Rolled Products - through thick and thin

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 12:56 PM Side 1
Published by Hydro Aluminium – 1-2004
Rolled Products
- through thick and thin

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 12:57 PM Side 2
Editor in Chief:
Marianne M. Aamodt
Editorial staff:
Vagn Grønbjerg
Lynn Brown
Anja Graf
Viggo Skeisvoll
Holger Koester
Kari Wangen Ulvin
Kevin Widlic
Produced by:
Hydro Media
04.2004 – 46886
Managing Editor:
Craig Johnson
Project Manager:
Karin Tangerud
Contributors:
Dag Sunnanå
Kevin Widlic
Print:
Kampen Grafisk, Oslo
Addresses:
GLOBE
Hydro Aluminium Metal Products
N-0240 Oslo
Norway
Tel.: +47 22 53 81 00
Fax: +47 22 53 79 30
Hydro Aluminium Primary Metal
N-0240 Oslo
Norway
Tel.: +47 22 53 81 00
Fax: +47 22 53 79 30
Hydro Aluminium Automotive
Ettore-Bugatti-Straße 6 - 14
51149 Köln, Germany
Germany
Tel.: +49 2203 890 4000
Fax: +49 2203 890 4890
Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products
Ettore-Bugatti-Straße 6 - 14
51149 Köln, Germany
Germany
Tel.: +49 2203 890 4000
Fax: +49 2203 890 4890
Hydro Aluminium Extrusion
Route de Chavannes 31
CH-1007 Lausanne
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 21 621 83 83
Fax: +41 21 621 83 43
Hydro Aluminum North America
801 International Drive,
Suite 200
Linthicum, MD 21090-2245
USA
Tel.: +1 410 487 4500
Fax: +1 410 487 8053
Internet:
www.hydro.com
2 ALUGLOBE 1-2004
8&9 - keeping cars cool
4&5 - drink cartons slim down with aluminium
12&13 - best protection against hot engine parts
16&17- ramping up
20&21 - kicking back - in style
6&7 - the amazing aluminium can
10&11- radical radiators
14&15 - lighter tankers - bigger loads
22&23 - Alubriefs
18&19 - a strong grip in Vitória
24 - getting a handle on aluminium

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 12:58 PM Side 3
through thick and thin
Rolled products come in all shapes
and sizes, thick enough for tanker
vehicles, yet thin enough – thinner
than a human hair – for drinks containers.
Hydro Aluminium produces both
of these, and just about everything in
between.
We supply a host of materials to
companies whose products touch the
lives of millions of people every day.
Our key application areas are automotive,
transport, packaging, building,
printing, shipbuilding, engineering,
electrical and domestic industries.
Our goal is not just to meet our
customers’ expectations, but to
exceed them. We create sustainable
solutions backed by our technical
expertise developed over the 85 years
we’ve been in the aluminium business.
We help our customers to develop
innovative solutions through close
cooperation supported by dedicated
research and development.
Hydro Aluminium employs leading
technologies in thin strip casting and
ultra-wide strip lacquering at high
speeds, and we hold a leading position
in foil for liquid packaging, lithographic
sheet and strip for cans.
We offer high-volume capacity
down to niche focus in all product
segments. Add to this our fast
response times and personal attention,
and you’ll see that we help strengthen
your business.
In this issue, we present a variety of
rolled products applications, from
aseptic drinks containers and beverage
cans to heat transfer applications
for radiators and condensers and on
to heat shields and liquid tanks for
automotive and heavy transportation.
These actually represent just a few
examples of the wide range of what
Hydro Aluminium can offer, though. To
learn even more, visit www.hydro.com.
But first, turn the page to see what
some of our customers have been
able to accomplish.
Svein Richard Brandtzæg
President, Rolled Products
ALUGLOBE 1-2004 3

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 12:58 PM Side 4
SAFE SEALS:
Safe packaging for the drinks industry
will continue to be in focus.
drinks cartons
slim down with aluminum
“It’s no exaggeration to say that Hydro
Aluminum has been a pioneer in the
development of the foil thickness we
need for our drinks cartons,” says
Detlev M. Bartsch, purchasing manager
at SIG Combibloc in Linnich,
Germany.
Aluminum foil forms an important
part of the drinks cartons, even though
it accounts for only 4 percent of the
total weight. Polyethylene, which is
4 ALUGLOBE 1-2004
used as the inside and outside coat
makes up 21 percent, and cardboard
forms 75 percent of the weight.
A reduction in the thickness of the
foil from 6.65 to 6 microns may seem
insignificant. But for a company that
consumes large volumes of aluminum
worldwide, the difference adds up to
significant savings. It is also a major
technological step forwards, says
Bartsch, pointing out that an aluminum
lid on a yogurt carton is five times as
thick.
“There has been a fruitful collaboration
between the product developers
in Linnich and Hydro Aluminum’s technicians.
The quality of the aluminum
foil is essential for the laminated end
product,” he explains.
These laminated cartons have
excellent sealing qualities, and can tolerate
the printing process well. This is

