Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Secondary MACT
Development
EPA has completed preliminary residu-
comments on the draft are extensive, and
al risk analysis of the Secondary MACT
the Association will now work with EPA
Rule and found few issues with secondary
to find compromise language on which all
smelters. The Association will continue to
parties can agree.
work with EPA on the extensive list of pro-
posed revisions to the rule. The proposal is Greenhouse Gas Regulation
due for publication on January 30, 2012. Under the Clean Air Act
Secondary Aluminum The Association filed comments on sev-
Processing Waste Research eral issues during EPA’s efforts to regu-
late greenhouse gases (GHGs) under the
The cooperative research agreement be-
Clean Air Act, including those:
tween EPA and the solid waste industry
• Opposing EPA’s GHG endangerment
was finalized to assess secondary pro-
finding;
cessing waste reactivity and develop best
• Opposing EPA’s “tailoring rule” to set
management plans. A secondary waste
GHG emission regulatory thresholds;
sampling procedure and contractual ar-
• Opposing EPA proposals to limit con-
rangement to receive industrial facil-
fidential business information (CBI)
ity samples and preserve confidentiality
protections for GHG reporting re-
for the members have produced a long-
quirements; and
delayed draft report from EPA. Industry
• Offering technical corrections for
GHG reporting requirements, which The Association filed comments in opposi-
were adopted by EPA. tion to the use of modeling data, including
a comparison of modeling versus actual
Boiler and Process Heater data at a facility that illustrated the pro-
MACT Proposal found over-estimation of emissions result-
The Boiler MACT Rule was withdrawn ing from modeling.
for reassessment in May 2011. EPA has
re-issued the rule, and it was due for pub- Toxic Substances Control Act
lication in the Federal Register in Decem- Inventory Update Rule
ber 2011. The re-issued rule contains all The Association will publish an updated
of the work practice controls for melter guidance document to aid in compliance
processing units that were included in the with the newly published Inventory Up-
previous rule. The Association conducted date Rule (now referred to as the “Chemi-
a survey in February and March 2009 of cal Data Reporting Rule”). All reporting
member company annealing furnaces and will begin at the same 25,000-lb. thresh-
process heaters to establish a basis for old for process and use data. The report-
subcategorization in the anticipated EPA ing period begins in February 2012.
boiler and process heater MACT proposal.
As a result of this effort, EPA proposed in Recycling Resolution
June 2010 a new boiler and process heater The Association successfully worked in
MACT standard that includes for major coalition with the Recycling Roundtable
sources a separate subcategory for “metal to author Senate Resolution 251, which
processing” furnaces, including anneal- passed by unanimous affirmation on No-
ing, preheat, reheat, aging, and heat treat vember 16, 2011. The resolution expresses
furnaces. This subcategory, unlike others support “for improvement in the collection,
in the proposal, does not include stringent processing, and consumption of recyclable
hazardous air pollution emission limits, material throughout the United States
only work practice requirements. in order to create well paying jobs, foster
innovation and investment in the United
SO2 NAAQS Proposal States recycling infrastructure, and stim-
EPA issued a final Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) ulate the economy of the United States.”
NAAQS Rule in June 2010 setting a strin-
gent 75-ppb one-hour standard. EPA add-
ed in the rule the intention to determine
ambient air compliance through site-spe-
cific air modeling rather than the tradi-
tional usage of air-monitoring networks.
Litigation challenging the SO2 NAAQS
Rule is ongoing. Briefs are currently be-
ing filed through February 2012. EPA
published a proposed guideline for com-
pliance with the SO2 rule that details the
Courtesy of Novelis
method for modeling data for compliance.
Primary Aluminum Division Casthouse Safety
For 2011, the Primary Aluminum Divi- The Association conducted a successful
sion supported funding efforts to address Casthouse Safety Workshop November
flame-retardant fabric testing. 16–17 in Ontario, Calif., attracting 78 par-
ticipants. Industry experts presented the
HEALTH and latest information on the safe handling
SAFETY of molten aluminum for sow casting and
charging, as well as DC casting and scrap
WHO Codex inspection and melting. New information
The Association successfully represented on the proper application and care of pit
the aluminum industry in global negotia- coatings was added to the agenda, and re-
tions of the World Health Organization. cent regulatory developments in the area
The Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake of combustible dusts were discussed.
