Sapa Group - Shape Magazine 2006 # 2 - Aluminium / Aluminum

Shape A magazine from the Sapa Group # 2 2006

› ROLLER SKIS FOR THE RIGHT GLIDE › CHINA A NEW HIGH-TECH SUPERPOWER › RESEARCH IN FOCUS IN FINSPÅNG

TOUGH JOB FOR COOL CAR ALUMINIUM BEAM SATISFIED VOLVO’S STRINGENT SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

CONTENTS

Sapa’s winning concept

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he level of activity is high at Sapa. The year kicked off with strong demand on the European extrusion market and demand has since remained firm. We see favourable demand on most markets where Sapa is active. All business areas are experiencing market growth and healthy business development. Having been at Sapa for six months now, I am still amazed by the complex geometries and numerous functionalities that can be built into an aluminium profile and the wide possibilities that our profiles, building systems and heat transfer material offer. Sapa has a winning concept! Close proximity to the market and our customers is one of our cornerstones and success factors, as exemplified by a number of new and exciting co-operation opportunities with new and existing customers. During September, we inaugurated the extension of our heat transfer plant in Shanghai and, in connection with this, the company celebrated its 10-year anniversary. We foresee continuous strong growth on the heat transfer market, especially in China. Continuous improvement and people management were top of the agenda when Sapa’s 98 managers met in Portugal to review the past year and set the pace and direction for 2007. Application sharing was on the agenda, with the aim of sharing best practice throughout the Sapa Group. Sapa is one of the leaders in all of our business areas, a position we intend to strengthen. We will do this by being customer focused and offering high competence in all parts of the operations. We work in accordance with Genesis, a method that is based on continuous improvement throughout our business. This, together with a strong benchmarking system involving application sharing throughout the Group, and a high focus on people and people management is how we will shape the future.

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Wave of innovation in China. Red-hot economic growth facilitates research and development.

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04 Skier keeps in shape using aluminium roller skis.

Hydro-formed beam solved safety problem in Volvo’s C70 sports car.

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14 Lennart Evrell, President and CEO

Shaping the future

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Corrosion in car radiators the force driving Marja Melander.

Sapa is an international business group that develops, manufactures and markets value-added aluminium profiles, profile-based components and systems, and heat-exchanger strip in aluminium. Sapa has sales of approximately EUR 1.6 billion and some 8,200 employees throughout Europe and in the United States and China.

Old ice-hockey arenas become modern pleasure domes.

Shape is the Sapa Group’s customer magazine that is issued twice annually in ten languages. Shape is also available via the Internet at www.sapagroup.com Editor-in-Chief: Eva Ekselius Editor: Anna-Lena Ahlberg Jansen Graphic design: Karin Löwencrantz

Production: OTW Publishing Printing: Davidsons Tryckeri, Växjö, Sweden Cover photo: Magnus Glans Changes of address: Customers should inform their contact person at Sapa, employees their salary department and others the Communications Department on +46 8 459 59 00.

PHOTO CHRISTER OLOFSSON

BRIEF NOTICES

Easier to order a taxi Reserving taxis will be easier and smoother and there will be better order in taxi queues. This is the intended purpose of the taxi automats that were installed at Gothenburg Central Station last summer and will be installed at Stockholm Central Station in the autumn. “This should remove the chaos in large taxi areas,” says Arne Lagerholm at Lagerholm & Co, which manufactured the automats jointly with Megatech. Using the taxi automats will give travellers the possibility of reserving and paying for taxi journeys, collecting tickets via the Internet and receiving information on the precise location of the reserved taxi at the Central Station.

“This system will be generally available throughout Sweden,” explains Lagerholm. The taxi automats are manufactured using extruded aluminium profiles from Sapa, which are available in designs with frontal glued glass, concealed hinges and tamper-proofed edging. Lagerholm and Co manufactures Internet stations, signs, lighting cabinets and frames. The company has designed products based on aluminium profiles for more than 30 years. Today, 140 different types of profiles are used in production. “Sapa’s engineers are a valuable resource. With regard to this design, for example, they advised us how to protect the electronics from the rain,” says Lagerholm.