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 12:58 PM Side 5
SIG Combibloc is a leading global supplier
of aseptic drinks cartons that uses Hydro’s
6-micron foil. That’s thinner than a single
strand of human hair.
important, as drinks producers need to
attract the eye of the consumer with
their design and branding.
Each year SIG Combibloc produces
material for more than 10 billion cartons,
mainly for fruit juices and other
refreshing drinks. The thin layer of aluminum
in the carton has several benefits:
it forms a barrier against the
effects of light and also makes the carton
airtight. Bartsch says that safe
i
info
SIG Combibloc GmbH
www.sigcombibloc.com
Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products
www.hydro.com
packaging will continue to be a critical
issue for the food industry, and that
aluminium will play an important role.
SIG Combibloc is positioning itself
to tap into growth in the business, and
use even more aluminium in its products.
“SIG Combibloc is growing most
rapidly in Asia, where the market is
developing fast. There is also growth in
the Middle East; Africa and Russia are
i
MAJOR PRODUCER: Nearly 1,700 people
are employed in the production of packaging
and the development of complete tapping
systems for the drinks industry at SIG
Combibloc in Linnich, northeast of Aachen.
expected to follow on. It is important
for SIG Combibloc to establish operations
in the up and coming markets,”
Bartsch says.
“We have decided to expand our
global position and concentrate on our
core expertise. We have to concentrate
on what we are good at.”
BENEFITS: “Aluminum offers clear advantages
compared to other barrier materials in drinks
cartons,” says Detlev Bartsch, purchasing manager
at SIG Combibloc.
ALUGLOBE 1-2004 5

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 12:59 PM Side 6
HISTORICAL:
The first drink cans from Schmalbach-
Lubeca, now Ball Packaging Europe, left, a forerunner model
from the 1930s. The beer can for the Frankfurt brewery Henninger, which was
launched in 1951, was initially intended to be supplied to the American armed forces.
the amazing
aluminium can
Ball Corp. puts life into beverage cans. In fact, the company
puts more into its cans than one might expect.
BY THE YARD:
An employee at the
Ball Packaging Europe
Technical Center in Bonn
resets the company’s
own filling unit used to
carry out filling trials.
6 ALUGLOBE 1-2004

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 12:59 PM Side 7
“We are a nuts-and-bolts type of company
that is strong in technology. It
might not sound exciting, but innovation
is constantly changing our business,
and that is exciting for Ball, our
customers and our suppliers,” says
John Martin, vice president in charge
of purchasing for Ball's Packaging
Operations.
Established in 1880, Ball Corp. has
grown over the years to become a
Fortune 500 company. The Denver,
Colorado-based company is one of
the largest beverage can manufacturers
in the world.
“But we are more interested in
being the best than we are in being
the biggest,” says R. David Hoover,
Ball's chairman, president and chief
executive officer.
Indeed, Ball’s beverage can technology
is used in the production of
more than 50 billion cans annually. Ball
uses aluminum for the majority of its
production.
More than two-thirds of the company's
pro forma sales are drawn from
its beverage can business, which
serves customers like Anheuser-
Busch, Coca-Cola, Coors Brewing,
Pepsi-Cola and SAB-Miller Brewing.
i
info
Ball Corp.
Tel. +1 303 469 3131
www.ball.com
Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products
Manfred.Mertens@hydro.com
www.hydro.com
Strength in people
The biggest area of change in the beverage
can market is linked to size and
shape: bigger cans, smaller cans,
shaped cans.
“We're working very hard to develop
these niche markets,” says Martin,
who adds that while Ball is considered
a leader with its production technology,
it is people who will keep the company
ahead of competitors.
“All the can manufacturers in the
world have basically the same equipment,”
he says. “The key is having the
people who provide the best technical
support. We invest in our people.”
Martin adds that Ball looks for the
same type of support from its suppliers:
“Our job in purchasing is to make
sure we supply our plants with the
best product available. We want suppliers
who are both financially and
technically strong, and who will work
together with us on joint technical projects.
We work very closely with our
suppliers.”
Tight specifications
Ball has been doing business with
Hydro Aluminium for many years.
Martin says this business “has grown
i
nicely together because they are very
good at what they do. Hydro is an
important supplier for us.”
In fact, Hydro supplies Ball production
facilities or licensees in Asia,
Europe, North America, and South
America with rolled aluminum body
stock, end stock and tab stock for
beverage cans.
“Ball helps make us stronger as a
supplier,” says Manfred Mertens of
Hydro Aluminium. “We work together
on projects that improve our competence,
and they keep us focused on
continuous improvement in our operations.”
Ball's production facilities, for
instance, often have metal specifications
that are unique from location to
location. In other words, Ball suppliers
must have the ability to “perfect the
metal” along a wide range of specifications
and tolerances and deliver plant
to plant.
“The bottom line,” says Martin, “is
that you have got to have consistent
quality every day. That's our business.”
BEST, NOT JUST BIGGEST:
Quality is just as important to John Martin,
vice president of Ball Corp.’s Packaging
Operations.
ALUGLOBE 1-2004 7

