Bright Ideas from Novelis Europe

This breakthrough technology, which simultaneously casts multiple alloy layers into aluminium ingots, enables Novelis to manufacture sheet products with previously unattainable combinations of features.

19/04/07 Novelis Inc. has launched a new range of bright finish aluminium sheet products from its Bresso plant in Milan, Italy. Following intensive engineering and qualification work, the company is supplying this highly-reflective material in both lacquered and uncoated specialty finishes for a variety of consumer and industrial markets.

Bright finish aluminium sheet is widely used in applications such as lighting, cosmetics packaging, automotive, ceilings, refrigerators and packaging closures. In short, any use where high reflective qualities and image clarity, combined with strength and light weight, are important.

Market response to this new capability has been positive. The Guala Closures Group, a leading international producer of aluminium closures for bottles, recently used Novelis bright sheet to produce an attractive closure solution, called "1235 Antiriempimento," for Absolut Vodka bottles.

Ing. Fabrizio Venezia, supply chain director for Guala Closures, said, "We value Novelis' expertise in specialty uncoated, bright and lacquered materials as well as the innovative approach of the company. Because of this, and the company's new capability to produce bright material, we are now considering other projects with Novelis."

The new product range includes lacquered and uncoated specialty bright sheet in a number of alloys. Thicknesses range from 0.25 mm to 1 mm, and widths of up to 1,250 mm are available.

Novelis is also working on extending the bright sheet range using the company's Novelis FusionTM technology, launched last year. This breakthrough technology, which simultaneously casts multiple alloy layers into aluminium ingots, enables Novelis to manufacture sheet products with previously unattainable combinations of features.

"A bright sheet product using Novelis Fusion material could replace traditionally-clad material in some applications, offering superior combinations of core material strength and special surface characteristics for anodizing applications," said Emilio Braghi, general manager for Novelis in Italy.

Novelis Inc. is the global leader in aluminium rolled products. The Company operates in 11 countries, has approximately 12,900 employees, and reported revenue of $9.8 billion in 2006. Novelis offers the capability to provide its customers with a regional supply of technologically sophisticated rolled aluminium products throughout Asia, Europe, North America and South America. Through its advanced production capabilities, the Company supplies aluminium sheet and foil to the automotive and transportation, beverage and food packaging, construction and industrial, and printing markets.