Constellium N.V., Paris, and UACJ Corp., Japan, announce the official opening of their new manufacturing plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, to supply aluminum automotive body sheet to the North American automotive industry under their joint venture, Constellium-UACJ ABS LLC.
The strategically-located 225,000 square foot facility will house an initial capacity of 100,000 metric tons. It has secured its metal supply with both partners’ rolling mills. With cutting-edge equipment and technologies, the facility expects to offer a flat rolled product portfolio for a wide range of applications including closure panels, as well as body structures. The plant is currently in qualification phase, with ramp-up planned over the next two years. As of today, the line is essentially committed with orders from leading automotive OEMs in North America.
“Today’s opening represents a significant step towards securing our position as a leading player in the fast growing North American automotive body sheet market,” said Simon Laddychuk, Chief Executive Officer of the joint venture. “Constellium and UACJ’s combined industrial legacy and best-in-class assets, as well as our leading position in innovation with the opening of a new R&D hub in Plymouth, Mich., position the joint venture to be the partner of choice for North American automotive OEMs.”
“The opening of the first North American automotive body sheet finishing line with our partner UACJ, is an important milestone in our goal to become a global leader in aluminium automotive solutions,” added Jean-Marc Germain, Chief Executive Officer of Constellium. “As a one-stop shop, Constellium is well-positioned to provide automotive OEMs with innovative rolled and extruded products, which lighten vehicle weight, while offering exceptional performance characteristics.”
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