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 12:59 PM Side 8
ENVIRONMENTAL
ADVANTAGE:
Primary aluminium
is used in radiators
and air conditioning
systems, but the
recycling of heat
exchange units at
the end of the car’s
lifetime gives aluminium
an environmental
advantage.
keeping cars cool
Behr started operations in Feuerbach
near Stuttgart, not far from either
DaimlerChrysler or Porsche. So it is
really no surprise to find a company
that serves the leading players in the
automotive industry in this area.
With its roots in Germany, Behr has
successfully followed automotive producers
around the world. Today it
delivers products from 14 factories in
Germany, France, Spain, Czech
Republic, Brazil, South Africa, the US
and India. In addition, Behr recently
8 ALUGLOBE 1-2004
decided to move closer to the Chinese
market by setting up a production unit
in Shanghai.
Today, aluminium has grown to
account for around 80 percent of the
materials used in heat exchange functions
(the remaining 20 percent are
mostly synthetics). Aluminium’s
unique properties, such as
light weight, corrosion resistance
and good weldability,
make it ideal for heat
exchanger applications.
MAJOR CUSTOMER: “Behr is an important and complex customer,” says Pascal Wagner (left),
representing Hydro, together with purchasing manager Christian Wolf from the Behr group.
“Although our main area is the
automotive market, the Behr group
also delivers to other branches of the
transport sector, such as trains, airplanes
and helicopters,” says purchasing
manager Christian Wolf.

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:00 PM Side 9
The first radiators produced by the German company Behr
may have been masterpieces in copper. But now aluminium
has virtually taken over as the leading material for radiators
and air conditioning systems in vehicles.
Technical collaboration
Hydro is the most important supplier
of aluminium for Behr’s products,
mainly rolled materials, but also extrusions,
all of which pass through Behr’s
production plants on their way to a
variety of automotive producers all
over the world.
The rolled strip in various alloys and
formats comes from Hydro plants in
Grevenbroich and Hamburg in
Germany, Irurtzun in Spain, and in the
future will also be delivered from
Holmestrand in Norway, notes Hydro
sales manager Pascal Wagner.
For a company with global operations
such as Behr, it is important to
work closely on product development
with its global suppliers. The aluminium
used must be of top quality and
able to withstand significant stresses.
The technical cooperation between the
two companies takes place through
regular meetings between Behr’s
development department and representatives
from Hydro’s research center
in Bonn, Germany, in Karmøy,
Norway, and in the technical departments
at other Hydro plants.
i
info
Behr GmbH & Co. KG
Christian Wolf
www.behrgroup.com
Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products
Pascal.Wagner@hydro.com
www.hydro.com
Wolf points out that product development
has to allow for the various standards
in the markets to be served.
Regulations vary between Europe, the
US and Asia, for example on the thickness
of the tubing, strength values,
corrosion resistance and so on.
Behr’s main research activities are
carried out at the center in Feuerbach,
where a wind channel has been constructed.
Research and development
work also takes place at a plant Behr
took over from DaimlerChrysler in Ohio
in the US.
Central purchasing system
The Behr group has grown steadily
and is now in a period of expansion,
as illustrated by the decision to establish
an operation in China.
“We follow up our customers
through a global logistics system. It is
also extremely important to promote
our leading technological position, as
customers are particularly interested in
this,” Wolf points out.
Despite the global nature of the
company, purchasing is done centrally
rather than from different suppliers in
each country. This way, it is easier to
gain a good overview of aluminium
prices compared with other input
i
factors. Behr purchases a total of
more than 50,000 tonnes a year from
the large aluminium producers, not
least Hydro.
Market volumes are growing, and
more and more cars in all categories
now include air conditioning. In the
US, this applies to 95 percent of all
cars. The figure for Europe is 80 percent,
and major increases are expected
particularly in China in the years to
come.
Overview
Wolf sees his job as purchasing manager
in a strategic context. This
involves more than just maintaining an
overview of prices. He works with a
global view, getting to know local cultures,
raw materials and market conditions,
and seeing all of this in a global
perspective.
It is a definite advantage to be
familiar with the suppliers’ technology
and Behr’s in-house processes, as he
points out. In other words, you need a
total overview. It is also important to
have an organizational network and to
get feedback on material specifications.
Last, but not least, you have to
be able to negotiate:
“When we’re discussing prices we
also have to allow a margin so that our
suppliers are able to continue their
research work. Since aluminium is the
main part of our product, advantages
concerning machinability and price are
of great importance. We are both
dependent on that.”
ALUGLOBE 1-2004 9

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:00 PM Side 10
Hydro’s new concept for pre-fluxed
aluminium parts for automotive heat transfer
applications, HYBRAZ, is heating up the radiator business.
radical radiators
Mark Westwood, grandson of the
PMA Group company founder,
inspects one of his radiators, fresh off
the production line, with intense interest.
It has passed through the brazing
furnace almost twice as fast as normal
in addition to skipping the usual
degreasing and fluxing processes.
If this works, he is thinking, there’ll
be brass in it. Not real brass, but
money, as the saying goes in some
parts of England. What will bring him
10 ALUGLOBE 1-2004
TIGHT SEAL: The HYBRAZ-treated
radiator saves on time and equipment.
this extra profit are the pre-fluxed aluminium
products from Hydro.
Save time, save money
The assembly of aluminium parts for
heat exchangers like radiators and
condensers requires brazing in a furnace.
This brazing process uses flux to
enable the flow of the braze alloy
cladding on some of the radiator components.
The brazing alloy melts at a
lower temperature than the core of
aluminium, creating a bond or fillet
where the individual parts meet.
The result: a watertight precision
unit capable of withstanding the
stresses of today’s high-performance
automobile engines.
When Hydro was looking for a testing
partner for the new HYBRAZ
concept, PMA was a natural. As Hydro
heat transfer sales manager Bob Ward
explains, the family-controlled business
could make swift decisions. “We were

