorate this milestone for AWTP, a grand opening ceremony is set
for today to be attended by customers, distributors and other honored
guests. For additional details on this event, please contact Shauna
Huang at Shauna.Huang@alcoa.com.
About Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products
Alcoa Wheel & Transportation Products, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio,
serves the commercial vehicle, automotive, and defense markets with
products used in a range of applications including forged aluminum
wheels, premium products such as Dura-Bright ?, Dura-Flange ?, LvL ONE ?
and M-Series? medium truck wheels, as well as a variety of other
aluminum components for these markets. AWTP is composed of three
divisions: Commercial Vehicle Wheels, Forged Specialty Wheels and
Transportation Products. It employs 1,500 people at 13 locations
worldwide. More information can be found at www.alcoawheels.com.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world′s leading producer of primary and fabricated
aluminum, as well as the world′s largest miner of bauxite and refiner of
alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum industry,
Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the aerospace,
automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial
transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the
past 120 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled
products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa ? wheels,
fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building
systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as
titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral
part of Alcoa′s operating practices and the product design and
engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow
Jones Sustainability Index for 11 consecutive years and approximately 75
percent of all of the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in
active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 61,000 people in 31
countries across the world. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.
Alcoa
Investor Contact:
Kelly Pasterick, 212-836-2674
Kelly.Pasterick@alcoa.com
or
Media
Contacts:
Libby Archell, 212-836-2719
Libby.Archell@alcoa.com
or
Alcoa
Wheel and Transportation Products
Sarah Factor, 216-641-4381
Sarah.Factor@alcoa.com
or
Alcoa
Asia Pacific
Shauna Huang, +86 10 5921 5006
Shauna.Huang@alcoa.com
