Sapa Group - Shape Magazine # 2 - Aluminium / Aluminum

Shape A magazine from the Sapa Group • # 2 2007

› › ›

PROFILES GIVE GYROCOPTER A LIFT EXTRUDED LAMPPOSTS SAVE LIVES THE SPANISH MAESTRO OF SMALL PROFILES

BRILLIANT

ENERGY SOURCE

Solar panels are a growing market for Sapa – Page

12

›

# 2 2007 SHAPE • 

CONTENTS

Genesis shows the way

M

y first few months with Sapa have been dominated by the fusion of Sapa’s and Alcoa’s aluminium profile operations. That work is still in progress, and now new challenges lie ahead. One of them is the continuing commitment to our Genesis business system, which is based on the Toyota Production System. Although most Sapa employees have received training in the system, we are still not quite where we want to be. The goal is that Genesis should be a central element of all our operations and colour Sapa’s corporate culture. The business system should not just be regarded as a tool, but as a complete solution for improving the efficiency of our working routines. By decentralising tasks such as planning, co-ordination and implementation, Genesis lays the foundation for a more efficient and logical way of working that will make our organisation better and more effective. But the benefits of Genesis are not just limited to Sapa’s own production chain. It is also about making improvements for our customers. A better and more effective organisation leads to reduced costs, which in turn creates benefits for Sapa’s customers. This is the goal of the work we call Customer Value Management. Sapa faces other challenges when it comes to the environment, health and safety. Our goal is clear: No employee should be injured at work. We are planning a series of measures to improve the situation. We will achieve our goal through regular training initiatives, specially appointed safety representatives at each plant and regular safety inspections. The safest working methods are also the most efficient; I’m convinced of that.

The sun – an inexhaustible energy supply

German solar panel manufacturer Conergy buy large numbers of aluminium profiles from Sapa.

06 Small profiles are made very accurately at Sapa Profiles’ La Selva plant in Spain.

10 Lampposts made from aluminium profiles crumple in collisions, saving lives.

18 Ole Enger, President and CEO

We shape the future

 SHAPE • # 2 2007

12 xx

Indecasa in Spain designs minimalist furniture Swedish industrial brushes clear snow with aluminium profile frames. from runways with the help of Sapa.

Sapa is an international business group that develops, manufactures and markets value-added aluminium profiles, profile-based components and systems and heat exchanger strips in aluminium. Sapa has annual sales of approximately EUR 3.8 billion and roughly 15,000 employees in companies throughout Europe, and in the United States and China.

Shape is the Sapa Group’s customer magazine, and is issued twice annually in 14 languages. Shape is also available at www.sapagroup.com. Editor-in-Chief: Eva Ekselius Editors: Anna-Lena Ahlberg Jansen, Mats Lundström Graphic design: Karin Löwencrantz Production: OTW Publishing

20

Printing: Fagerblads, Västerås, Sweden Cover photo: Adam Lubroth Changes of address: Customers should inform their contact person at Sapa, employees their salary department and others the Communications Department on +46 (0)8 459 59 00.

PHOTO DANIEL CRoYDoN

BRIEF NOTICES

Perfectly framed billboards Prismaflex in Staffanstorp makes billboards for outdoor advertising, and Sapa makes the profiles for these billboards, which can be seen all over the world in a variety of designs and sizes. Together, the two companies have now developed an entirely new illuminated frame – or haloframe – in record time. “we were given the task by JC Decaux at the end of June,” explains Anders Janson, product developer at Prismaflex. “we worked with Sapa all through the summer to get everything finished by the start of October, when eleven big billboards in London were fitted with haloframes. The billboards have internal lighting, and these frames enhance the impact by matching the lighting to the colour of the image; you can add blue lighting to a blue image and so on.” Sapa created four totally new profiles for the billboards, which measure 10 x 5 metres. The whole project took just 10 weeks from start to finish, despite the summer holidays. “It was a really enjoyable job, and a challenge to get everything done in such a short time. we would never have managed it without Sapa and JC Decaux,” says Anders Janson.

Clear benefits Emhart Glass in Sundsvall is a multinational company that develops and manufactures machines for making glass, and is the only company of its type in Sweden. This advanced machinery is designed to run 24 hours a day in full production, and a single machine can produce several hundred bottles per minute. To meet these demands, every component of the machine has to satisfy exceptionally high standards of quality. An extruded hollow aluminium profile is used to build the conveyor that carries bottles from the machine. Cooling air and compressed air for the valves are fed through the hollow profile. “This eliminates a great deal of work

in manufacturing, such as piping and welding. And of course the neater finish is an added bonus,” says Rune Bergman from Emhart Glass. Almost the entire output of the company’s glass packaging machines is exported. The machines are built in Sundsvall and tailored to the customers’ needs. The components of the machines are manufactured in Örebro or sourced from a variety of suppliers, of which Sapa is one. “Sapa are good at meeting our needs and wishes. we have a good partnership when it comes to producing aluminium profiles that are optimised to suit our customers’ requirements,” says Rune Bergman.

Fireproof breakthrough In the face of stiff competition, Sapa Building System in Germany recently won an order for 600 fireproof doors for a new office building in Munich. “The order is one of our biggest ever,” says sales and marketing manager Udo Büchel. “It marks a breakthrough for Sapa into the German market for fireproof products, which has grown rapidly since the fire at Düsseldorf Airport in 2004. Since then a growing number of public buildings have been designed with fireproof partitions, and emergency exit routes have been improved.” Sapa has been offering fireproof products since 2005. They are thoroughly tested and able to meet very strict requirements. The Secur II door is made from 75-millimetre anodised or painted aluminium profiles and 7–32 millimetre-thick glass. It has no filling, but can still resist extremely high temperatures – exceeding 800 °C for around 30 minutes.

# 2 2007 SHAPE • 3

VINJETT

› Ole Enger.

SHAPING THE

NEW SAPA Collaboration with customers must be further improved under the new Sapa Profiles. The company is therefore investing in more expertise and more research and development. “our goal is to become even better at finding the best solutions in partnership with our customers,” says ole Enger, President and CEo.

