633 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017-6706
212 599-5700 Ext. 1064
NEW YORK, October 4 -- Novelis Inc., (NYSE, TSE: NVL) the
global leader in aluminum rolled products, is investing some 3.3 million
Euros ($4.026 million) in the construction of a new blanking center at
its rolling mill in Switzerland, reports Mario Brossi of Location: Switzerland,
the country's Foreign Investment Agency. The center in Sierre, canton Valais,
will produce technologically advanced aluminum sheets to be stamped, or
pressed, into automotive body panels, Mr. Brossi said.
John Gardner, Vice President for Communications at Novelis'
European Headquarters in Zurich, said the plant will feature a fully-automated,
high-speed laser cutting system, allowing the production of customer-specific
blanks up to 2.2 m x 4 m in size for virtually all of Europe's major auto
makers. "Unlike traditional rectangular blanks, these sheets will be cut
to the required shape of the finished part, thereby reducing excess trim
material in the customer's stamping plant," he said. "The blanking
center will have an annual capacity of two million parts per year and be
operational by mid 2006."
Novelis employs approximately 250 people in the Valais mill
established by Alusuisse in 1912, and later acquired by Alcan, which spun off
Novelis in January 2005.According to Mr. Gardner, company staffing in
Switzerland totals 400 including the Zurich headquarters and a technical center
in Neuhausen in the canton of Schaffhausen.
Novelis operates a similar laser blanking center at its
Nachterstedt site in eastern Germany, Mr. Gardner said. "The addition of
the Sierre blanking center will expand the company's global leadership in high
quality aluminum body sheet to meet the growing demand for light weight and
performance improvement in the automotive industry. Novelis is the only company
capable of producing automotive sheet in both Europe and North America,"
he added.
-0-
Contacts:
Novelis - John Gardner + 41 44
386-2287 or john.gardner@novelis.com
Location:
Switzerland - John Williamson +908 730-9622 or johnhwilliamson@earthlink.net