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:00 PM Side 11
CLOSER LOOK: Mark Westwood (left)
of PMA inspects a test radiator with
Hydro’s Bob Ward.
able to present the HYBRAZ concept
to PMA, which made a very quick
and pragmatic decision to go ahead
with extensive (and successful) trials.
We did not have to go through loads
of committees to get to a good result.”
PMA (for Paul, Michael and
Anthony, the sons of the founder) is
based in Leicester, near many auto
manufacturers. Today, it is one of the
top producers in the aftermarket for
radiators, turning out around 70,000
units per year. They also produce specialist
low-volume original equipment
products, such as the Ford RS Focus
intercooler and radiators for the Lotus
Elise and Caterham sports cars.
Aluminium – which PMA started
using in the early 1990s – is fast gaining
ground in the aftermarket radiator
field, following its almost total dominance
of the original equipment market.
“Today, it’s about 60/40 in favor of
copper and brass,” Westwood
explains. “In five years, it’ll be the other
way around.”
Close cooperation
The HYBRAZ concept draws
from several of Hydro Aluminium’s
businesses. Rolled Products supplies
i
info
PMA Group
Tel. +44 116 246 1808
Hydro Aluminium
Tel. +47 52 85 40 00
www.hydro.com
pre-fluxed clad strip to Hydro Ellay
Enfield, which then produces the welded
tubes for PMA (pre-fluxed clad strip
is also used for the radiator header
and side plates). Rolled Products also
supplies the fin stock – the zig-zag flat
strips that help disperse heat from the
radiator tubes carrying the cooling fluid
– and material for the headers and
side supports.
The HYBRAZ PF (pre-flux) system
saves two steps, degreasing and the
actually fluxing. The HYBRAZ products
arrive already fluxed. The
degreasing process, which uses a mild
acid wash that prepares the aluminium
parts for fluxing, is both a work environment
issue and an energy use
issue. The flux is stored as a powder
that is mixed into a slurry with de-ionized
water and sprayed on the aluminium
parts before drying and entering
the brazing furnace.
Successful development of
HYBRAZ relied heavily on the coating
that binds the flux to the aluminium
parts, says Morten Syslak, who is
responsible for product development
in Rolled Products in Norway.
“Number one was the adhesion,
getting the flux to stay in place. You
can bend and form the parts and the
coating will stay in place,” Syslak
i
explains. “Also, it has excellent brazeability.
There are no traces left that
prevent brazing from occurring. You
want only flux left on the product at
the end of the process. And the coating
doesn’t dissolve away when it
comes into contact with lubricants
during the production process.”
An added benefit – and a very
important one – is that the coating
breaks down into water and carbon
dioxide. “It’s environmentally friendly,”
says Syslak.
Added value
“This is a true value-added product, a
win-win situation,” says Kevin Hartley,
sales and marketing manager at Hydro
Ellay Enfield in the UK. “If you can
halve the scrap rate from failed fluxing,
there would be significant savings.”
Westwood agrees: “Getting rid of
those two pieces of equipment would
really be a benefit. You’d get higher
throughput, a more reliable braze, and
less scrap. I can certainly see the benefits
of it.”
ALUGLOBE 1-2004 11

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:01 PM Side 12
The Rieter group, which produces
a range of aluminium products for
automotive applications, finds its
Swiss location ideal to supply
German original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs).
best protection
against hot
12 ALUGLOBE 1-2004
EASY TO FORM: The excellent qualities of aluminium
make it possible to form it exactly as required, as
illustrated by these heat shields from Rieter.
engine parts
FLEXIBLE WORKFORCE: “Being located in
Switzerland is advantageous as the country has
introduced flexible work forms. This makes
it possible to adapt production quickly
to meet our customers’ needs,”
points out purchasing manager
Hanspeter Gauer.

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:01 PM Side 13
Turn to the right and you’ll end up in
Austria; to the left Switzerland. If you
keep going straight ahead for a short
distance, you’ll still be in Liechtenstein.
But a little further ahead you’ll cross
the border to Germany.
It’s not far between countries in this
corner of Europe. In the Swiss town of
Sevelen you will find one of the Rieter
group’s production plants. The short
distance to Germany is an obvious
advantage for a company that supplies
the automotive industry with noise
reduction and heat insulation products.
There are two companies in this product
segment in Sevelen, and three
companies compete in this business
area in the wider district. Rieter
Automotive Heat Shields Sevelen is a
100 per cent-owned subsidiary of the
Rieter Group and a unit of the
Automotive Division.
“Rieter started using aluminium in
its automotive products in 1976, and
for the last 10 years Hydro has been
among our preferred suppliers of aluminium
plate for the production of heat
shields,” says purchasing manager
Hanspeter Gauer.
i
info
Rieter Automotive Systems
www.rieterautogp.com
Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products
Wolfgang.Rempe@hydro.com
www.hydro.com
Following customers
Today, Rieter Automotive is a worldwide
group with 42 production plants,
12 development centers and noise
laboratories in Europe, North and
South America, and Asia. Some 8,000
employees work in the automotive
sector. The largest production plants
for heat shields outside of Switzerland
are in Setubal, Portugal, and Katowice,
Poland.
“Our customers are major international
automotive groups and we take
good care of them,” says Gauer. Not
surprisingly, given their proximity,
German car producers are important
purchasers of Rieter’s products –
underbody systems, sound absorbing
materials and heat shields.
Heat shields protect against the
intense heat produced in engine parts
and catalysts. Nearly 3,500 tonnes of
aluminium are used in heat shield production
each year, with around 28,000
heat shields produced per day.
Obvious material
Aluminium plate is almost indisputably
the best material for reflecting heat
from its source and protecting other
components.
“We have had a good dialogue
with Hydro on the development of
our heat conducting materials.
i
BEST MATERIAL: “The reflecting aluminium
layer is a vital element in the production of
heat shields,” says Rieter purchasing manager
Hanspeter Gauer (right), accompanied
by Hydro Aluminium’s Wolfgang Rempe.
And we constantly find new applications
for aluminium. It’s a very useful
material and easy to form,” says
Gauer.
The machinery needed for the manufacture
of the heat shields also costs
less than the machinery needed for
production from synthetic materials.
Gauer is aware of the importance of
getting a good price for the excess
material, the production scrap.
Aluminium is also a good material from
an environmental point of view, he
says.
ALUGLOBE 1-2004 13