Mobile boxes with profiles

Award for light fixture

In April, the light fixture Orosso was awarded the industry’s own Oscar, the Red Dot Award, an international design prize for innovative and distinguishing product design. Orosso was designed by Swedish industrial designer, Olle Lundberg, for Fagerhults Belysning. The fixture was included in the company’s “Art of Light” concept, where various designers were given free rein. For Orosso, Lundberg combined a round light source with ordinary straight fluorescent tubes to create an unconventional form without sharp ends and light-consuming corners. The body was made of extruded aluminium from Sapa Profiles and ends of cast aluminium. The aluminium profiles were also chromed to achieve the right polished finish. “We have had a long and satisfactory relationship with Sapa,” says Anders Löfvenhamn, purchasing manager at Fagerhults Belysning. Orosso is intended for use in office buildings and conference rooms.

# 2 2006 • SHAPE 3

TEXT ULRIKA LOKRANTZ

A new vehicle from Peugeot, the Peugeot Boxline pickup, was introduced into the Swedish market in March. Ydre Skåp is the company that manufactures the pickup box, using aluminium profiles from Sapa. “We assisted in designing the front hood adapted for the body. The entire platform was a combination of sandwich material and aluminium profiles with a collapsible aluminium rear clamp,” says Thomas Blom, product manager for Transport System at Sapa Building Systems. Most of the aluminium profiles delivered from Ydre Skåp are of a standard model, but adapted to the pickup. “We will be making deliveries on a continuous basis for the next few years. This is interesting and fun since there has never been a pickup of this type on the market before. It could cause ripples in the water and hopefully more manufacturers will get in touch,” says Blom. For many years, Sapa has been supplying Ydre Skåp with products for the transport vehicle market. “We have a very satisfactory relationship with Sapa and excellent contact with the Support Department. Since we’re very advanced with regard to innovative ideas, we must have a supplier that is just as advanced. Sapa is that company,” says Peter Carlsson, Ydre Skåp’s owner.

PÅ VÄG ON THE MOVE

A crashworthy assignment The door beam in Volvo’s new sports model C70 was too heavy and did not comply with safety requirements. When the car manufacturer contacted Sapa Automotive, it was urgent. In just over six months, a hydro-formed aluminium beam was to be produced. he steel door beam, which was normally used in other Volvo models, did not comply with the high demands for crash safety, because the cabriolet naturally did not have a roof to help absorb the force during a collision. In addition, the steel beam was too heavy and did not comply with requirements in terms of strength. When Volvo and Pininfarina (the company that designed the car and is also majority shareholder in the plant where it is assembled) began discussing a solution using hydro-formed aluminium, Sapa was chosen as the supplier. “We knew that we were highly skilled, but this was a specific beam that no one had previously designed and there were no references available. In addition, rapid and intense work was needed,” says Bo Einarsson, purchaser at Volvo Car Corporation. The problem was presented to Sapa in April  and, at the end of September the same year,

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4 SHAPE • # 2 2006

the first beams were delivered to Volvo’s plant in Olofström, Sweden, where the doors were assembled. Simultaneously, a few months of intense development work was in progress. “We had never produced such a complex component before. In addition to the crash and weight demands, the beam also had to dovetail into a limited space,” says project leader Jonas Bjuhr at Sapa Automotive, Vetlanda, Sweden. DESIGN AND CALCULATION were implemented in parallel with the development process. The technical calculations were performed by Sapa Technology in Finspång, Sweden, and simulated crashes on doors were also conducted there. “We evaluated approximately  different types before finding the right one. The final design was approved by crash calculations on an entire car at Pininfarina, Italy,” states Bjuhr. In August , work had progressed to such a

degree that it was time to purchase the tools that would be needed in production. “Trying to fulfil all the demands was quite a challenge. Calculations that were implemented digitally must agree in reality. And, before ordering manufacturing equipment and tools for several millions of kronor, one has to be assured that development work has been adequately implemented,” explains Bjuhr. An aluminium door beam has several distinct advantages: the material is light, has excellent strength and not least, high energy absorption ability. But there are also risks associated with mixed material. The use of several metals can result in a galvanic element and corrosion, although the engineers at Sapa were able to avoid that problem. “In fact, everything turned out perfectly and, in the end, we got exactly what we expected,” says Bjuhr.

Before becoming a door beam, the profile is processed in several stages, such as profile washing, maturing and robot processing. Finally, blind rivet nuts are assembled manually (photo above).