T

he amalgamation this summer of the profile operations of Sapa and Alcoa resulted in the formation of the largest aluminium profile company in the world. It has meant several hectic moths for Ola Enger, who took over in February as President and ceo of the Group. But he is pleased with the results so far. “It’s gone very well – far better than expected. We have doubled in size and at the same time managed to create a decentralised organisation. Everyone is very enthusiastic and there is a great atmosphere throughout the company,” he says. THE ALCOA ORGANISATION has experienced rather

more change than Sapa as a result of the merger. According to Ole Enger this is because of the more centralised administration model that existed in Alcoa. “The changes there have been more apparent. But the reason things have gone so well is that the company’s employees have wanted these changes 4 SHAPE • # 2 2007

for a long time. There was a desire throughout the organisation to move in this direction.” One of the biggest challenges associated with the amalgamation of Sapa and Alcoa, in Ole Enger’s eyes, has been developing a system for trade between countries where the Sapa Group operates. “Under our decentralised organisational structure the local marketing companies are responsible for sales and marketing in their own markets.” This also means that the companies must be equally enthusiastic about selling products from other suppliers as from their own plants. It’s been a big challenge to find a working model that will support this.” WITH THE NEW organisation in place, Sapa is now

concentrating on further improvements in the ways it does business, particularly from its customers’ viewpoint. Ole Enger cites Swedish operations as an example when he describes how Sapa will become an even better partner.

“In Sweden we have had a close relationship with our customers for many years, which has enabled us to develop an understanding of our customers’ production processes. We have found new applications for aluminium and developed new products and designs. This strategy has made Sapa a world leader, and we intend to apply it throughout the Group.” ANOTHER WAY OF improving business is to invest in

more expertise and make a greater commitment to research and development. The employee training programme that is already in place will be extended. Sapa is also recruiting more engineers. “We need to build on our know-how. This will allow us to improve our own processes, and help us work with our customers and find the best solutions to their needs.” Sapa is currently the global market leader in aluminium profiles. But Ole Enger believes that the company has good potential for further growth, partly by establishing Sapa’s profile operations in markets where the company does not yet have a strong base. “This applies especially to China. We’re looking at possible acquisitions, but nothing has been decided yet. Our goal is to have firmly established ourselves in China in a couple of years.” Ole explains that Sapa is continuously striving for improvements – in business efficiency and productivity. In the long-term process of change, the customer always comes first. “Our overriding goal is to make Sapa more effective at solving our customers’ problems. If we can’t manage to deliver better solutions to our customers, then we have failed,” says Ole Enger. TExT CARL HJELM PHOTO DANILo SCHIAvELLA

› FIVE SAPA MANAGERS RESPOND

Sapa Profile’s new organisation is divided into regions with five new Business Area Presidents. We asked them where their focus lies in the future:

Torbjörn Sternsjö, Business Area President Asia. Reply: “In Asia we have to focus on growth, as Sapa Profiles is still a very small player there. we intend to establish ourselves in this enormous market by actively seeking out and taking advantage of all available opportunities. This is the only way we will become a truly global company and reap the benefits that follow.”

Jack Miller, Business Area President North America. Reply: “Our success in North America will be determined by how well we meet the needs of our customers. To help us get closer to them, we have returned to a more decentralised structure, with sales, manufacturing, and administration working together to drive the business forward.”

Arne Rengstedt, Business Area President Central Europe (Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia). Reply: “we will have the most extensive offering to the German market, and we will develop more products to introduce there. Our position in the 10 new European Union countries will be the strongest. we will have a strong base to develop business in this fast-growing area.”

Paul Warton, Business Area President North Europe (Belgium, United kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark). He also heads the key Account Management and the Business Segment organisation. Reply: “I want to ensure that our teams increase their focus on the Health & Safety of our people during this significant change process.”

Tor Gule, Business Area President South Europe (Portugal, Spain, France and Italy). Reply: “we will continue to develop our relationships with customers through innovative design, support and partnerships. Our ability to supply packages and help improve customer productivity are main priorities. The Sapa brand shall be associated with excellence in quality and service.”

# 2 2007 SHAPE • 5

INSIGHT: SPAIN

WHEN SMALL

IS BIG

At a time when many manufacturers are investing in increasingly large presses, Sapa Profiles’ La Selva in Spain has found its own way. The company has specialised in small profiles and is busy making something big from something small.

T

he Catalonian city of Tarragona, once a large town in the Roman Empire, today attracts thousands of tourists, with its ancient monuments and beautiful Mediterranean coastline, the Costa Dorada. More of a secret is that Tarragona also attracts an increasing number of Spanish and international purchasers of advanced  SHAPE • # 2 2007

aluminium solutions. Sapa’s plant in La Selva, located in a modern industrial park outside the old town, has recently become an established European player in the extrusion of small profiles. “I usually say that La Selva is a plant with its own strong personality,” explains the plant manager, Francesc Clos, who has 20 years’ experience in extrusion. “Seeing that our speciality is very lightweight profiles manufactured with extremely small toler-

ances, I can claim that we do not supply profiles but solutions. Our products are really specialties, increasingly often a final product that is ready for assembly.” has two modern 1,350 and 1,500 ton six-inch presses and produced 16 million metres of aluminium profiles last year. “The day we start measuring our success in metres instead of tons we’re among the giants,” THE PLANT IN LA SELVA

› # 2 2007 SHAPE • 

“ The day we start measuring our success in metres instead of tons we’re among the giants ” says Clos with a smile, referring to La Selva’s really lightweight products. The smallest profile in the range weighs only 30 grams. The diameter varies between 5 and 170 millimetres. “We have stuck to a Francesc Clos. market segment that many other producers have abandoned in their ambition for increased production in terms of number of tons per hour. By using our working methods and our organisation, we have gained competitiveness in a segment that is both labour intensive and very technically demanding,” he says. SUCCESS IS ALSO SEEN in the shift in markets. Sales

to the construction sector are falling, while sales of more advanced industrial applications to, for example, the automotive and energy sectors are increasing. Exports are growing and now account for 60 per cent of sales. The Benelux countries, France, the UK and Germany are the largest foreign markets. The biggest challenge in the manufacture of small profiles is precision. Tolerance for variances is almost non-existent, and these demands also apply

to the surface finish. La Selva can supply products with a finish equivalent to a surface roughness of less than six microns. One example of a seemingly simple but perfect product is the roof bars on some Audi models. The narrow profile with a perfectly smooth surface joins the car’s roof and sides and provides a means of attaching any roof accessories. “There is a clear trend for our customers to design in more and more functionality in the profiles through more sophisticated design. In order to meet the demands for advanced solutions, we’re increasing our machine and after-treatment capability to satisfy higher quality and performance requirements,” says Clos.