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:01 PM Side 14
It seems strange when you think about it: The lighter
the tanker, the more the tanker can hold. But it’s true,
thanks to aluminium, and to Kurt Willig GmbH.
lighter tankers
– bigger loads
“Over the last five years, aluminium
has taken over more and more from
steel, and is now the leading material
for tankers, at least in Germany. The
saving in weight means they can carry
considerably larger loads of oil products,
and that means money saved,”
says Kurt Willig of Kurt Willig GmbH &
Co. KG.
It was in this town of Straubing in
Lower Bavaria that his father estab-
14 ALUGLOBE 1-2004
lished a firm in 1970 that was to
become one of the leading producers
of utility vehicles in the German market.
Each year nearly 140 shiny new
vehicles roll out of the workshop. Most
bear company names in bright colors,
but some are plain white with just the
Willig logo on the tank.
“We have a number of different
customers and some of them drive for
several oil companies,” explains Willig.
DOMINANT:
Aluminium is now by far the
dominant material in the production
of tankers and utility vehicles.
He has followed in his father’s footsteps
and is now leading the family
enterprise safely along a path of careful
expansion.
In recent years, the company has
set up separate departments in
Mühlau near Chemnitz and in Strelice
near Brno in the Czech Republic. Both
mainly handle repair and completion
work.
With the firm based in Straubing,

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:01 PM Side 15
just 50 kilometers from the Czech border,
Willig finds it natural to look to the
east, with a view to supplying the
needs that will arise in the neighboring
countries that are joining the European
Union.
Customer contact
Just as important as extending the
network is keeping his existing customers
happy: “We do what we can to
keep our customers, both large and
small,” says Willig. With this in mind,
the firm publishes a newsletter that
keep customers updated on new regulations
and trends in the industry.
Willig is ready to admit that the
market for tankers is vulnerable to
economic fluctuations, and he tries to
keep his staff busy with service, maintenance
and upgrade of vehicles.
However, he does not recommend
retrofitting new tanks onto old vehicles.
The lifetime for an aluminium tank is as
long as for the vehicle itself, if not
longer. A tanker at an airport can last
for 25 to 30 years, but vehicles used in
normal traffic usually have a shorter
lifetime.
An additional advantage of using
aluminium plates is that they can be
i
info
Kurt Willig GmbH & Co. KG
www.willig-tankfahrzeuge.de
Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products
www.hydro.com
recycled. Standard alloys are used,
and they can be welded by different
methods.
Money to save
The company also aims to offer its
customers new features through maintaining
a leading position in technological
developments.
“For example, we can offer tankers
featuring new measurement technology
based on ultrasound. This makes it
possible to measure the contents of
the tanks more accurately, and also
saves weight and space,” says Willig.
Hydro’s relationship with Willig as a
supplier of aluminium is fairly recent,
but the volume is gradually increasing.
As much as 3,000 kilograms of aluminium
is needed for the largest trailers.
Much of the discussion with
Hydro is about plate thickness. A balance
has to be found between the
desire to keep weight to a minimum
and the authorities’ requirements
regarding safe construction.
And safety is an area in which Willig
is not willing to compromise. After all,
we are talking about up to 40,000
liters of fuel in the form of petrol, diesel
or heating oil in a single vehicle. The
i
RIGHT THICKNESS: The relationship between
weight and strength in the aluminium plates
supplied by Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products
is an important topic, discussed here by
Detlev Kücker from Hydro (left) and Kurt Willig.
German technical inspection body
TÜV makes regular audits to ensure
that the tankers comply with the regulations.
Willig believes aluminium should be
used even more in utility vehicles. This
would increase the load capacity and
save money for the transporters, and
the cost of aluminium would be paid
back in a short time.
OPPORTUNITIES: Kurt Willig takes a positive
view of the expansion of the European Union,
and forecasts good opportunities for delivering
to the new member countries to the east.
ALUGLOBE 1-2004 15