for aluminum was reassessed in 2011 and
amended from 1 mg/kg body weight to 2 SUSTAINABILITY
mg/kg body weight. This revision favor- The Association’s Sustainability Initia-
ably impacts the use of aluminum in food tive, launched in 2008, involves the assess-
contact applications. ment and communication of aluminum’s
performance throughout its life-cycle,
Health Research with the goal of developing a complete
The global aluminum industry benefit- understanding of the positive contribu-
ed from the completion of a decade-long tions that aluminum makes to society’s
review of aluminum and health issues environmental and economic well-being;
carried out by Health Canada. Indus- any negative economic or environmental
try-sponsored research was central to a impacts associated with its production
finding of no adverse health effects from and fabrication; and the balance between
the use of aluminum in the treatment of these positives and negatives during the
drinking water. life-cycle of the material.
Pursuant to this initiative, the Sus-
tainability Working Group has launched
a number of technical studies designed
to benchmark the energy and environ-
mental efficiency of the North American
aluminum industry’s operations and the
products it makes on a “cradle-to-cradle”
basis. The first such technical study—a
life-cycle analysis of the aluminum can,
released in 2010—documented a reduc-
tion in the overall carbon footprint of the
aluminum can by 43 percent since 1993.
Courtesy of Norsk Hydro
North American Aluminum
Industry Sustainability Report
“Aluminum: The Element of Sustain-
ability,” released in 2011, is the first
comprehensive review of the North
American aluminum industry from the
corporate- and product-stewardship, as
well as product life-cycle, perspectives.
The study confirmed an:
• 87 percent neutralization of energy
consumption associated with all alu-
minum production via the energy sav-
ings achieved through aluminum’s
use in road vehicle downweighting in
2009; and
• 92 percent neutralization of cumula-
tive greenhouse gas emissions asso-
ciated with all aluminum production
via GHG avoidance achieved through
aluminum’s use in road vehicle down-
weighting in 2009.
The report provides extensive data to
help consumers and other users of alumi-
num to understand the material from its
production through its usage phase and
to its recycling at the end of the product
life. Case studies for different market sec-
tors were included in the report to show
aluminum’s role as a sustainable solu-
tion across many applications and mar-
data survey reporting errors for semi-fab-
kets. The report can be downloaded at
rication processes by individual production
www.aluminum.org/sustainabilityreport.
facilities has taken longer than expected.
LCA of Semi-Fabricated The collaboration and support from indi-
Aluminum and Auto Products vidual companies and facilities has been
commendable—an indication that the in-
A multi-year project examining the life-
dustry understands the importance of the
cycle environmental footprints of all ma-
project and its benefit to the industry, to
jor categories of semi-fabricated alumi-
society, and to future generations.
num products—flat-rolled, extruded, cast,
The final report of the project is ex-
and forged—is nearing completion. While
pected to be published in spring 2012.
preliminary modeling for primary and
secondary ingots is finished, correction of
Material Flow Analysis MEDIA/
Also nearing completion is a material flow
analysis designed to measure the indus-
COMMUNICATIONS
try’s resource preservation performance The Association carried out an expansive
in North America—with particular focus earned media campaign in 2011—plac-
on documenting historical productions, ing op-eds and other editorial material
current in-use stocks, and the overall on such topics as recycling, sustainable
losses of aluminum. This project repre- building, and the Association’s participa-
sents the first time that the North Ameri- tion at Greenbuild in national newspa-
can aluminum industry has assessed the pers and trade magazines alike.
disposition of its products after the end of One particularly successful place-
their useful life. ment, an opinion piece entitled “Private
The Association is currently review- Sector ‘Green Jobs’ Trump Federally
ing a draft report from the research team Subsidized Ones,” was picked up by the
which, after comments have been incor- McClatchy news service and published
porated, will be forwarded to the Sustain- in 21 newspapers—including the Miami
ability Working Group for further review. Herald, Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
The final report of the project is expected Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Kansas City
to be released in spring 2012. Star. The piece, which held the aluminum
industry’s efforts in establishing the can
Technical Support to Product recycling infrastructure as a model for
Committees and Divisions the provision of non-federally subsidized
Ongoing technical support on sustainabil- “green jobs,” reached an estimated three
ity issues has been provided by Associa- million readers.
