Overview

Material selection in the aerospace industry has always been a careful balancing act. Topics such as weight reduction, structural integrity, and durability are of paramount importance. In addition to the indispensable material aluminium, titanium has established itself as another key pillar in aircraft manufacturing since the 1950s.

The global transformation of energy systems requires innovative storage solutions that go beyond established lithium ion technology. Rechargeable aluminium batteries (RABs) are considered promising candidates for large, stationary applications in the context of renewable energy sources due to their exceptional theoretical capacity, high level of safety, and the excellent availability of aluminium. However, the development of high performance anodes has so far often been limited by the stable native oxide layer and the resulting interfacial reactions, which represent a major obstacle to stable and efficient aluminium plating and stripping in ionic electrolytes.

Shipbuilding has been undergoing continuous transformation for years. New operating profiles and rising efficiency requirements place increasingly demanding expectations on design and material selection. Aluminium has played a decisive role in this development: what once began as a lightweight option has evolved into a key material for many maritime applications. At the same time, the perspective on the material itself has sharpened. Modern shipbuilding is no longer just about weight advantages or good weldability. What truly matters is how reliably material properties can be ensured over long service lives, changing loads, and international project requirements.

The global transition toward renewable energy and electrified infrastructure is driving rapid growth in high-power electrical systems. Wind and solar power plants, energy storage systems, electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, data centres and modern power grids all depend on efficient, reliable, and scalable solutions for electrical power transmission and distribution. Within this context, busbars play a critical role as compact conductors designed to carry high currents with low electrical losses and high operational stability.

Recycling is a key lever for a functional circular economy and sustainable industrial added-value. It conserves natural resources, reduces energy consumption, and lowers CO₂ emissions along the entire value chain. At the same time, recycling is becoming increasingly important economically in light of geopolitical uncertainties and volatile raw material markets. However, to fully realize this potential, not only technological solutions are needed, but also clear, transparent, and comparable framework conditions for all materials.

For many years, AMAG has been among the leading specialty suppliers of high quality aluminium flat products and is known for reliably producing demanding product dimensions and qualities on an industrial scale. When AMAG built its new hot rolling mill and plate production facilities as part of the large scale “AMAG 2014” project, the entire plant and process design was initially based on a maximum plate thickness of 6 inches.

As Europe redefines its security landscape, the defense industry has moved to the forefront of industrial innovation. This strategic shift is driving record investments and an urgent demand for next-generation defense systems placing high-performance materials like aluminium at the heart of modern protection.

We are meeting today for this conversation because a change is also imminent on the AMAG Scientific and Technological Advisory Board. Univ.-Prof. Peter Uggowitzer (ETH Zürich) will step down from the Board at the end of April 2026 and hand over the chairmanship to Univ.-Prof. Stefan Pogatscher (Technical University of Leoben, MUL).

For almost two decades, Helmut Kaufmann has shaped AMAG’s development in Ranshofen as a member of the Management Board: the IPO in a challenging environment, a comprehensive expansion and modernization program, and the consistent strengthening of research, technology, and partnerships. In this interview with AluReport, he looks back and ahead and explains why, in the end, one thing matters most to him: people.

The manufacturing of rolled and cast aluminium products should be kept free from interruptions and as safe as possible at all times. AMAG continuously evaluates the measures required to achieve this. In addition to timely delivery, these evaluations also focus on employee safety and preventing damage to our production facilities. In the casting plant, where aluminium is processed in a liquid state, there are particularly strict requirements regarding uninterrupted energy supplies.

AMAG Austria Metall AG, based in Ranshofen, is a leading supplier of high-quality aluminum products. With its decarbonization strategy, the company has set itself ambitious goals. By 2050 at the latest, AMAG aims to operate in a climate-neutral manner. In an industry traditionally associated with high CO₂ emissions, this path marks a profound transformation–technologically, economically, and culturally.

At the microscopic scale, wrought aluminum alloys are polycrystals, made of a large number of crystalline grains.  The strength of an alloy is higher when the grains are small. Also, the surface appearance of an alloy is smoother when the grains are small. Large grains, however, are beneficial for fatigue resistance. It is not only size that matters. The preferred orientation of crystallites affects the product properties as well. For example, the bending angle of automotive sheets increases when many grains have their lattice aligned with the rolling direction, exhibiting a preferred orientation of the so called cube type.