He is also satisfied with the co-operation process with Volvo and Pininfarina. “We had a satisfactory and open discussion with Volvo in terms of technology, delivery, commercial prerequisites and so forth. Pininfarina has been very accommodating and we have had an excellent relationship.” Einarsson at Volvo also mentioned the open dialogue, which is a prerequisite for good results. He was also very impressed by the fact that Sapa was able to meet the tough deadline. “From the beginning, Sapa had a positive attitude and rapidly produced a concept, and when hydro-forming tools were to be ordered, it all went very quickly. The company satisfied all of our demands,” states Einarsson. The new c was presented last autumn and sales in Sweden began in the spring. To date, sales

are progressing as planned, which means at least , cars per year. The design life of a car model is usually about five years and Sapa will be supplying components for the c model as long as it is being manufactured. Einarsson was unable to comment on the type of door beam that Volvo will be using in future models. Steel constructions are still functioning satisfactorily in cars with roof beams. For Sapa, the assignment contributes vital experience for the future. “Yes, body components are an interesting area for us. This was a complicated and pretty major project, which we proved that we were capable to conduct,” says Bjuhr. T E XT T H O M AS Ö ST B E R G P H OTO M AG N U S G L A N S O C H VO LVO

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We had never produced such a complex component before

How the door beam is made

Automated hydro-formed cell 1. Aluminium profiles formed in a moulding. 2. A robot moves the component to a processing station where another robot cuts the correct length and a third robot performs the initial processing. 3. The component then moves to washing and maturing (heat treatment to increase strength). Automated processing cell 4. At the next station, a fourth robot implements the main processing. 5. The final step is assembly of 11 blind rivet nuts, which are used later to fasten the beam to the door.

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INSIGHT: CHINA

Quantity becomes QUALITY IN CHINA “Made in China” has long been regarded as synonymous with mass production. But China is now changing direction and is focusing on attaining world leadership in research and development. At Sapa Heat Transfer in Shanghai, everyone is well prepared. iring on all cylinders, China has taken the pole position in Foreign Direct Investment (fdi) which, coupled with a scorching growth rate of nearly  percent on average, has fuelled an economy at break-neck speed for nearly a decade. According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, the number of foreign-invested research and development (r&d) centres in China jumped from  in  to nearly  in . In a September survey of multinationals conducted by the un Conference on Trade and Development, China was the most frequently cited location for r&d expansion, far ahead of the United States and India – China’s main competitor on the innovation track. Three decades of foreign investment transformed China into a manufacturing powerhouse. No longer content to idly serve as a factory to the world, Beijing plans to technologically leapfrog the competition by strengthening domestic innovation. A campaign engineered to propel the country into more advanced niches of a global economy – creating a juggernaut of low-cost, high-tech innovation unlike anything the world has ever seen.

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ROLLING WITH THIS new ideology, Sapa Group is positioning itself on the cusp of this innovative wave. The Group established Sapa Heat Transfer (Shanghai) Ltd in , where managing director Torbjörn Sternsjö has spent the last seven years with an hour-long drive to Jiading (in the outer reaches of Shanghai). 6 SHAPE • # 2 2006

“Sapa Heat Transfer Shanghai, together with our sister company in Sweden, function as a global solutions provider for brazed automotive heat exchangers,” explains Sternsjö. “In other words, we provide rolled aluminium products specially designed for all kinds of heat exchangers used in the automotive industry, such as heaters, radiators, evaporators, condensers, charge air coolers and oil coolers.” When asked about the potential for r&d development in China, Sternsjö smiles: “The ambition is definitely there. In a generation, the market will be more mature, but the people are certainly open-minded, willing to learn and are very business oriented.” In China, many foreign managers resort to micro-management in order to solve problems. “I resist this temptation and prefer to focus on teaching and training – this is key because the future is now, this is year zero and it makes for a more sustainable company.” WITH THE COMPETITIVE environment currently prevailing in China, employee retention is a widespread concern but Sternsjö believes that Sapa’s  employees (averaging just  years old) appreciate the corporate culture at Sapa. The company’s gate glides open, revealing a neatly kept compound coloured in beige, trimmed smartly in blue. The parking lot is reaching levels of bumper-to-bumper parking, filled with newly purchased cars. Ten years ago, we would have seen a line of bicycles, five years ago, shuttle busses ferrying employees. But today… it’s the car. Sapa believes that focusing on sales and market-