tion staff for individual product commit- The Communications Department also
tees and divisions, particularly the Can worked to secure TV and radio coverage
Committee, the Aluminum Transporta- for allied causes throughout the year—ar-
tion Group, the Building and Construc- ranging media coverage for the organizers
tion Committee, the Casting and Recy- of “The Cans Fest” on Portland’s KGW-TV
cling Division, and the Sheet and Plate and KPTV and setting up an interview for
Division. Information has been distribut- Curbside Value Partnership board mem-
ed in a timely fashion, and inquiries have ber Matt McKenna on Jim Bohannon’s
been answered in as complete a manner nationally syndicated radio show.
as possible. With the release of the sus- The Association sponsored four media
tainability report in 2011, such tasks are tours in 2011. The Association developed
expected to be less demanding and less
time-consuming in the future.
scripts for delivery by professional spokes-
persons on a variety of topics—including
aluminum’s growing importance as an auto
material, in electronics, as a sustainable
package during the holiday season, and in
modern household applications. In all, the
tours resulted in over 70 network TV and
radio placements, resulting in approxi-
mately 80 million media impressions.
The Association ramped up its e-com-
munications and social media programs
considerably during the year. A deter-
The Association’s primary e-communi-
mined effort to boost the Association’s
cations vehicle, The Briefing e-newsletter,
Facebook “friends” saw that number in-
upped its frequency of publication by over
crease tenfold—to almost 4,000, the high-
10 percent during the year. It was supple-
est among any of the materials-related
mented by a biweekly President’s email
trade groups. Twitter followers doubled,
on Association activities distributed to
to over 2,000. The Association used this
the Board of Directors and Division and
opportunity to engage its newfound audi-
Committee members.
ences more directly—conducting a photo
scavenger hunt for its Facebook friends
to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the
MEMBERSHIP/
development of the electrolytic reduction MEETINGS
method for producing aluminum, as well
as several polls/surveys to facilitate two- Membership
way communication. Membership at all-time high: Throughout
Aluminum.org was upgraded with the year, the Membership Development
new types of content geared for emerging Committee continued to market to the
technologies and audiences. The website aluminum industry the value of mem-
published its first eBook—for use on iPads bership in the Association. In May, Com-
and other tablet/mobile devices. A richly mittee chair Kevin Kramer, President of
illustrated history/timeline of aluminum Alcoa Growth Initiatives, appeared in a
covering everything from the discovery of short video explaining the benefits of join-
the electrolytic reduction method for pro- ing, which was distributed to prospective
ducing primary aluminum to the devel- members. Despite the uneven economic
opment of automotive aluminum space- conditions that prevailed throughout the
frame architecture, the eBook is designed industry and the larger economy in 2011,
to help kids with school reports and es- the Association attracted new companies
says—and includes factoids on the major to the membership throughout the year.
markets and applications for aluminum, As the annual report went to press, to-
the importance of recycling, and alumi- tal membership stood at 95 members—
num’s sustainable characteristics. eclipsing the record year-end total at the
end of the preceding year.
Sustainability program now part of
core budget: As the Association’s sus-
tainability program has become more
prominent—and greater staff time and
other resources have been devoted to
it—the Board in 2011 authorized its in-
clusion as a core, rather than voluntary,
program. The Board’s decision came after
lengthy deliberation and the conclusion
that the benefits of a concerted sustain-
ability effort—i.e., the production of data
to benchmark the sustainability of our
industry and its products, and its commu-
for representatives from member compa-
nication to all stakeholders—warrant an
nies to interact both with industry peers
increased budget that is achievable only
and Aluminum Association leaders and to
through its assignment as a core Associa-
gain a deeper insight into topical issues
tion function.
that may impact their business.
International cooperation: The As-
The 2011 Spring Meeting shed light
sociation continued its cooperation with
on “Aluminum’s Transformed Horizon.”
overseas aluminum associations—host-
Co-locating with the Aluminum Extrud-
ing a South African delegation at Associa-
ers Council (AEC), the meeting lineup
tion headquarters in June and signing a
featured Parks Dodd, President of Alumi-
memorandum of understanding (MOU)
nomics LLC, who predicted a mixed bag
with the Aluminium Association of In-
as far as the nation’s economic recovery
dia in December. The meeting with the
over the near term. In his keynote pre-
South African Department of Science and
sentation, “The Hard Choices Ahead to
Technology provided a forum in which
Assure America’s Greatness,” former
interested Associate Members could give
Florida Governor Jeb Bush contended
overviews of their companies’ expertise in
that burdensome regulations are killing
such areas as reducing energy expendi-
business investment, and in many cases
tures and improving productivity. The As-
their implementation costs are greater
sociation’s MOU with the Aluminium As-
than their benefits.
