Overview

When the first issue of AluReport was published in 2008, the liberalization of the electricity and gas markets in the years before had begun to give rise to a new awareness of energy as a topic. The number of providers had increased significantly, and new categories of suppliers were emerging. Nevertheless, energy widely remained little more than a vague, gray cost factor, with little need to give thought to its availability.
Few people were interested in the origins of energy or in energy labeling systems. At that time, securing an energy supply meant selecting gas and electricity suppliers and agreeing a contract for a handful of years. The electricity infrastructure on the Ranshofen site dated back to the era when AMAG was founded, comprising a 110 kV switchgear operated by the Austrian Power Grid (APG) and 110/20 kV transformers owned by AMAG.

Daylight is essential to our survival. Not only does it influence our physical health, it also contributes to our emotional and psychological wellbeing. In addition, a plentiful supply of daylight has a positive influence on our visual perception, helps to reduce eye fatigue and tiredness, and improves productivity.

The youngest member of the AMAG CrossAlloy® family, CrossAlloy®.68, is a textbook example of the adaptation of material characteristics using thermomechanical processes and structural control. In the pursuit of recycling-friendly wrought aluminium alloys, a typical 6xxx alloy was supplemented with a high iron content, as is common in 8xxx alloys used for foil applications. The experiment provided some interesting observations.

From hoods and doors to fenders and deck lids, AMAG automotive sheets have wide-ranging automotive applications and meet numerous requirements. In addition to mechanical and forming characteristics, these sheets possess excellent corrosion resistance, process-stable weldability and bondability combined with outstanding surface quality for defect-free painting.

Wie im AluReport 01/2023 ausführlich berichtet, hat AMAG components einen Masterplan für die zukünftige Ausrichtung des Unternehmens erarbeitet. Die Umsetzung dieses Masterplans erfolgt in mehreren Phasen an den Standorten Übersee und Karlsruhe und zielt auf die Verbesserung aller wesentlichen operativen Kennzahlen zur bestmöglichen Versorgung unserer Kunden ab:

As extensively detailed in AluReport 01/2023, AMAG components has drawn up a master plan, charting the future direction of the company. This masterplan, which will be implemented in several phases at the company’s Übersee and Karlsruhe sites, aims to improve all operational KPIs with the aim of giving customers the best possible service.

When the first issue of AluReport was published in 2008, AMAG had already been focused on increasing the energy efficiency of high-temperature processes at its foundries for some time. While the introduction of the ISO 50001 energy management system in 2013 added a further dimension to these efforts, the vision of climate-neutral foundry operations had still not been formed. Nevertheless, AMAG faced up to the challenge of actively shaping this transformation several years ago and is now taking decisive action to prepare itself as effectively as possible.

AluReport talks to ALMECO Vice President, Tommaso Fiorentini, about the market for bright aluminium products and how ALMECO has evolved from a company focused on the lighting industry to become a leading supplier of bright aluminium products for a wide range of applications.

Rain is hardly unusual in the autumn. In 2023, however, autumn brought a very different kind of rain to AMAG - with awards raining down on the company. In the space of a few weeks, AMAG received four awards in different disciplines, from sustainability to intelligent data use, and from reporting to outstanding economic performance.

In an earlier edition we had already reported on the adhesive bonding in the automotive industry and the associated challenges regarding the longevity of the bonded joint under corrosive load. Here, the influence of the chemical surface treatment of the final surface was discussed.

How much energy does AMAG consume per year? How is AMAG contributing to achieve climate neutrality?  What is sustainable procurement management? How is AMAG implementing it? And to what extent does AMAG engage with social issues?

The adhesive properties of our products are influenced by many different factors. In addition to influencing characteristics such as texture and surface chemistry, subsequent process steps are also decisive, especially those carried out at our customers. Knowledge and understanding of the relevance of these influencing factors enables the optimization of processes, selection of adhesives or the interpretation of commissioned adhesive tests.