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:02 PM Side 16
The concrete canyons of London can present a serious obstacle to wheelchair-bound
passengers. An aluminium access ramp from Hydro provides a
light yet strong solution for LTI Vehicles, makers of the famous “Black Cab.”
LTI Vehicles, based in historic Coventry
in the Midlands, has produced more
than 100,000 vehicles since its start
early in the 20th century. There are
more than 20,000 of the easily recognized
taxis on the streets of London,
and thousands more in far-flung corners
of the world.
The company has always prided
itself in being the premier taxi manufacturer,
anywhere. Over the years,
LIGHT YET STRONG:
The aluminium
wheelchair access
ramp from Hydro is
easy for drivers to
open, yet can support
more than 300
kilograms in weight.
16 ALUGLOBE 1-2004
new features adding to passenger
comfort and accessibility have been
incorporated into the design, such as
with the new model, TX II. Increasingly,
accommodating the disabled has driven
many improvements.
“Our vehicles are purpose-built,”
explains Matthew Cheyne, director of
sales and marketing at LTI Vehicles.
“They’re not converted from some
other use, such as a van. Our job is to
MODERN CLASSIC:
The TX II is the most up-to-date
model in the line, but the design
sports the unmistakably classic
“black cab” look.
transport anybody from point A to
point B.”
The wheelchair access aid, produced
at Hydro Automotive Structures
in Worcester, is a two-piece folding
ramp that fits flush with the passenger
compartment floor. When needed, the
taxi driver unfolds the ramp to curb or
ground level.
The ramp makes brilliant use of aluminium’s
best qualities. It must not be

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:02 PM Side 17
ramping up
FINISHING TOUCH:
The wheelchair
access ramp is
fabricated at
Hydro Automotive
Structures UK in
Worcester.
a burden on the driver, yet it must support
300 kilograms to meet LTI
Vehicles’ specifications.
“It had to be light and obviously the
strength had to be there,” Cheyne
says. “And it had to be as thin as we
could get it because of tight space. It’s
very easy to open, with simply a turn
of a screw.”
The current version of the ramp has
been in production for five years,
i
info
LTI Vehicles
Tel. +44 2476 572000
www.lti.co.uk
Hydro Automotive Structures UK
Tel. +44 1905 363700
www.hydro.com
explains Alan Blizzard of Hydro
Automotive Structures. The new,
improved design uses aluminium
extrusions from Hydro’s production
facility in Wales and a thin sandwich
board. An earlier version featured two
pieces that were stored in the trunk
until needed. By folding flat into the
floor of the passenger compartment,
the new model is easier for the driver
to operate.
i
Incidentally, the cabs don’t come
just in black – they’re available in four
other solid colors and seven metallic
tones.
ALUGLOBE 1-2004 17

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:02 PM Side 18
a strong grip
in Vitória
Casasco may be the head – and
hands – of Perfil Comércio de
Alumínios e Acessórios Ltda., but he is
by no means the only reason why
Perfil is winning work in new high-rise
buildings all over Vitória, including the
town of Vila Velha.
“When we moved here, there were
probably no more than 20 of the big
buildings you see today,” says
Geraldo. “Now look.”
He spreads his hands toward the
silvery skyline, smiles and says proudly:
“We were chosen by Hydro as one
18 ALUGLOBE 1-2004
BOOM TOWN: Aluminium extrusion supplier Perfil enjoys the growth occurring in Vitória, Brazil.
Geraldo Casasco has the strong and confident hands of
a workingman. His aluminium extrusion supply company,
Perfil, is helping build the city of Vitória into a glittering gem
on the Brazilian coast. The city is in good hands.
of their first aluminium distributors in
Brazil.”
He has a whole family to help.
“Perfil knows aluminium and knows
what their customers want. They also
treat their customers in the same service-minded
way, whether they are big
or small,” says Erivam Boff, commercial
director of extrusions for Hydro
Alumínio Acro. “This thinking extends
through the whole company. Perfil is
really like one big family.” In fact,
Geraldo, who is founder and president
of the company, has sons Alexandre
and Carlos Eduardo and daughter
Denise on Perfil’s management team.
“Our goal is to be as smart as our
father – putting his children to work for
him,” says Alexandre, smiling.
Relationships key
Vitória is north of Rio de Janeiro, located
on the coast in Espirito Santo state.
Perfil is based in neighboring Vila
Velha, which can be reached by a
bridge across the bay.
The coastline offers breathtaking
beauty with a warm breeze, but for

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:02 PM Side 19
years, the area was like a well-kept
secret to Brazilians working in major
cities like São Paulo and, of course,
Rio. That has been changing. Now,
with lots of building activity in the area,
Vitória is clearly the place to be for a
company like Perfil.
Geraldo Casasco founded Perfil in
1995, with scrap metal as the basis for
its business. It was also then that he
began learning more about the possibilities
– and opportunities – that aluminium
could create. His timing was
perfect.
As the area has grown, Perfil has
grown with it – and both have grown
fast. The company's product and service
range has developed in step with
the market.
Geraldo claims that some 80 percent
of the metal builders in the area
are using products that Perfil is selling.
This includes Hydro Building Systems.
On a daily basis, he points out that the
i
info
Perfil
Tel. +55 27 3399 4200
E-mail: perfilcm@terra.com.br
www.perfilcm.com.br
Hydro Alumínio Acro
Tel. +55 11 5591 7670
www.hydro.com
company usually fills about 250 customer
orders – and the company is
expanding its operation to be able to
do even more.
But there is more to Perfil's success
than simply having the right products.
“Good personal relationships are
the key to successful businesses, like
with Hydro. We exchange ideas and
we complement each other very well,”
he says. "With their high-level product
lines, we can concentrate on our
potential and technology – and this is
important because our customers are
demanding more.
“With Hydro,” he emphasizes, “we
talk with people. We are sure that
Hydro Alumínio Acro will assume the
leading position in the Brazilian extrusion
market for its ethical and professional
posture, for the quality of its
products and, above all, for the service
excellence the company offers its partners.”
ONE BIG FAMILY: Geraldo Casasco has children on the management team, but everyone feels at home at Perfil.
i
ALUGLOBE 1-2004 19