sociation of India, in December, cements
The Annual Meeting was an occasion
cooperation between the organizations
to “Celebrate Sustainability” and featured
on the exchange of information in the
the unveiling of the Association’s North
areas of recycling, sustainability, statisti-
American aluminum industry sustainabil-
cal data exchange, and health and safety
ity report. The meeting also featured the
benchmarking.
biennial change in Board leadership, with
Meetings Thomas Brackmann, President, Nichols
The Association typically holds two meet- Aluminum, ascending to the Chairman-
ings annually that afford the opportunity ship and Jean-Marc Germain, Senior
Vice-President and President of Novelis
North America, elected Vice-Chairman. The majority of the Association’s stan-
Michael Falk, President and CEO of Falk dards activities are carried out by the
PLI Engineering and Surveying, and An- Technical Committee on Product Stan-
drew Fellon, President and CEO of Fellon- dards (TCPS). In 2011, the Committee
McCord and Associates LLC, were elected worked on projects covering a broad range
as new Directors representing Associate of standards activities, including registra-
Members. tion of alloys and product standards; mod-
Heidi Brock (see picture at left), the ifications to the registration system; ongo-
newly appointed President of the Associa- ing revisions to the Aluminum Standards
tion, was also introduced as the succes- and Data and Aluminum Standards and
sor to Steve Larkin, who had announced Data—Metric publications, as well as to
his retirement to the Board at the Spring the “Rainbow” series and ANSI H35 series
Meeting. Brock has visited several mem- of publications; maintenance of online in-
ber companies since joining on October 1, ternational registration records and their
with more visits planned for 2012. addenda; and harmonization of various
national and international standards and
STANDARDS AND specifications. In addition, Department
TECHNOLOGY staff participated at standards meetings
of ASTM International, the American So-
The Association’s Standards and Technol- ciety of Mechanical Engineers (ASME),
ogy programs comprise a wide range of the International Organization for Stan-
activities designed to promote and facili- dardization (ISO), and the European Al-
tate the use of aluminum and its alloys— uminium Association (EAA) to promote
including developing and maintaining the application of standards developed
industry product standards and nomen- by TCPS and the global harmonization of
clature; developing and publishing docu- aluminum standards.
ments that help facilitate aluminum’s use
in product markets; promoting the devel-
opment of sound technical practices for
the use of aluminum through workshops,
seminars, and short courses; and facilitat-
ing technical interactions with the gov-
ernment, academic community, and pro-
fessional societies.
Major technical publications updat-
ed in 2011 were Tempers for Aluminum
and Aluminum Alloy Products (“Yellow
Sheets”) and its metric analog, the “Tan
Sheets,” which list the designations and
mechanical properties of the alloy/temper
products not included in the two Alumi-
num Standards and Data publications.
In keeping with its mandate to pro- Division also participate in one or more of
mote the use of aluminum and its alloys, the Association’s marketing committees:
the Standards and Technology Depart- Aluminum Transportation Group, Can
ment answered hundreds of technical Committee, and Building and Construc-
questions from aluminum producers, us- tion Committee.
ers, and the general public throughout To help promote the knowledge of alu-
the year regarding aluminum products minum products and their capabilities,
and processes. In September, it also co- the Division sponsored the distribution
sponsored, with the American Welding of approximately 1,000 CDs of Aluminum
Society, an international seminar/work- Standards and Data and the Aluminum
shop on aluminum welding. Design Manual to university professors
and their students in materials and struc-
SHEET AND PLATE tural design courses.
DIVISION STATISTICS/
The Sheet and Plate Division supports
activities that help educate aluminum BUSINESS
producers, distributors, and end users INFORMATION
and broaden the use of aluminum rolled As the principal source for statistics on
products. In 2011, these activities in- the North American aluminum indus-
try, the Aluminum Association provides
timely industry data on key areas of op-
erations, including primary aluminum
production, mill products, new orders and
shipments, shipment of ingot for castings,
foreign trade, recycling and secondary
recovery, end-use market estimates, and
inventories.
Statistical data are drawn from both
external sources and Association surveys.
