A few days ago, Constellium N.V. celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Constellium Technology Center (C-TEC) in France. C-TEC is located in Voreppe in southeastern France. Over the past 50 years, the high value-added products and new technologies developed by C-TEC have contributed to Ken Lian Aluminum's leading position in the industry. Mr. Jean-Marc Germain, CEO of Kennedy, spoke highly of: "Innovation is Kennedy's core strategy and brings competitive advantages to our business and customers. C-TEC is the source and driver of Kennedy's innovation. "
1. Brief introduction of Kenlian Aluminum
Constellium N.V. is a combination of the original Swiss Aluminium, French Puke Aluminium, and Alcan. The main market is Europe, especially France. In 2016, Ken Lian had revenues of 4.7 billion euros and shipped 1.47 million tons of aluminum processed materials. It has approximately 11,000 employees worldwide.
2. C-TEC 50 years
C-TEC's history can be traced back to the R & D center set up by Pechiney in Grenoble, France in 1967. Since then, Puke Aluminum has integrated all its R & D resources into Vorep Voreppe) this place to play a synergy. In 2003, Alcan acquired Puke Aluminum. In 2011, Alcan's downstream assets were reorganized into Kenlian Aluminum, and C-TEC became the Kenlian R & D base.
In the past 50 years, in order to meet the business development of Puke Aluminum, Alcan, and Kennedy Aluminum, C-TEC has continued to grow. C-TEC is now the largest aluminum alloy research and development center in Western Europe. In 2016, C-TEC established a research and development center in Plymouth, Michigan, near the University of Detroit and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The main task is to jointly develop automotive aluminum alloys and lightweight solutions with automotive companies. In 2016, University Technology Center (UTC) was established in the UK in cooperation with Brunel University.
C-TEC now has 235 full-time employees from 20 different countries. In the 50 years since its establishment, C-TEC has born more than 600 patent families and trademarks, and applied for 19 patents in 2016.
3. Research and development direction
C-TEC's research and development is centered on the following two goals:
Develop next-generation products and technology solutions
Provide technical support for Kenlian's production plant and realize the industrialization of new products
Similar to the product direction of Ken Lian, C-TEC's research and development direction focuses on aerospace, automotive, packaging aluminum and related application technologies.
Aerospace aluminum:
The aerospace Airware? Series aluminum-lithium alloy and technology are continuously updated. Airware? Series aluminum-lithium alloy has low density, high stiffness, high damage tolerance, as well as good welding performance and corrosion resistance, making it an ideal structural material for manufacturing aircraft. At the same time, Kenlian developed a recycling process technology for Airware ™ series alloys, making it 100% recyclable. There are currently more than 10 Airware® alloys in service, including Airbus' A350-XWB wide-body aircraft and Bombardier's C-series narrow-body aircraft. C-TEC is continuously expanding Airware? Series alloys, such as Airware 2074, 2065, 2076.
Automotive aluminum:
C-TEC has developed the world's leading aluminum sheet, profile alloys and manufacturing technologies for the main components of automobiles, including inner and outer plate alloys, alloys for anti-collision systems, such as high strength and high energy absorption for automotive structural parts and anti-collision systems. Strongalex® Plus and Securalex® HS alloys. In addition to providing alloys, C-TEC also provides automotive manufacturers with a full range of technical solutions from steel to aluminum, including structural design, forming technology, and joining technology.
Packaging aluminum:
Packaging aluminum is the main business of Kenlian Aluminum. The research and development direction is mainly the recycling and regeneration technology of traditional cans, and the AeroTM alloy for the manufacture of aerosol cans.
advanced technology:
New forming technology for aluminum alloy automotive parts
Aluminum alloy powder and wire for 3D printing and aluminum alloy 3D printing technology
Industry 4.0
4. International cooperation
In 2013, Kennedy Aluminum established the International Science and Technology Committee to gather world-class materials scientists to strengthen their innovation capabilities. At present, C-TEC has established cooperative relationships with more than 50 universities and laboratories around the world.
Customers
AB InBev,Airbus,Amcor,Ardagh,Audi
Ball,BAE Systems,Benalu,BMW Group,Boeing,Bombardier
Can-Pack,Crown
Dassault
Embraer
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles,Ford
General Motors
Hitachi
Kögel,Krone
Land-Rover,Lockheed Martin
Mercedes-Benz
Nexter Systems
Peugeot,Pilatus,Porsche
Siemens,SpaceX
Stadler
Valeo