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:03 PM Side 20
You want the style of traditional wrought iron garden
furniture with the light weight and corrosion resistance
of aluminium? Tropitone Furniture Co. has it.
Kicking back
– in style
20 ALUGLOBE 1-2004
POPULAR: The Kahana, Tropi Kai and Millennia lines (from left) are among Tropitone’s biggest sellers.

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:03 PM Side 21
Tropitone, with operations in the
American sun capitals of California and
Florida, is a leading manufacturer of
outdoor furniture. Among its commercial
customers you’ll find hotel and
resort hot spots Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt,
and Marriott, as well as Disney’s parks
and cruise ships.
The company’s chairs, tables and
umbrellas are found in such far-flung
locales as Saudi Arabia, China, Australia
and Japan, just to name a few.
On the home front, Tropitone is a big
player in the retail market, where its
products are featured at up-market
dealers.
Tropitone’s chairs and tables utilize
both drawn tubing – a specialty of
Hydro Aluminum North America’s plant
in St. Augustine, Florida, and Phoenix,
Arizona – and extrusions, and are
available in a wide range of styles and
colors.
Tropitone has its own designers,
but when it comes to stretching the
qualities of aluminium to their maximum,
the company can count on
Hydro Aluminum North America for
assistance.
i
info
Tropitone Furniture Co.
Tel. +1 941 355 2715 (Florida)
+1 949 951 2010 (California)
www.tropitone.com
Hydro Aluminum North America
Tel. +1 410 487 4500
www.hydroaluminumNA.com
RELAXING: Tropitone executives
Joe Scheurer (left) and Steven Swartz recline
at the Sarasota offices.
In partnership
“The two most important issues for us
are consistency and corrosion,” says
Steven Swartz, vice president of manufacturing:
“If we don’t have the
expertise, we use the vendor. We’ll
say, ‘Here’s what we want to do ...
how do we do it?’ ”
Tropitone gives the St. Augustine
plant good marks for delivering products
that can tolerate the unique
bends the company incorporates into
its designs. Among the clever features
Tropitone employs is a channel on
each side of the seat profiles. The seat
strapping can easily be slid out for
replacement, explains Joe Scheurer,
Tropitone’s corporate materials manager.
Emerson Shank, the Hydro salesman
who first called on Tropitone 35
years ago, says, “They do the design,
and we engineer in partnership with
them to produce a unique, well-engineered
product. What we do includes
the tempering of alloys – more than 20
versions. We also do customization for
different types of bending. We have to
supply material that is of consistent
good quality. In addition, Hydro supplies
specialty parts such as swiveltilt
mechanisms and fabricated seat
springs.”
i
All in the family
Tropitone’s story began 50 years ago,
when retired furniture engineer turned
entrepreneur Bert M. Baker Sr. set up
shop in Sarasota by purchasing a redwood
furniture company. He combined
his engineering know-how with his
experience with aluminium from his
days at Lockheed Aircraft, and began
producing aluminium outdoor furniture
instead.
He was a pioneer in the use of aluminium
furniture, and spawned a family
empire that has spanned three generations.
Grandson Douglas Baker
now runs the enterprise.
Shank, now a consultant who runs
a retail outdoor furniture store with
family, tells the ultimate “product
endorsement” story. He visited a customer
in Jacksonville, Florida, who
wanted to re-strap 65 pieces of
Tropitone furniture which had been
bought 25 years before and used at
his beach house. “The furniture had
been exposed to that salt air all those
years, but the structural integrity was
still there.”
ALUGLOBE 1-2004 21

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:03 PM Side 22
Alubriefs
Preliminary results 2003: "A very good year for Hydro"
The year 2003 was a very good one for
Hydro. Oil and gas production set new
records, oil and fertilizer prices were
high, while the aluminium business is
firmly on track. The year culminated in a
particularly strong fourth quarter.
Preliminary figures for the year are:
operating revenues, NOK 171.8 billion
( 20.5 billion); net income, NOK 10.9
billion ( 1.3 billion); earnings per share,
NOK 42.60 ( 5.08).
Nilsen receives LME honor
PSA contract a first
A contract to deliver the rear bumper
beam for the next Citroën Picasso further
reinforces Hydro's position as the
leading global supplier of lightweight
crash management components.
The bumper beam order is Hydro's
first with PSA Peugeot Citroën, which
22 ALUGLOBE 1-2004
Aluminium showed progress, says
Eivind Reiten (photo), Hydro president
and CEO: "Our efforts to boost
Aluminium's profitability have also produced
some good results.”
A full report can be found on
hydro.com.
Jon-Harald Nilsen (photo), president of
Hydro Aluminium, has been appointed
to serve on the London Metal
Exchange board as an invited director.
“I am delighted that Jon-Harald has
accepted this appointment,” says LME
chief executive Simon Heale. “He
brings with him substantial experience
of the metals trade to the LME, and he
is highly respected by his colleagues in
the industry. We rely to a great extent
was the world's sixth-largest vehicle
producer in 2002 with 3.26 million
units.
Hydro Aluminium will manufacture
and deliver the bumper beams from its
plant in Raufoss, Norway, the single
largest producer of extruded alumini-
on the different perspectives that invited
directors bring the Exchange and I
am sure that his insights will add
tremendous value to the LME going
forward.”
The LME is the world's premier
non-ferrous metals futures and traded
options exchange with annual turnover
of $2.5 trillion.
um bumper beams in the world, and
the main contributor to Hydro
Aluminium's overall production of
around 8 million bumpers per year.
Hydro will also supply sheet for
hood reinforcements for the Citroën
C5 starting this year.