The Statistical Department circulates 27
Courtesy of Norsk Hydro such surveys covering 90 U.S. and Cana-
dian producers that provide data on 100
percent of primary and 85 percent of mill
output. In 2011, the Association published
cluded participation in the Metals Ser- 31 discrete statistical reports of varying
vice Center Institute’s End Use and Ap- frequency—weekly, monthly, quarterly, and
plication Seminar and co-sponsorship of annually—derived from these sources.
the Aluminum Association’s booth at the The Association also publishes an an-
Metal Construction Association’s (MCA’s) nual survey of aluminum foundry castings
annual Metalcon International Confer- by major market for the U.S. and Canada.
ence and Exhibition. Most members of the Conducted by an outside market research
firm, the study covers approximately 300
companies and is extrapolated to provide
an estimate of the larger industry. All
surveys are managed by the Association’s
Statistics Department with the oversight
of the Statistics Committee and legal
counsel, which ensures adherence to U.S.
anti-trust law and the Association’s own
rules of confidentiality.
Reporting Programs
Timeliness is critical to the value of As-
sociation statistics and relies heavily on Canada
the responsiveness of our members and For the past 10 years, Association statis-
other survey participants to meet report- tics have incorporated Canadian data and
ing deadlines. During 2011, monthly currently account for 100 percent of pri-
survey results were released on an av- mary production and a significant share
erage of 2.5 days following the due date of semi-fabricated and foundry produc-
compared with an average of 3.6 days in tion. The Association also has continued
2010. Improvements made during 2011 to work closely with Natural Resources
included a software upgrade for improved Canada and to track Canadian statistics
performance; an interactive database to on current economic accounts and key
be brought online by year’s end; a new bil- economic indicators.
let survey; increased coverage of net new
orders and reset base year; and improved Mexico
methodology for estimating total domes- The Association signed a memorandum
tic volume of extrusion production. of understanding with Mexico’s Instituto
del Aluminio A.C. (IMEDAL) in 2007 and,
Publication Sales since that time, has continued cooperative
The Association has increased visibility of efforts with them on statistics, health and
its statistics through the use of Facebook, safety, and other shared interests. As a re-
Twitter, and its RSS feed. Beginning in sult of this, IMEDAL’s annual fact book
May, a quarterly series of web-based con- is available from the Association’s online
ferences was launched to further promote bookstore, providing members with access
the Department’s products and services. to key aluminum statistics on Mexico.
Additionally, customized reports on a fee-
for-service basis continued to be promoted
to potential customers identified from in-
dustry databases, membership lists from
allied organizations, and the Association’s
online buyer’s guide.
CAN COMMITTEE that aluminum cans are the smart contain-
er from which to drink at tailgate parties.
Advertising To help propel the campaign into the
The Can Committee rang in the New media spotlight, Cahn and volunteers on
Year with a message to Times Square rev- the eve of the NFL season opener success-
elers: buy your beverages in aluminum fully challenged the existing Guinness
cans—and recycle them. The Committee World Record for the longest-ever chain of
purchased advertising space on the three- aluminum cans. Can Crusade volunteers
story-high CBS Super Screen, located in strung together 66,343 cans—spanning
the heart of Times Square Plaza, during nearly five miles in length.
the holiday season. Over the course of the Once the record was verified by a
month-long campaign, a 15-second visual Guinness World Records adjudicator, the
ad touting the aluminum can’s sustain- cans were delivered to a local recycling
ability ran approximately 1,150 times— plant and the proceeds donated to a local
during which an estimated 20 million food pantry. The Committee donated an
people passed through the plaza. additional $5,000 to the charity.
A multi-media effort, the Can Cru-
Can Crusade sade—which concludes after the Super
The start of the National Football League Bowl in February—incorporates a web-
(NFL) season afforded the Committee the site, www.cancrusade.com, as well as so-
opportunity to launch its “Can Crusade.” cial media such as Facebook, Twitter, and
The Committee retained the services of YouTube to broaden its reach and facili-
“Commissioner of Tailgating” Joe Cahn to tate interaction with consumers. To date,
travel to stadiums each Sunday and share the Can Crusade has amassed 150 mil-
with fellow football fans beverages, barbe- lion media impressions and 6,000 broad-
cuing tips, and—above all—the message cast hits.
Courtesy of rexam
CVP Becomes Independent in participation.
