Mexico: recovery in the park
Blanca E. Lopez (center) and friends clear a wetland of brush and debris in Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico. The project is part of the ongoing cleanup and restoration of a 70-acre park near a plant operated by Alcoa Fujikura. A $120,000 Alcoa Foundation grant helped Alcoans and other community members establish a nonprofit organization to manage the property.
New! from Alcoa
PowerShade
Kawneer, Alcoa’s architectural building products group, has developed a “green” product called 1600 PowerShade®. An industry first, this solar-powered sunshade generates electricity, provides shade for glass areas, and improves thermal performance. It is designed for disassembly, enabling efficient, cost-effective recycling of its components – and it can be manufactured from recycled materials. The sunshade won a first-place design award at the 16th annual International Energy Association Conference in Scotland and a gold Design Excellence Award from the Industrial Designers Society of America.
Automotive Firsts for 2002
Automakers Nissan and DaimlerChrysler and truckmaker Freightliner are featuring components made of Alcoa’s enhanced 6022 alloy in their 2002 cars and trucks. The new alloy provides improved strength, formability, and corrosion resistance. Nissan is using it for hoods and decklids in its 2002 Altima, named Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show in January. DaimlerChrysler employs it for hoods in both the 2001 and 2002 Concorde and LHS vehicles. Freightliner also will use Alcoa sheet in 2002 for the newest member of its heavy-duty truck line.
Ford’s redesigned Explorer and 2002 models of the Dodge Ram 4x2 and 4x4 pickup trucks will feature an Alcoa aluminum steering knuckle, the component that attaches the wheel to the vehicle’s steering and suspension system.
Good Vibrations
Working with General Motors and its Tier One driveshaft supplier, Spicer Driveshaft Division of Dana Corp., Alcoa helped correct a vehicle driveline noise, vibration, and harshness concern traced to a conventional two-piece steel driveshaft. In only 90 days from initial identification of the problem, Alcoa’s new one-piece, lighter-weight aluminum driveshaft was in production for the GMT-800 extended cab longbox truck – eliminating the concern, improving vehicle assembly, and providing GM with sizable cost savings.
Disposable Containers Are Hot
A new line of private-label disposable food containers from Alcoa Consumer Products achieved a 75% sales increase from December 2000 to December 2001. Currently the line includes 25-oz. Entrée, 24-oz. Soup and Salad, and 9.5-oz. Snack sizes, with a 64-oz. size due out in 2002.
To Your Health
Alcoa Flexible Packaging provided distinctive full-body shrink sleeves for the new Fuze™ Healthy Refreshment line of fruit-flavored beverages with herbs, minerals, and vitamins. The wraparound sleeve provides maximum space for promotional and nutritional information, while the glossy shrink film enhances the graphics.
Tech World
Alcoa displayed products to more than 1,400 General Motors decision makers, illustrating its ability to take an idea from design through final product. New concepts on show included a van door that reduces opening and closing effort, expands the passenger viewing area, and increases interior room while meeting all safety standards. A pickup or SUV tailgate combines aluminum sheet with a polymer structural insert to improve ergonomics. These products also offer carmakers a simpler assembly process and lighter-weight components for employees to handle.
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Julie Caponi,
Pittsburgh, USA
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