Leading aluminium products producer Novelis has opened a new 160,000sqft Global Research & Technology Center outside Atlanta, Georgia, USA, to serve as the global hub of the company’s “extensive” research and development activities.
Located close to the Novelis world headquarters, the facility includes a variety of materials development and testing laboratories, a pilot beverage can production line and meeting space.
Future plans include a small-scale aluminium rolling mill and heat treatment capabilities for finishing automotive aluminium sheet.
The state-of-the-art centre will be a “critical focal point” for all R&D within the company, and is also the central point for all Novelis technical activities worldwide including engineering, manufacturing excellence and metallurgy.
“The new Global Research & Technology Center will bring together some of world’s leading metallurgists, materials scientists, engineers and technologists all working for the benefit of Novelis’ customers across the globe,” says Novelis vice president of global R&D, Stefan Erdmann.
“The centre will tackle challenges ranging from increasing fuel efficiency in automobiles to making consumer packaging and electronics products more sustainable.”
Novelis is partnering with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Southern Polytechnic State University on research opportunities, recruitment and internships for the future generation of engineers.
“Innovation is the foundation of our strategy and a critical driver of our growth,” says Jack Clark, Novelis chief technical officer. “It’s also one of the key components of achieving our commitment to having 80 percent recycled content across our products by the year 2020.”
A wholly owned subsidiary of Hindalco Industries, Novelis Inc. is the global leader in aluminium rolled products and aluminium can recycling. The company operates in 11 countries, has more than 11,000 employees and reported revenue of US$11.1 billion in fiscal year 2012.
Novelis supplies premium aluminium sheet and foil products to automotive, transportation, packaging, construction, industrial, electronics and printing markets throughout North America, Europe, Asia and South America.