Nonprofit Organization CVP is currently the only national
In January, the Curbside Value Part- program that engages all recycling stake-
nership (CVP) officially became an in- holders to identify solutions to improving
dependent, tax-exempt nonprofit 501(c) curbside recycling—and is recognized as
(3) organization, with a board of direc- a leading voice in the recycling arena.
tors comprising representatives from Al- UBC Recycling Rate
coa, Novelis, Tri-Arrows Aluminum, Ball
In June, the Committee reported that the
Corporation, Coca-Cola Recycling, Keep
2010 U.S. recycling rate for aluminum
America Beautiful, and the American
beverage cans reached 58.1 percent—
Beverage Association.
its highest level in a decade and nearly
Established in 2003 by the Aluminum
double the rate of any other beverage
Association and the Can Manufacturers
container. Almost 56 billion aluminum
Institute to help grow and sustain par-
cans were recycled, helping to boost the
ticipation and collection in residential
average recycled content per can to 68
curbside recycling programs through edu-
percent—also the highest figure among
cation and measurement, CVP has since
beverage packages.
partnered with 27 communities and four
As part of its Sustainability Initia-
states. Partner communities report a 23
tive, the Aluminum Association in 2008
percent average increase in recycling vol-
adopted a goal of achieving a recycling
ume and an 18 percent average increase
rate of 75 percent for aluminum cans by
2015. The Committee continues to pursue
a range of strategies, including expansion
of curbside recycling programs, to help
boost can recycling rates further.
Craft Beers
Throughout the year, the Committee
heavily promoted the aluminum can’s
use in the packaging of craft beers—
landing media coverage in support of
Portland’s “The Cans Fest” event in July,
co-sponsoring Reno’s third-annual “Can-
Fest” in November, and interviewing with
CraftCans.com—a leading canned craft
beer website and blog.
Craft beers represent a rapidly grow-
ing market for aluminum cans—with
CraftCans.com reporting that there are
now 441 canned craft beers from 147 dif-
ferent breweries in the U.S. alone. Many
brewers prefer cans because they provide fall semester lectures at the University
a superior barrier to light, water, and air. of Florida, Clemson University, Michi-
Additionally, canning lines typically are a gan State, and the University of Wis-
quicker-filling option than bottling. consin-Stout. Spring semester lectures
are planned for Cal Poly, San Jose State,
Canned Water for Tornado Penn State, Rochester Institute of Tech-
Relief nology, and Michigan State.
The Committee provided assistance in Throughout the year, the Division
the form of canned water to victims of a continued to promote and distribute the
devastating tornado system that struck revised Aluminum Foil Manual CD, Ver-
Mississippi and Alabama in April, leav- sion 3.0, which is designed for use by alu-
ing thousands of residents homeless. minum and packaging producers, packag-
Over two thousand cases—amounting to ing schools and technical colleges, and all
over 50,000 cans—were delivered to the others who work with aluminum foil. The
Columbus, Miss., Red Cross for distribu- CD has proven to be popular with all cus-
tion to 15 counties throughout the affect- tomer groups, providing updated informa-
ed region. tion on foil’s unique advantages, foil mar-
kets, and sustainable packaging.
FOIL DIVISION
In 2011 the Foil Division continued its
co-sponsorship, with the Aluminum Foil
Container Manufacturers Association,
of the Aluminum Foil Lecture Series,
presented at leading packaging schools
throughout North America. Now in its
fifth year, the lecture series is a popular
forum for educating aluminum packaging
students and professionals—providing
an overview of aluminum and aluminum
foil production with an emphasis on the
favorable and unique characteristics of
aluminum foil packaging. All packaging
students received the updated Aluminum
Foil Manual CD.
Following the retirement of former
Clemson University Professor Robert
Testin in the 2011 spring semester, the
lecture series was taken over by J. Coke
Williams, a past chairman of the Alu-
minum Association’s Foil Division with
over three decades of foil manufacturing
and marketing experience. He delivered COURTESY OF EAFA
ALUMINUM and greenhouse gas emissions standards
for medium- and heavy-duty engines
TRANSPORTATION and vehicles. The regulations specifi-
GROUP cally noted, “DOE reviewed prospective
During 2011, the Aluminum Transpor- lightweighting alternative materials and
tation Group (ATG) worked to promote found that aluminum has a potential to
aluminum applications throughout the reduce mass by 40 to 60 percent.” In con-
transport sector—with particular empha- trast, the same DOE report cited in the
sis on the automotive and commercial ve- rule “…identified opportunities to reduce
hicle markets. mass by 10 percent through high strength
steel.” The regulators further concluded,
Regulatory/Public Affairs “. . . we do not believe [plastics and com-
Activities posites] technologies have advanced far
On the regulatory front, ATG supplied key enough to quantify the benefits of these
data to the Obama administration and materials . . .”
federal agencies involved in the develop- As the year came to a close, the ATG
ment of enhanced fuel and environmental was reviewing current research on the ef-
standards for light-duty and commercial fects of light-duty vehicle mass and size
vehicles. The efforts culminated in stan- on safety in preparation for developing
dards that are favorable to the increased comments to submit to the docket in Jan-
application of aluminum in both the auto- uary 2012 on the recently proposed CAFE
motive and heavy truck sectors. standards for light-duty vehicles.
