Worthington Industries, Cleveland, announces that its tailor welded blanking joint venture, TWB Company LLC, is opening a new facility in Nashville. It will include next-generation fiber lasers and curvilinear welding technology, expanding TWB’s 2D welding capabilities and its ability to reduce weight and increase strength in more vehicle parts.
“The market for tailor welded blanks continues to grow and TWB’s capabilities are growing with it,” said Ivan Meltzer, president of TWB Company. “We are continually pushing the technology to allow more applications across all vehicle lines. This new Tennessee facility provides capacity to further serve automakers and Tier 1 automotive suppliers in the South.”
The use of tailor welded blanks in vehicles has grown in recent years as automakers use light weighting to improve fuel economy to meet new targets set by the government. The significantly higher Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards take effect in 2025. Laser-welded blanks are made from welding steel blanks of various thicknesses and grades together to form a tailored blank that is then stamped into automotive body panels.
The new 120,000-square-foot facility will have approximately 45 employees, and will initially serve General Motors, Nissan, and several Tier 1 automotive suppliers. Production is expected to begin by October 2015. The new facility is TWB’s 9th in North America; additional locations include Alabama, Michigan, Smyrna, Tenn., Ontario, and four in Mexico.