“In our industry, proximity to the customer is crucial and we’ve made great efforts to optimise our service and logistics. We can therefore offer a customer in Germany, for example, the same lead time as our German competitors,” What the Romans did with Tarragona during the Roman Empire, Sapa La Selva seems to have succeeded in doing with its plant: creating a modern and international centre on the beautiful Mediterranean coast.

Text Erico Oller Westerberg PHoto David Levin

Small products – high precision One of La Selva’s customers orders large volumes of aluminium pipes for the manufacture of cooling systems for artificial ice rinks. “It’s actually a very simple design,

 SHAPE • # 2 2007

but the tolerance on the diameter was only a tenth of a millimetre. Only La Selva succeeded in getting the percentage of rejected pipes to remain below the stipulated percentage.”

BRIEF NOTICES

Reducing noise with glass and aluminium

Eliminating bus fires

To reduce noise levels along motorways the Danish company Milewide makes acoustic screens from aluminium and acrylic glass, a combination that is both effective and good-looking. The screens are assembled on site, and the original version consisted of several aluminium profiles that were joined using numerous bolts. This was time-consuming and expensive, so a year ago Milewide and Sapa began a development project. “we’ve now found a solution that everyone is happy with,” says Gustav Lundkvist, an engineer

with Sapa. “It consists of one large and one small profile that are clipped together. No special tools are needed for assembly, just a standard rubber mallet.” The customer saves the cost of drilling and threading, assembly is much quicker and the installers get a better working environment. “The new design was used for the first time along a motorway in Herning. Over a 600-metre stretch it eliminated 20,000 bolts. That’s a really big improvement,” says Ole Refshauge from Milewide.

Fire can often spread rapidly on a bus, and there is little time to escape. Under Swedish fire regulations all buses weighing over 10 tonnes must therefore be fitted with a permanent extinguisher. A few years ago the Swedish company Dafo Brand developed an aluminium fire extinguisher container for heavy vehicles such as buses, trucks and forestry machines, in collaboration with Sapa. In contrast to normal handheld fire extinguishers, the container, which is filled with a liquid extinguisher medium, can be laid flat. It takes up little space and is easy to service and install. The large aluminium profile for the container was complex and has to meet strict dimensional requirements. “Sapa contacted us and said they would like to develop it,” says kaj Dahlström, technical designer with Dafo Brand. “we worked very well together and it has resulted in a simpler internal profile and an outer profile that just clips in place.”

Greener blue lights “If all the police cars in Sweden switched to our ‘“green”’ blue emergency lights it would cut fuel costs by up to EUR 2 million each year,” says Anders wiqvist, CEO of Standby AB, which manufactures alarm and warning equipment for emergency vehicles and working vehicles. The secret behind the saving lies in aerodynamics and new technology. The low-energy emergency lights – with six specially made aluminium profiles from Sapa, light fittings and plastic covers – have been redesigned with a new aerodynamic shape. Compared to previous models, the air resistance is reduced by a full 75 per cent. “The light units have been tested in a wind tunnel in Stuttgart, so their performance has been verified. The reduced air resistance is good for the environment and gives lower fuel consumption, as well as less noise inside the car. The standard bulbs have been replaced with lowenergy LEDs. “The LEDs are mounted on an aluminium substrate. This is new

technology that we are the first to use, and it carries away surplus heat so that the LEDs can be powered to produce more light,” says Anders wiqvist. “we will be doing climate testing this winter and expect to start supplying the new emergency lights in spring 2008.”

The aluminium substrate is a type of circuit board that uses an aluminium sheet with several layers of insulation and conducting tracks for electronics.

# 2 2007 SHAPE • 9

ON THE ROAD

Hinged lampposts mean safer roads Aluminium lampposts have many advantages: long life span, no maintenance, and they give way in a collision, reducing the risk of human injury.

T

he Sapa Pole Products plant in Drunen in the Netherlands has been making aluminium lampposts since the 1960s. The Netherlands is one of the first countries to realise the big advantages of aluminium over steel in street lighting – 40 per cent of Dutch street lamps are made of aluminium, in contrast to just three per cent in the rest of Europe. “We have a lot of convincing to do. We need to market our products more, especially to the roads authorities in each country. Their choice of materials is largely a matter of culture and tradition,” says Sales Director Leopold Moormann. Other advantages include the ease with which the lampposts can be assembled, transported, decorated and shaped, the fact that they have no welded joints and are fully recyclable.

Some models can also be easily taken down by one person when it’s time to replace a bulb or install something on the lamp. The most important argument, however, is traffic safety. The lampposts can be chosen to suit the type of road, traffic situation and environment. The lampposts all meet eu safety norms (en 12767 and en 40) and come in three classes depending on how much energy they absorb in a crash (high, low and zero absorption). surrounded by open fields, the ideal lamppost doesn’t absorb any energy, but just snaps in two at ground level, while traffic on a bridge or in the city requires lampposts that absorb more energy. Last year the Drunen plant made some 70,000 lampposts. An expansion is planned for the future – as more countries discover the advantages of aluminium. ON A MOTORWAY

Text THOMAS ÖSTBERG

The hinged design also simplifies maintenance.

