The Aluminum Association’s Transportation Group (ATG) is an industry trade group based in Arlington, Virgin that promotes aluminum’s advantages in transportation applications and acts as a central resource for the United States’ automotive industry on aluminum issues.

Tom Boney serves as the Chairman of The Aluminum Association’s Transportation Group (ATG) and is currently Vice President and General Manager, Automotive Value Stream, Novelis North America. Tom began his career in the aluminum industry in 1987 and joined Novelis in 2006 as plant manager in Oswego, New York and today he leads all aspects of the company’s North American automotive business, including sales/commercial activities, program development and launch, supply chain and logistics, demand forecasting, service and order fulfillment. Tom also had 17 years of experience with Alcoa in the automotive sector.

In his brief interview with AlCircle he throws light on the activities of Aluminum Association’s Aluminum Transportation Group (ATG) and the growing aluminium outlook in the automotive sector.

Excerpts from the interview:

AlCircle: Please tell us something about the main objectives and the functions of the Aluminum Association’s Aluminum Transportation Group (ATG)

Tom Boney: The Aluminum Transportation Group (ATG) is a subcommittee of the U.S. Aluminum Association. The ATG communicates the benefits of aluminum in transportation applications to help accelerate its penetration through research programs and related outreach activities. Our mission is to serve member companies and act as a central resource for the automotive industry on aluminum issues. More information is available at www.drivealuminum.org.

AlCircle: Is automotive aluminium the ultimate answer to fuel economy?

Tom Boney: It is certainly a vital part of the answer in combination with powertrain advancements and other technology. Aluminum is proven to be the most cost-effective way to achieve the mass reduction necessary to meet future fuel economy and emissions targets, and it complements other fuel-saving technology by reducing weight to make it even more efficient.

When aluminum is applied holistically to a vehicle, the reduction in body weight allows for secondary weight savings in other areas that wouldn’t otherwise be attainable, such as a downsized engine and lighter suspension and brakes. The aluminum-bodied F-150 demonstrates those savings in a real world, high-volume application and is only the first, with a lot more to come from automakers in the coming years.

AlCircle: Does the aluminum industry have the capacity to meet the growing demand from all sectors?

Tom Boney: Aluminum use steadily increased over the past forty years. Today, we are in the midst of a faster, far-reaching transition to aluminum in high-volume vehicles and we’ve attracted wonderful talent to the industry. It’s an exciting time across all sectors. As a metal, we are young relative to other materials and we have many fresh, new ideas that will move us forward. Aluminum is being chosen over competing materials in the most innovative products available today: airplanes, iPhones, segment-leading vehicles like the Tesla Model S and list goes on and on. Companies on the front end of innovation push further with aluminum and we are thrilled to be there with them. We’re just getting started.

AlCircle: Manufacturing sector is still not convinced about the use of aluminium in heavy duty automobile and defense applications. Tell us something about the use of aluminium in durable vehicles in recent time.

Tom Boney: The facts would suggest that the manufacturing sector is not only convinced about aluminum in automotive and defense applications, but that the metal is already widely adopted on those areas. Aluminum has long been used in the U.S. military’s High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV – commonly known as the Humvee), Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, protecting troops in the world’s harshest environments. And, for decades the commercial vehicle industry has used aluminum, both in cabs and trailer bodies.

These industries have spoken. As for automotive, aluminum is the second most used material in new car and truck construction today and we are at the leading edge of a period of explosive growth as we see the material transition over to high-volume passenger vehicles.

AlCircle: What is your observation on Ford’s all aluminium F-150 which is creating ripples in the pick-up truck market?

Tom Boney: The F-150 is the culmination of 40 years of advances in aluminum technologies. More importantly, the F-150 is only the beginning. It’s America’s best-selling vehicle, and yet Ford knew an upgrade to an aluminum body would make it even more desirable to consumers who want higher levels of performance and towing capacity, but with better fuel economy. Early sales numbers indicate the new F-150 is seeing very strong consumer demand. Ford says it is the strongest, toughest, most capable F-150 ever made. A recent Ducker Worldwide survey of automakers confirms that the overall value of aluminum is being recognized. By 2025, not only will more than 75 percent of all new pickups manufactured in North America be aluminum-bodied, but so too will more than 20 percent of SUVs and full–sized sedans. Automakers have spoken and the road ahead for aluminum is bright.

AlCircle: Share with us your input on the 2015 Ducker Worldwide survey of automakers.

Tom Boney: It is critical to understand that this is not a survey of aluminum producers, but a survey of automaker decision makers themselves – and they are confirming that the transition of advanced aluminum into high-volume automotive applications is rapidly underway. The survey suggests that aluminum bodies will largely appear first in larger vehicles — pickups and full-size SUVs — and then will migrate into the rest of the fleet. The survey confirms that by 2025, more than 75 percent of pickup trucks, and 20 percent of SUVs and large sedans produced in North America will be aluminum-bodied – and that’s just the beginning. Without question, more and more aluminum is entering the mix.

The data tells a story that has great implications for consumers. Strong, yet lower weight vehicles are more efficient and as more aluminum-bodied cars and trucks hit showrooms more consumers will benefit from higher fuel economy, better performance and reduced emissions without making tradeoffs for size or capability.

The key takeaways from the Ducker survey include:
• Total North American light vehicle aluminum consumption will increase by 28% in 2015 over 2012.
• Tesla, Mercedes, BMW and Ford will all exceed the average aluminum content and the average aluminum share of curb weight for 2015.
• By 2025, over 26% of all the body and closures parts for light vehicles in North America will be made of aluminum.
• Total North American aluminum content in 2025 will be 10 billion pounds.
• Aluminum hood penetration will reach 85% and doors will reach 46%; complete bodies will reach 18% by 2025, from less than one percent today.

AlCircle: Do you think that the growing use of aluminium in automotive is just a North American phenomenon or is it happening all over the world?

Tom Boney: Although the Ducker survey focused on North American production, it does also tell us that globally light vehicle aluminum content will approach 35 billion pounds by 2025, making light vehicles the most important global market for aluminum. The concerns about carbon emissions and climate change are very real – whether you are in Berlin, Beijing, New York or Sao Paulo, and every industrialized region of the world has regulations in place concerning fuel economy, emissions or both. Moreover, the automakers themselves are becoming increasingly global. The growing use of aluminum in autos is being led by Europe and North America, but it is definitely a global trend.

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