A Chinese aluminium mill in Zhenjiang belonging to Aleris, U.S. is now ready to participate as a supplier of more advanced products to Airbus. This is a part of the company’s strategy to shift its focus to higher value added products in the aerospace sector.

According to Ingo Kroepfl, vice president for Aleris’s aerospace business, the plant will introduce machines that can cut production costs of the final aerospace parts and also supply higher-grade aluminium for Airbus wing skins.  It is to be noted that Aleris is in the process of being acquired by China Zhongwang, through a U.S. subsidiary. After the acquisition, China Zhongwang will be the second Chinese company qualified to supply aluminium to Western aerospace demand.

This project may call for a capacity increase in Zhenjiang, but the firm is already in a long-term supply agreement with Airbus under the July agreement to be effective from July 2017, as Kroepfl added.

Aleris’s aerospace plant in Koblenz, Germany and Zhenjiang facility together will supply the most of the aluminium parts to Airbus under the agreement. The supply will include high-performance 2000-series aluminium alloy for the underside and 7000 series for the upper wing skin skin which Aleris has not previously supplied to Airbus. The Zhenjiang plant got equipped for such specialized and high grade supply within a very short period of less than four years.  

Growth in aerospace demand and manufacturing in Japan led Aleris to set up the $350 million Zhenjiang plant in China in order to cut down transportation cost significantly in supplying Asian part makers from Asia, said Kroepfl. Proximity also improves reuse of material removed in fabrication—chips and cut-offs that get wasted during logistics.

{googleAdsense}

Aleris’ Zhenjiang mill also supplies to Boeing, Bombardier and domestic Chinese aerospace parts makers. At Zhenjiang, Aleris can make aerospace plate up to about 150 mm thick, while Koblenz mill has been upgraded for 254 mm product.

The annual capacity of the plant, set by the throughput available from the hot mill, is 250,000 tons a year. Though presently it is operating at a 35,000 tons a year, this can be increased once the heat-treating capacity is increased, said Kroepfl.

In the meantime, Aleris is also in the process of launching a new product, aluminum-scandium alloy, with several airframe companies which is more expensive but stronger than standard aircraft aluminium alloys.

Producing aircraft parts with the benchmarks demanded by Western aircraft companies is not an easy process, so the acquisition of Aleris which is already acquainted with aerospace know-how is going to prove very beneficial for China Zhongwang.