10 SHAPE • # 2 2007

Cubic

“ This is a building that you can show your children and grandchildren and feel proud of ”

ART

The New Museum on the Bowery, Lower Manhattan is one of this year’s most talked about buildings. Designed by the Japanese architect duo SANAA, the Museum marks the start of a major regeneration of the whole district. The facade is constructed using Sapa’s decor profiles.

T

he Bowery is located just east of Little Italy and is not one of Manhattan’s trendier districts – yet. The New Museum of Contemporary Art opens on the Bowery in December and marks the start of a revitalisation project for the district that is being financed by both private and federal funds. A new art museum in Manhattan automatically arouses considerable interest, but this time it is the building itself that has been the focus of attention. The New Museum has been designed by the architectural world’s hottest duo, the Tokyo-based Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of sanaa. The practice is well known for its elegant, pure style and cubic forms. THE NEW MUSEUM has been designed as a tower of

stacked semi-transparent boxes. Sapa’s profiles form the grid behind the transparent mesh of expanded brushed aluminum that clads the facade. “We’ve never been involved in such a prestigious construction project before. This is a building that you can show your children and grandchildren and feel proud of,” says Tim Fox, Midwest regional sales manager for Sapa in North America.

Although New York is one of the world’s leading art cities, it has not previously had a museum devoted exclusively to contemporary art. The New Museum is set to fill this gap. The cladding contractor is McGrath Architectural Sheet Metal in Minnesota. The firm specialises in architect-designed buildings and has previously supplied exciting metal facades for art museums in Denver and Delaware, and for Walker Art Museum in Minnesota. This is the first time they have chosen to work in extruded aluminum. “It gave us the best opportunities to design a facade that was both flexible and strong. This is a special building and its design was particularly demanding in terms of quality and precision. There are not many firms in the usa that could manage this,” says Mark LaSalle of McGrath. a new type of fixing that is manufactured by Sapa and accommodates the movement of the building and thermal expansion of the extruded wall panels so that they fit the irregular building. The decor facade was extruded in Sapa’s plant in South Dakota, but MARK LASALLE DEVELOPED

The New Museum is the first art museum that has been built from scratch in Lower Manhattan in New York.

was then shipped to a firm in Ohio for surface finishing. In order to create a consistent design, the project architects also chose to use the same solution for the exteriors of the lifts. “The logistics surrounding such a major construction project in Manhattan are tricky. You can’t store the materials on site, and deliveries have to be made just in time. Collaboration with Sapa has gone exactly as we had hoped and we’re now bidding for a new project in Florida, using the same type of solution from Sapa,” says Mark LaSalle. Text THOMAS ARNROTH

# 2 2007 SHAPE • 11

Schüco’s installation at a solar farm in Corral de Almaguer (Toledo - Spain). 12 SHAPE • # 2 2007

Photo ADAM LUBROTH

CUTTING EDGE

SUNNY OUTLOOK

It is difficult to imagine a company more in tune with the times than Conergy. This fast-growing company is involved in renewable energy and is a global leader in several areas. Conergy has become one of the most important customers for the German division of Sapa/Alcoa. he Hamburg-based company Conergy specialises in renewable energy through several subsidiaries, ranging from solar panel production to wind turbines, bioenergy and heat pumps. But Conergy is also involved in the financing, servicing and maintenance of major installations for collecting solar energy. This listed growth company has risen to be one of Germany’s brightest stars in the corporate world. Conergy has grown from almost nothing to a turnover of more than eur 1 billion in less than ten years, and its future prospects are extremely bright. “Even so, we’re still only in the first stage of growth. We’re seeing an enormous increase in interest, particularly as the really big companies in the energy sector, such as Siemens, General Electric, Eon, Vattenfall as well as oil compa-

nies, are entering the market,” says Nikolaus Krane, who is a senior executive with responsibility for the subsidiary Epurion and for Conergy Service. Nikolaus Krane sits in a soberly designed meeting room at head office with a view of one of Hamburg’s many canals. Shape has arranged a meeting with one of the leading people behind Conergy’s phenomenal growth. “I was the fifth person hired by the company. That was in 1998. Now we have more than 2,000 employees,” he says. is how a company can be so in tune with developments. “Good timing of course, but also a strategic approach and a capacity for value creation with the aid of competent staff and new technology. And last but not least: we dared to take risks in order to win. We had both a fighting spirit and luck,” says Nikolaus Krane. The alternative energy sector is, on the whole, a German success story. It is a cleverly THE OBVIOUS QUESTION

orchestrated investment by central government and the business world to build a new sector in what is perhaps the most environmentally aware industrial nation in Europe. Homeowners who install solar panels on their roofs receive a central government grant and the electricity companies have to accept and pay a market price for the power produced by these solar panels. In this way, the German solar energy market has developed in just a few years and the country has the world’s largest domestic market for solar panels. To date, these investments have been further fuelled by the stabilisation of oil prices at a sustained high level, while carbon dioxide emissions have become a serious issue. Some 40 other countries have introduced similar regulations to Germany and have started incentive programmes to facilitate investments in renewably energy. Global growth in the sector is estimated at 20 per cent annually. The amount of energy from renewable sources has already overtaken that produced by nuclear power.

›

# 2 2007 SHAPE • 13

Production of solar panels is fully automated at the new plant in Frankfurt an der Oder.

