Novelis Supplies Aluminum Solutions for All-New Ford F-Series Super Duty Truck
Staff Report From Metro Atlanta CEO
Wednesday, December 16th, 2015
Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today announced it is supplying high-strength, military-grade, aluminum for the upcoming Ford F-Series Super Duty lineup of trucks, the toughest, smartest, most capable Super Duty ever.
Following the launch of the 2015 Ford F-150, the aluminum-intensive F-Series Super Duty trucks also feature high-strength, military-grade, Novelis aluminum alloys in the body and bed, reducing overall vehicle weight by up to 350 pounds. This weight reduction enables the use of tougher underbody components such as an all-new, fully boxed high-strength frame, stronger axles and springs, larger brakes and driveline parts for superior performance. The truck series will represent the second-highest volume aluminum application in automotive to date, surpassed only by the F-150, which saved up to 700 pounds of weight for increased capability, performance and efficiency.
"Novelis is proud to be a supplier of aluminum sheet for the Super Duty, helping Ford remove weight, improve towing and add payload capability to its best-selling work truck," said Marco Palmieri, Senior Vice President, and President for Novelis North America. "Using what we learned from the massive success of the game-changing 2015 Ford F-150, we are excited to partner with Ford as they produce the next generation of lightweight trucks."
Novelis will produce the aluminum sheet for the F-Series Super Duty trucks at its plant in Oswego, N.Y. The plant is in the process of commissioning its third automotive sheet finishing line, which has been contracted to support production of the Super Duty and will begin shipping product in spring 2016.
Novelis forecasts the global demand for aluminum automotive sheet will continue to grow and that automotive aluminum will represent approximately 25 percent of Novelis' total shipments when all five of its new global automotive lines are fully utilized. Since 2011, Novelis has invested more than $550 million globally to triple its automotive sheet capacity. Demand for aluminum is rapidly increasing as automakers strive to design a new generation of lighter, higher-performing vehicles with improved fuel economy and reduced life-cycle emissions.
As the world's largest supplier of aluminum sheet for both the automotive and beverage can markets, Novelis' research and technology capabilities are continuing to drive market growth. In the automotive industry, Novelis products are featured today in more than 180 models of vehicles produced by leading automakers around the globe. Together with its customers, Novelis is developing innovative solutions for high volume production that achieve high levels of strength, safety and performance.