ATG held meetings with federal reg-
Communications
ulators and other stakeholders over the
course of the year, including White House ATG’s calendar included a full slate of
officials, the National Highway Safety Ad- media and communications activities
ministrator and his staff, the senior advi- relating to the unveiling of the Ducker
sor to the Secretary of the Department of Worldwide North American Light Vehicle
Energy, the team at the Environmental Aluminum Survey. The media rollout for
Protection Agency leading development of the study—which detailed the accelerat-
CAFE standards, and NGOs such as the ing growth of aluminum in light-vehicle
Union of Concerned Scientists and the Si- applications—included a national radio
erra Club. ATG supplied decision-makers media tour comprising 29 interviews
within these entities with data relating to among stations nationwide that reached
aluminum’s utility as a material suitable an estimated 30 million listeners. The
for downweighting vehicles effectively Group also hosted a well-attended webi-
and safely. nar reviewing the study’s findings with
The Group’s efforts were rewarded, auto manufacturers, suppliers, media,
and its input expressly recognized, when and other key audiences.
the EPA and the National Highway Traf- Ongoing proactive media relations
fic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in are a priority for the ATG, and through-
August unveiled their final fuel efficiency out the year it continued to build relation-
ships with high-profile media. In May and
COURTESY OF AUDI
COURTESY OF JAGUAR
June, the ATG participated in briefings The ATG continued to upgrade its
with reporters from Reuters and Automo- website, aluminumintransportation.org,
tive News. The engagement led to their helping to maintain its status as a central-
inclusion, in several articles on the issue ized repository for research and resources
of vehicle weight reduction, of data, ATG relating to aluminum’s use in transporta-
quotes, and information on the role of auto tion. ATG also continued its cooperation
aluminum in downweighting vehicles with other aluminum associations—the
to help them meet stringent federal fuel European Aluminium Association and
economy and emissions standards. ATG the International Aluminium Institute—
also successfully worked with the Detroit to share and distribute each other’s con-
News to include more of the aluminum tent to multiple audiences.
perspective in its vehicle coverage.
ATG representatives presented re- BUILDING AND
search at prominent automotive confer-
ences throughout the year—among them
CONSTRUCTION
a technical keynote speech at the SAE COMMITTEE
World Congress. In his keynote address, The Building and Construction Commit-
ATG Chairman Randall Scheps shared the tee co-sponsored the first ever sustainable
findings of a University of Aachen study building summit at the 2011 Asia-Pacific
that concluded that using aluminum in Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministe-
select automotive components could re- rial meeting in Washington, D.C. in May.
duce vehicle body structure weight up to The cornerstone of the meeting was a sur-
an additional 40 percent, while the weight vey of APEC countries that detailed the
reduction potential using high-strength rise of sustainable building codes in the
steel is limited to only an additional 11 Pacific Rim region. The APEC initiative is
percent. expected to continue and to build on the
The Group presented additional re- data gathering that has taken place to
search and data at a variety of other fo- date.
rums, including: The Committee also exhibited at both
• NHTSA’s Enhanced Safety of Vehicles the Metalcon International and Green-
Conference build trade shows and distributed sus-
• SAE International’s Government and tainability information to the green build-
Industry Meeting, as well as its High ing community.
Efficiency Heavy Duty Vehicles Sym-
posium
• Platts’ Aluminum Symposium
• ITB Group’s Automotive Weight Re-
duction Strategies Conference
• The IQPC Advanced Lightweight Ma-
terials Summit
• Automotive World’s Commercial Ve-
hicle Innovation Summit.
COURTESY OF ALUMINIUM CENTRUM
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2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011E 2012B
COMMITTEES/DIVISIONS/DIRECTORS
The Aluminum Association expresses its sincere appreciation to the following
members, and others, who donated their time and effort to serve on our
Committees, Divisions, and Board of Directors (lists current as of year-end
2011).