›

This means new markets for Conergy, and in 2006 foreign sales rose by 268 per cent, considerably above expectations. “It was a surprise that solar panels grew so much. We’re the biggest supplier in the German market for panels, but the domestic market is maturing with an ever-increasing number of manufacturers. The major potential is abroad, mainly in southern Europe. We’re already the second biggest supplier in Europe,” says Nikolaus Krane. FOR SAPA, this of course means increased sales of

profiles, which are used both as frames and mounting systems for solar panels. “Sales of aluminium profiles to Conergy have increased steadily from 500 tons in 2003 to almost 2,000 tons last year,” says Lothar Konawski, who is customer account manager for Conergy at Sapa. Collaboration began with Sapa modifying the design of the frame profiles for Conergy’s solar panels and thereby reducing their weight, making the handling cheaper. Lothar Konawski hopes to be able to increase this collaboration and provide Conergy with better service, increasing customer value. “Our large network of plants in all markets

brand. Sales to dealers and consummeans that we can accompany ers take place through its subsidiary, Conergy in its global expansion. In SunTechnics. our conversations with the customer, The other subsidiary, Epuron, is we’ve mentioned our interest in joint not involved in product sales but in projects, such as a new mounting systhe financing and planning of very tem and a new tracker system,” says large renewable energy projects. Lothar Konawski. “Module production will be the In order to cope with the rush of core of Conergy’s operations in the customers, Conergy has invested Nikolaus Krane, senior foreseeable future, but it’s important in a new plant in Frankfurt an der executive for Conergy, that we diversify operations, since Oder in eastern Germany, near the believes that solar new technologies and new opportuPolish border, where production has panel arrays in areas nities in renewable energy are being recently begun. such as North Africa “The new plant means that we created all the time. We are constantcould supply Europe with much of its eleccan keep more in step with demand, ly looking for new ways of adding tricity needs. but by the start of next year we run value,” says Nikolaus Krane. the risk of hitting the production ceiling again,” says Nikolaus Krane, who is pleased ONE SUCH OPPORTUNITY is concentrating solar colthat the plant also gives Conergy an opportunity lectors, an area that Nikolaus Krane thinks will to handle more aspects of the production procbecome very big. ess, from wafer production and cell production “Large amounts of energy can be produced by to module production. But operations are mainly reflecting the sun’s rays to a point. If this technolofocussed on the development of inverters for heat gy is developed properly through the construction recovery and mounting systems and monitoring of really large plants in North Africa, for example, systems for larger panel installations. it could provide a real alternative for the energy The finished solar panels are then sold through needs of European countries.” its own wholesale business under the Conergy TEXT MATS LUNDSTRÖM

Solar energy in brief In just four hours, the earth receives as much solar energy as the whole of mankind consumes during a full year. But considerable expertise and research are required to convert the sun’s rays into usable energy.

14 SHAPE • # 2 2007

›

A solar collector consists of linked parallel pipes filled with a circulating glycol mixture that is warmed by the sun’s rays. The assembly sits in an insulated box covered with a sheet of glass. One problem with solar collectors is that it is difficult to store surplus energy during the warmest time of the year.

CUTTING EDGE

“We’re the only company in the sector that is not owned by nor has interests in the oil industry or the conventional energy sector. We focus exclusively on solar energy and the sustainable supply of energy,” says Bellido. Julián Bellido, deputy Isofotón develops and purchasing manager of manufactures technical Isofotón. solutions for exploiting solar energy using photovoltaic cells. As early as the year 2000 the company also began developing optical solutions for capturing and focusing solar radiation into small storage areas. THE MODULAR CONSTRUCTION of the cells means they

A SPANISH

sunshine story IIsofotón was established in Malaga by a group of university researchers in solar cell technology in 1981. Twenty-six years later the company achieved technological leadership and sales of EUR 77 million.

R

enewable energy is the future, particularly solar energy,” according to Julián Bellido, Isofotón’s deputy purchasing manager. “It’s not only a question of replacing fossil fuel, but also of offering an electricity supply to the two billion people who are not currently connected to the electricity grid at all.” Isofotón was established as a result of a university project aimed at developing leading-edge technology in solar energy, in order to

›

The most important application for solar energy is electricity generation. When silicon is exposed to light it reacts by generating a current. A single photocell produces a relatively low voltage, so solar cells are usually linked in series to create larger solar panels.

protect the environment and contribute to the development of isolated communities. An important part of the company’s efforts is still targeted at energy projects in rural areas of South America, the Caribbean and Africa. Isofotón has succeeded in growing, developing new products and making a profit, while protecting the environment and creating prosperity in developing and remote areas of the world. According to Bellido, part of the explanation is that they do not compete with themselves.

can be used on roofs or to build pv plants. The use of new materials as well as their technological advances, such as silicon, have contributed substantially to the increased efficiency of the cells. Isofotón can supply small systems for rural areas in developing countries, such as the 35,000 systems sold to an electricity company in Morocco, or build complex solar power stations with panels that track the movement of the sun. The company is behind the solar power station in Carmona in southern Spain, which is Europe’s largest, producing six megawatts. Regardless of the design and purpose, the panels are generally framed with aluminium profiles, and Isofotón buys around 1,500 tons of aluminium products per year. Sapa in Spain entered into a partnership with Isofotón a few years ago to supply anodised aluminium frames for the solar panels. “We’re so dependent on aluminium products that we’ve chosen to have three suppliers: one local eu supplier and two global suppliers. We want to safeguard deliveries to our plant and we are sure that Sapa will continue to be one of our key suppliers,” says Bellido. TEXT ERICO OLLER WESTERBERG

›

The efficiency of solar panels is still relatively low at around 20 per cent. This means that a great deal of sunlight is required to produce large amounts of energy. One way of increasing energy production is to mount the solar panels on a moving structure that can track the sun’s movement across the sky, maximising electricity production.

# 2 2007 SHAPE • 15

BRIEF NOTICES

10,000 times cleaner air

Aluminium scaffold gains ground Because weight is an important factor when erecting scaffolding, more and more customers are choosing lightweight aluminium scaffolding, reports wilhelm Layher, a German company that is Europe’s leading manufacturer of scaffolding systems. The company’s product range includes the traditional, modular scaffolding that is versatile and quick to erect, frame scaffolding for fast and easy facade erection, as well as ladders, mobile scaffolding, stages and platforms. wilhelm Layher aims to make scaffolding components that are as light as possible without compromising on stability. For many years the company has therefore used aluminium profiles from Sapa, which are pressed, cut, punched, riveted and welded at its plant in Eibensbach.