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:04 PM Side 23
A more focused Hydro
Hydro will focus even more on its core
businesses of Aluminium and Oil &
Energy following a rebranding process
and the demerger of its fertilizer business.
Hydro’s mission is to create a more
viable society by developing natural
resources and products in innovative
New litho line
Hydro president and CEO Eivind
Reiten formally opened the construction
of a new litho production line at
the Hydro Aluminium plant in
Grevenbroich, Germany. Reiten and
Jon-Harald Nilsen, head of Hydro
Aluminium, laid the foundation stone.
An innovative machine line at the
cost of nearly EUR 20 million will be
built to manufacture high-quality input
stock for the production of offset print-
Casthouse upgrade in US
Hydro Aluminium’s casthouse in St.
Augustine, Florida, in the US is undergoing
an $8.3 million upgrade, part of
a $100 million investment program in
new or revamped remelt capacity in
the US over the last five years.
The improvements will increase productivity
and the quality of the production
process, doubling St. Augustine’s
capacity and making it the quality
benchmark of Hydro Aluminum North
Stronger in Nordic region
Hydro has acquired 91 percent of the
shares in Alube AB, Sweden, and a
controlling interest in Salko Aluminium
Oy, Finland.
Alube is a supplier of advanced fabricated
components based on aluminium
extrusions to the Swedish market,
while Salko is a supplier of painted
and efficient ways, and a new logo
signals the change.
To learn more about The Hydro
Way, visit hydro.com and follow the
links from “About Hydro” to “Our
values”.
ing plates beginning in 2005. Hydro
Aluminium is a leading supplier of
selected rolled products including
packaging and automotive applications,
and is the leader for litho input
stock worldwide.
America’s reprocessing network.
“The investment is testament to the
market’s reaction to our state-of-theart
remelt program,” says Martin
Carter, president of Hydro Aluminum
North America.
“We are demonstrating that Hydro's
advanced technology and processes
produce primary-quality billet with high
recycled aluminum content. The result
is a product with both environmental
and fabricated components based on
aluminium extrusions to the Finnish
market.
The companies become part of
Hydro Aluminium Profiler, which will
improve and expand its service to customers
in the respective markets.
MAKING AN IMPRESSION:
New line will make stock for printing plates.
benefits and assured availability.”
The improvements will increase productivity
and quality of the production
process, nearly doubling capacity to
60,000 tonnes per year.
ALUGLOBE 1-2004 23

6-ALUglobe 4/5/04 1:04 PM Side 24
getting a handle
on aluminium
Estrallum’s slogan is
“handles with care.”
But there is more to
the slogan than just
a play on words.
As the name indicates, Estrallum
bases its business on aluminium extrusions
– and the slogan points out that
“handles” represent the company’s
most important product.
The family-owned company north
of Milan recently celebrated its 25th
anniversary. Today, Estrallum is
Europe’s premier producer of handles
for household – or, white - goods.
Customers like Bosch, Electrolux,
Indesit, Gaggenau and NEFF install the
handles on refrigerators, freezers, and
kitchen stoves.
In 2000, the company exported 81
percent of its products to other parts of
Europe, with the remaining 19 percent
going to the domestic market. Eightytwo
percent of its products are delivered
to white goods manufacturers.
Estrallum’s 25 years have been
marked by consistent growth – and
Hydro Alluminio Ornago has served
the company for nearly the entire period
as its largest and most preferred
FOUNDER: Pier Lugi Frosini founded Estrallum in 1978 and, early on, recognized
business opportunities through the use of extruded aluminium profiles.
supplier of aluminium extrusions.
“The products we deliver must have
a surface that is absolutely flawless,”
says Pier Luigi Frosini, the company
founder. “The smallest irregularity will
be visible after the piece is anodized,
so we rely completely on having quality
suppliers of aluminium.
“We are secure with a supplier like
Ornago. Our contact with Hydro’s
technical network is also excellent.”
He points out that the company’s
products have more than simply a
i
info
Estrallum
Tel. +39 02 6799444
www.estralum.net
Hydro Alluminio Ornago
Tel. +39 03 96 65 81
www.hydro.com
flawless finish. Estrallum’s success
also demands innovation and design.
In other words, the company needs to
keep its eyes open with regard to current
and future trends and offer components
in the design and color that
its customers require.
As a supplier, this means having to
continually adapt to the shapes and
designs that these new products will
have. Producers of extruded aluminium
profiles will have every opportunity
to keep up with the trend, he says.
i