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.

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.

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.

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.