Demand for mobile smoking cubicles is growing rapidly as smoking restrictions are introduced around the world. The cubicles capture tobacco smoke effectively and mean that smokers are no longer banished to dreary smoking rooms. The smoking cubicles made by Swedish company Smoke Free Systems have frames built from aluminium profiles. Various filters in the walls remove particles and gases from the air, making it 10,000 times cleaner than air elsewhere in the room. A new series of cubicles has now been developed for the French market, in partnership with Sapa. “we recommend open or semi-open cubicles, but under French law they have to be closed. Now that our new models – the SF 6000 and smaller SF 4000 – are complete, we can see that they’ve made a big difference,” says Bo Dolk-Petersson, project manager at Smoke Free Systems. Sapa was closely involved in the development work, which took very little time. The SF 6000 went from sketch to prototype in just four months and is now being manufactured by Sapa. “This demonstrates Sapa’s strength. You can get aluminium profiles anywhere, but not in combination with development, prototype building, specification and consultancy,” says Bo Dolk-Petersson.

Enjoying the spa experience at home The new Felicity steam shower from sauna manufacturer Tylö gives consumers the chance to enjoy the spa experience at home. The shower is the result of close collaboration on development between Tylö and Sapa. Felicity takes up no more space than a shower enclosure and comes in three versions. Each has a steam generator, thermostatic mixer, hand shower, ceiling with shower head, control panel, seat and shower tray. The more exclusive models feature massage nozzles, rain function, built-in lighting and cascade.

 SHAPE • # 2 2007

The supporting structure is made from anodised aluminium with walls and doors of toughened safety glass. Plumbing and electronics are concealed behind the aluminium profiles. The design places very strict demands on dimensional tolerances and finish. Sapa has worked closely with Tylö for many years and Patrik karlsson from Technical Service was involved throughout the development process. “we were able to bounce ideas off each other and our partnership worked well financially, as well as speeding up the project,” says Jan Bjärnhag, product manager for Tylö.

THE PEARL of Qatar The Pearl is one of the world’s most extraordinary construction projects. A 400-hectare man-made island that will provide luxury accommodation, five-star hotels, marinas and luxury shopping. Sapa is supplying the building system for two of the first towers being built.

A

lthough Qatar is the richest country per capita in the Arabian Peninsula, it has not kept up with the growth of tourism as well as neighbouring countries such as Dubai. This is all set to change. The Pearl has already attracted massive publicity, and the nearer the project approaches completion, the more attention it will get. It is an entirely new, man-made island shaped to provide the longest possible coastline, with several marinas designed to provide natural harbours. THE PEARL IS TARGETED at international investors as

well as visitors and, in the future, at residents from all over the world. This multi-billion dollar project is scheduled for completion in five years’ time, providing Qatar with its very own Riviera, on which the development has been modelled. Progress on The Pearl can be followed online, via satellite images, a live webcam and images that are

constantly updated. Everything backs the advertisers’ message that The Pearl will one day be opulent, luxurious and secure. SAPA IS SUPPLYING the aluminium profiles for two of

the first tower blocks being built around one of the marinas. “We’ve only worked on a few exclusive projects in the Middle East before, but we now have local production through a firm that we’ve certified. This means we can produce our building systems in compliance with all us and European requirements, locally in the Middle East, which gives us a strong competitive advantage with lead times,” says export director Bernard de Bruyckere. The tempo is high on The Pearl project, which is scheduled for completion in 2009. Sapa has great hopes of supplying solutions for more of the towers to be built on the island. “The strength of our solution is not only our

products, but also the support we provide to contractors who engage us. We’re involved throughout the project right up to completion, through our local project teams in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. This gives the client the security that is especially important on such a big and prestigious project as The Pearl,” says de Bruyckere. Text Thomas Arnroth

The Pearl of Qatar is modelled on the French and Italian Riviera.

The Pearl in brief • 400-hectare man-made island located 20 km north of Qatar’s capital Doha. • 40-kilometre coastline of which half will be beaches. • 11,000 luxury villas are being built and the island will have 40,000 residents. • 700 marina berths and three five-star hotels. • 15,000 square metres of luxury retail space are under construction.

# 2 2007 SHAPE • 17

DESIGN

A PASSION FOR ALUMINIUM Furniture from Indecasa can be described as minimalist, stylistically pure, futuristic and, not least, comfortable. The Spanish company has been making aluminium furniture for several decades, sometimes combined with other materials, but always with winning designs.

I

ndecasa mostly makes furniture for public spaces, specialising in chairs, benches, outdoor furniture and lounge furniture. The furniture always has an aluminium frame, combined with other materials such as leather, plastics and textiles. The company has made furniture for airports, offices, restaurants, bars and cafes, and exports to countries worldwide. Indecasa was established in 1963 and began by manufacturing garden and camping furniture, hence the choice of this durable and weatherresistant material.

ness with a true passion when Francisco López de Vega describes the process from concept to finished product. He is personally involved in almost every aspect of the process, and although he has no design training himself, he has firm opinions on what he believes will work, preferring a pared-down, ‘less is more’ style. “I either like something or I don’t,” is his explanation of his attitude to design. SINCE INDECASA made its first garden furniture in

Francisco López de Vega, CEO of Indecasa.

“If a piece of our furniture doesn’t contain aluminium, then it’s not an Indecasa product,” says Francisco López de Vega, ceo of Indecasa and son of the founder. WHEN FRANCISCO’S FATHER started up the company,

The Barcino chair was selected by the design magazine MD as one of the 200 Best Products of the Century. 18 SHAPE • # 2 2007

aluminium was a very exotic material; it was a totally new and innovative choice for making furniture. Indecasa was relatively unique to the market and it was not until much later that aluminium furniture became trendy. The choice of material and the focus on good design have proved to be a winning concept. The company, which is now based in the small town of Manresa, outside Barcelona, employs 60 people. The plant has a number of specially made machines that are used to cut, bend, polish and treat the furniture components. You can tell that Indecasa is a family busi-

the 1960s, the market has changed and so has the company. The importance of functionality has increased, environmental awareness has risen and interest in furnishing and design has taken off. Good design is a strong feature of Indecasa furniture. It is furniture that brings to mind terms such as futuristic, hi-tech and minimalist, and one of the company’s chairs indeed featured in the science fiction film The Matrix. The company has a creative partnership with a number of independent designers and often looks outside Spain to find the right individual. Nico Smeenk, Kurt Thut and Sapiens Design are some of the furniture designers the company has worked with. The recently retired designer Joan Casa has been of great importance to the company and has had a major influence on its design language. For Francisco López de Vega, it is important that the partnership between the firm and the designer is based on a good understanding and that technology and aesthetics go hand in hand. He believes that many designers focus on how stylish the final

TRIAL The minimalist Trial chair, with its aluminium feet and base, and its black leather seat, featured in the film The Matrix.

