Overview

In the discussion about sustainable materials and the circular economy, aluminium scrap is often heralded as the gold of the 21st century. While global demand for aluminium is rising sharply - with forecasts predicting current levels to double by 2050 [1] - there are pressing issues to resolve. Can we rely on recycling to satisfy the world’s hunger for aluminium? Or are we on course to lose our valuable resources to the highest bidders from overseas? The following article casts a light on the situation and explains why an urgent rethink is needed.

AluReport spoke with CEO Dr. Helmut Kaufmann on the occasion of the 50th issue of AluReport to discuss the magazine’s origins, AMAG then and now, and how AluReport can help to counter short-termism. AluReport: Dr. Kaufmann, AluReport is your baby. Tell us how it all began. HK: In 2007, my colleagues and I were appointed to the Management Board: Gerhard Falch as CEO, Gerald Mayer as CFO and myself as COO. At that time, AMAG was still part of the Constantia Group. We conducted a strategic process and determined that we wanted to position AMAG as a premium supplier of flat aluminium products and recycled cast alloys, with specialty products accounting for a significant proportion of our portfolio.

As a premium provider with a strong focus on specialist products, excellent strength and forming properties are vital. However, surface quality also plays an important role for almost all our products. This not only determines their visual appearance but also influences their formability, solderability, slip resistance, bonding ability and much more.

The aluminium world is in a state of radical change. We are pushing the limits of known alloys and their classes, both to enhance their performance (crossover concept [1-4]) and to create alloys containing high proportions of recycled materials [4-6]. The microstructure is a crucial factor in determining the physical and chemical properties of these specialist products. A fundamental understanding of how the aluminium matrix interacts with added elements in solid solution, primary phases, dispersoids and hardening phases, and how they interact with dislocations, is essential for optimizing manufacturing processes and the properties of finished materials.

Interview with CEO/COO Dr. Helmut Kaufmann, - You have been preaching the importance of knowledge-based action at AMAG for more than 16 years - and show no signs of stopping. Can you explain why?

Prof. Antrekowitsch, as Vice-Rector you will be responsible for research and sustainability. Do you see further potential to develop the cooperation between AMAG and MUL?

AluReport: Ms. Trampitsch, the topic of sustainability is ever-present nowadays. But how do we actually measure a company’s sustainability?

Dr. Ramona Tosone, what influence doesmicrostructure have on theperformance of aluminium?

In the world of modern architecture, innovative material technologies, avant-garde design and sustainable strategies come together to create a fascinating symbiosis that constantly redefines the limits of what is possible.

An interview with Prof. Peter Uggowitzer - AluReport: As a long-standing member of the Supervisory Board, and in particular as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board, you will undoubtedly have followed AMAG’s development very closely. How would you assess the company’s current level of scientific expertise compared to the situation a decade and a half ago? PU: In response to your first comment, I’d like to say that I’ve been connected to AMAG through professional and personal contacts since 2007, so for 17 years now, and have followed the development of the company’s R&D activities very closely over this period. If I had to give the company a grade for the progress it has made in developing its scientific expertise over the last decade and a half, it would have to be “outstanding”.

The world of heat exchangers is evolving rapidly, with new and increasingly complex geometries emerging all the time. At the same time, there is a growing focus on cost-efficient solutions that are also environmentally friendly. This makes the development of a flux-free brazing material for controlled atmosphere brazing an incredibly exciting and important challenge.

Since its foundation, AMAG has made impressive progress in its primary aluminium activities. The company was founded as a smelting plant and began producing primary aluminium in 1939. As the years went by, AMAG adjusted its strategy in response to changing market conditions. In the 1980s, the state-owned company was restructured as it was no longer efficient to operate the smelter on site. In the course of this restructuring, the decision was taken to transform AMAG into an international aluminium corporation, shifting its focus away from primary aluminium production and towards metal processing.