›

product will be and not on the technical process. Although aluminium is a material with which the company’s technicians and designers have long experience, there are always some details that can cause glitches in production. “Aluminium is not always an easy material to work with. We have to choose the alloy and grain structure carefully when we make small or fragile parts,” explains Francisco López de Vega, adding that several pieces of furniture are made with aluminium profiles from Sapa. THE PLANT IN MANRESA now has its own complex

quality control process, and invests a great deal in material analysis and research and development, as well as quality and the environment. Aluminium is of course a recyclable material and the company’s furniture meets the market’s growing eco-labelling requirements. But it is a material that also presents challenges and setbacks, says Francisco López. “Complications can arise along the way, but I believe that everything is possible – if you make compromises.”

OYYO OYYO

The Dutch industrial designer Nico Smeenk created the Oyyo chair. The technical process of creating the chair was complicated. But once the prototype was finished – the frame in aluminium and the seat in rigid plastic with cutout holes – it was very easy to produce. ndå inte helt isolerad.

Text Jessica Johansson photos Indecasa

# 2 2007 SHAPE • 19

WHAT A TA

SAFE LANDINGS WHATEVER THE WEATHER Clearing snow effectively is critical for safety at many airports. Lycksele Airport uses a unique system from Svenska Industriborstar that was developed in close collaboration with Sapa. “It’s very simple and easy to use,” says airport worker Rune Hedman.

H

igh quality runways for takeoff and landing are essential if airports are to guarantee the safety of passengers. In some parts of the world the weather conditions place special demands on maintenance – particularly in areas that get frequent snow. Staff at Lycksele Airport know this only too well. Its geographic location in northern Sweden means that the airport gets heavy snow in winter. Because even the lightest snow covering affects plane takeoffs and landings, snow-clearing operations must be highly efficient at all times. Snow reduces the braking value of the runway, which is measured regularly using special equipment. “A low braking value reduces the braking performance of the plane. Among other things that increases the risk that the plane will not stop in 20 SHAPE • # 2 2007

time on the landing runway. It also makes the plane more susceptible to side winds,” says airport worker Rune Hedman. To ensure that takeoff and landing runways always have sufficiently high braking values, sweeper and blower machines are usually towed behind the snow ploughs. After the runway has been ploughed clear, these machines sweep away the remaining snow and blow the runway clear. “In winter we basically run the machines every day, and if we get snow it can be several times a day,” says Rune. The brushes on the machines have a big impact on the effectiveness of snow clearing. Because the machines at Lycksele Airport are used frequently, the worn brushes generally need to be replaced several times each season. The brush system that

has been developed by Svenska Industriborstar (sib) uses brushes housed in cassettes that can be replaced without dismantling the brush shaft. Rune Hedman explains that this is a big improvement over other systems, which require removal of the brush shaft during replacement. “You remove a ring, pull out the old cassette from its slot and fit a new one. It’s a very simple system that is easy to use and saves us a lot of time,” he says. blower machines can also be used in summer when the snow has gone. In 2004 the airport at Lycksele was extended. Before every takeoff and landing the machines were sent out to clear building sand and gravel from the runways. The sweeper and

SK!

The brushes are mainly used for snow, but can also be used to clear sand and gravel from runways.

The brush cassettes fit into slots in the profiles, making them easy to replace.

Rune Hedman is an old hand at clearing snow from Lycksele Airport.

The machines can also be used to remove rubber deposits from the runway surface. sib was founded in 1955 and the company employs 15 people, based in Västerås. At the end of the 1970s the company introduced the unique, patented brush system that now forms the core of its business. Markets for the brush system include Scandinavia, Russia, Greenland, Canada and the usa. The sib system consists of a shaft with slots into which the brush cassettes slide. Previously the shaft was made of a steel tube to which aluminium profiles were attached. Now the shaft is manufactured entirely from aluminium profiles that are made by Sapa. The shaft consists of five parts, or profiles, that are joined to create a cylinder. sib makes the shafts in two different diameters and the length is

tailored to the customer’s requirements. “Because it was difficult and expensive to get hold of steel tube for production we chose to make the shafts from aluminium profiles instead. Aluminium is cheaper and lighter. Aluminium also permits more variations in the design,” says Caroline Droeser, ceo of sib. SAPA HAS BEEN SUPPLYING SIB for around 20 years and

helped to develop the system. Caroline Droeser explains that Sapa’s expertise is one of the key reasons why sib chose to work more closely with the company. “We’re always discussing how we can improve the product. We try to find new solutions together all the time. Thanks to Sapa we are kept updated on new techniques and ways of working with alu-

minium. That know-how is one of main reasons we have chosen Sapa as a partner,” she says. Sapa now supplies almost five times as many aluminium profiles to sib as it did five years ago. Patrick Massana, a sales representative with Sapa, explains that Sapa and sib keep in touch regularly, usually a couple of times a month. Sapa also makes regular visits to sib, up to five times each year. “It can be more often when we’re developing new products. I believe that collaboration of this type is best for both partners. For us at Sapa it is important that the product we develop gives the best performance for our customers. We work hard to improve our products continuously, and to come up with ideas and suggestions,” he says. Text Carl Hjelm photo SAMUEL ARNFJELL

# 2 2007 SHAPE • 21

Focusing on the wall When Danish company BANG & OLUFSEN needed profiles for a new store presentation stand they contacted Sapa. The result was not just a stand that was discreet and easy to use, but also the start of a deeper collaboration.

T

he Focus Wall presentation stand is an important element in bang & olufsen stores that is designed to show off the latest products and promotional messages. Because of this it has to be updated regularly. “It’s important that our in-store furnishings are discreet and elegant. We want our products to take centre stage. Aluminium frames fit this requirement very well,” says Juval Friis Philosof, in-house store designer with bang & olufsen. In August 2006 Sapa in Denmark received an enquiry from bang & olufsen. Discussions followed and a series of improvements were made to the specification of requirements. Sapa’s complete solution entails providing everything from aluminium frames to screws and fittings, in the form of a complete “ikea kit” that is delivered direct bang & olufsen’s central warehouse. with aluminium the weight of the entire package has been reduced from 25 to 16 kilograms. Handling costs have also been reduced by using simpler packaging. “Sapa’s expertise was a great help to us. We’ve continuously raised the bar and arrived at new solutions together,” says Thomas Svendsgaard, buyer with bang & olufsen. There is big demand for Focus Wall version 2.0. The stands are needed in a large number of new stores and for updating existing stores. In order to meet bang & olufsen’s pricing and capacity requirements Sapa took a fresh approach to production, including investing in a robot system to simplify machining of the profiles. BY REPLACING STEEL

22 SHAPE • # 2 2007

“This work presented a challenge to optimise our own processes,” says Johnny Christensen, an engineer, and Thomas Behrndtz, key account manager with Sapa Profiler a/s. Automation and a combination of new techniques give Sapa the opportunity to make improvements in pricing and quality. “A central part of Sapa’s philosophy is to be a partner in collaboration. Together with the customer we create a ‘win-win’ situation. The Focus Wall project has meant more than financial benefits alone for bang & olufsen and for Sapa,” says Thomas Behrndtz. text Jesper Elm Larsen PHOTO MAGNUS GLANS

Focus Wall in brief • The presentation stand consists of a sheet of MDF that provides a mounting surface, an aluminium frame made from profiles and horizontal profiles for shelves. The horizontal profiles are threaded internally so that they can easily be attached to the MDF sheet using specially developed heavy-duty screws. • The Focus Wall comes in two sizes: 120 and 180 centimetres wide. A silicone strip makes it easy to attach textile banners to the aluminium frame.

PROFILE

IN THE HANDS oF

DAVID MARSHALL David Marshall is an artist who combines aluminium with materials such as glass, leather and wood. The results are fantastic works of art.

M

ultitalented Scottish polymath David Marshall has been practising his art for many years in his adopted homeland of Spain, more precisely Ronda in Andalusia. He has a colourful background and has worked among other things as a copywriter, welder, architect and jewellery designer (for clients that have included Christian Dior). However, David Marshall is still best known for his sculptures and design work, which include furniture and lamps. He first took an interest in aluminium during a trip to Colombia over thirty years ago. David took a job as a welder and was able to try working with aluminium, learning about its properties, good and bad. “You can do things with aluminium that you can’t do with other materials. I can make the material move, I can bend it and cast it,” he comments on his fascination for this metal.

At the start of his career David Marshall used a lot of scrap material – why not convert waste into something beautiful? Scrap, old cars and gearboxes, were transformed into art in his hands. “It’s a sort of creative recycling,” he explains.

tions, but the end result is always unique and unusual; every piece is different.” David Marshall does not like minimalism and feels we have too many pared-down designs around us today. He believes that too few people make things with their own hands, so he travels widely around the world learning from other artists and craftsmen. He has, for instance, worked with smiths ALUMINIUM IS NOT an in Rajasthan, drum makers in easy material to work Ghana and leather craftsmen David Marshall works in Spain, but his art with, according to in Indonesia – a mixture of also sells in the Nordic region, Ireland and David Marshall. He tradition and inspiration that has had to experiment Saudi Arabia. clearly influences his art in a great deal to get the the form of fantastic organic results he wanted. It shapes. is a brittle and delicate material, but he sees it He likes to combine his favourite material with as a challenge and loves working with old craft others, such as pigskin, glass, wood and wool, and techniques. often brings home unusual materials from his travDavid uses the material as it is, or melts it to els. He recently began collaborating with local glass make castings and sculptures. craftsmen in Thailand, for example. “It takes discipline to work with aluminium, but because I get bored easily it is the perfect challenge for me. I have some technical limitaTExT JESSICA JoHANSSoN # 2 2007 SHAPE • 23

AND FINALLY

PRoFILES GIvE GYROCOPTER A LIFT It’s not a plane and it’s not a helicopter. The gyrocopter, or autogyro, is sort of a mix of both – only much cheaper. You can park the popular AutoGyro MT-03 on your own driveway for “just” 50,000 euro.

L

ike an aeroplane, an autogyro is powered by a propeller; but the autogyro has no wings. Instead, it is fitted with a rotor blade that is turned by the headwind and updraughts, giving good lift even at low speeds. Some differences between a gyrocopter and a helicopter are that the gyro doesn’t need a tail rotor (which keeps the helicopter from spinning round) and that the gyrocopter can’t do a vertical takeoff – although in a headwind it only needs a takeoff run of ten metres. A “prerotator” is used to pick up the rotor speed to 250 rpM. on the AutoGyro MT-03 is manufactured by HTc/AutoGyro in Hildesheim in Germany, and this is where Sapa comes into the picture. The rotor blade is made of two aluminium sections, each four metres long. Designing the sections was a technical challenge. Their walls are just 1.1 millimetres thick, THE VITAL ROTOR

24 SHAPE • # 2 2007

but very strong, and able to handle high vertical stresses without twisting. Rotor blade made from profiles. “They also have a very asymmetrical profile. But we worked with the Sapa in Belgium and succeeded in creating a geometric shape that met all the requirements,” says Michael Brodam, who is responsible for application & design engineering at Sapa in Düsseldorf. The MT-03 is described as safe and relatively easy to learn to fly. The standard version costs just over 50,000 euro. Add to that the cost of obtaining a ul-b flight certificate, about 5,000 euro. The little flying machine is easy to load on a trailer and park in a regular garage. TExT THoMAS ÖSTBERG