ing could promote its capability for innovation. Sapa’s Japanese customers have very long testing periods before approving new products, the foundation of r&d, which leads to proper use of equipment and when needed, trouble-shooting. Sapa feels this has prepared and positioned it to offer more. NEW ALLOYS MEAN more r&d to meet requirements for reducing material thickness. The industry started to move from copper to aluminium  years ago, mainly because the material was lighter and more cost efficient. Today, the industry is driving toward smaller and lighter products with a long service life, with the focus on materials that offer down gauging and corrosion resistance (all important in Shanghai’s ultra-humid environment). “In the past seven years, the competition has mushroomed. The government is pushing to revitalise the North East and Guangdong in the south is always strong,” elaborates Sternsjö. “However they haven’t reached our production capacity and we plan to use r&d to further distance ourselves.” Sapa’s sales volume went from  tonnes in  to a projected , tonnes in . Sapa’s present plant capacity is , tonnes per year. The plant’s present capabilities include a thickness range of .-. millimetres and a width ranging from  millimetres and upwards. The plant earned ts certification in . Since , Sapa has made investments totalling  million u.s. dollars in production facilities that include a new casting centre, an upgraded hot

Yan Xiaohua at Sapa Heat Transfer in Shanghai assessing the situation.

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The ambition is definitely there. In a generation, the market will be more mature

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rolling line, a new cold mill, a new tension-levelling machine and a new building for finishing production. Future plans include an upgrade of the old casting centre by the first quarter of  and the purchase of a new loop slitter by the third quarter of next year. Jimmy Jiang, r&d manager at Sapa Heat Transfer (Shanghai), provided a tour of a perfectly clean factory; green pavements trimmed with yellow caution lines take visitors through the raw material area, through melting/casting on to hot rolling, through cold rolling and on to finishing, where tightly wrapped products await shipping on fresh pine pallets. Jiang holds up a Silica bag: “We need this in Shanghai’s humid climate and 8 SHAPE • # 2 2006

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Sapa’s new centre for research and development was opened in September. Activities here include product development and materials testing. Jimmy Jiang is R&D Manager at the centre.

it’s important that we don’t pack hot products.” During our visit, finishing touches were being put to the inauguration of the new Sapa Heat Transfer Shanghai r&d Centre that opened on September . Guests from throughout China and other parts of the world converged to see Sapa lay the foundation for innovation. This r&d centre will show Sapa’s customers – such companies as Delphi from the United States and Behr of Germany – that they no longer have to look outside China for innovation, now that this capability has been brought to their doorstep. This new r&d centre supports such activities as product development, material testing and inspection and technical service. Here Sapa will be

able to carry out investigations and research into chemical composition in a new chemical lab, work with a metallographic microscope, investigate mechanical properties and install a corrosion cabinet for sea water acetic acid equipment (swaat) to check for leakage (including oy testing for interior corrosion). The centre also houses a  million rmb controlled atmosphere brazing (cab) furnace that permits full-scale brazing. Although small in size (just , square metres), the centre stays attuned to the company’s philosophy of being lithe and flexible… much like the aluminium product it produces. T E XT K U R T B R AY B R O O K P H OTO Q I L A I S H E N

INSIGHT: CHINA

A broader range When Ericsson needed larger coolers for its radio base stations in Asia, Sapa had the solution. Friction stir welding enables Sapa Profiles in Shanghai to manufacture virtually any width conceivable. mericans say aluminum, the British aluminium. In China, it’s called lüˇ (a homonym in Chinese for the word green). Ironic, because environmentally speaking, aluminium is known as the green metal. By any name, it represents immense opportunity in a country moving to a blend of innovative production. Beijing has called for a strengthening of domestic innovation – a campaign that could catapult China’s development with low-cost and innovative solutions in a global economy as the watchwords. For Sapa Profiles (Shanghai), the use of friction stir welding (fsw) is a problem-solving solution for heat sinks produced for the telecommunications industry. As a major supplier of extruded heat sinks, Sapa has taken the call from Ericsson and other telecom customers to meet the need for wider heat sinks with more sophisticated fin configurations. In ,  millimetres was an acceptable width for heat sinks (aka coolers) and could be easily produced using small press machinery. Ericsson has expanded its Radio Base Station production in China and Ericsson r&d in Beijing has developed cheaper base-station solutions that require more efficient and larger coolers (heat sinks) of > millimetres in width, with a fin height of  millimetres and a thickness of . millimetres. While extrusion suppliers can produce these in Europe, the realities of the market demand a localised solution in China.

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A JUMP FROM its sister company Sapa Heat Transfer (Shanghai), Sapa Profiles (Shanghai) is helmed by managing director David Littler, a man who first came to China in  as a machine supplier. A textbook on management lays thick and heavy on Littler’s office desk. “I was schooled as an engineer, so this management position is new to me,” remarked Littler. It becomes apparent during our talk that he needs little schooling in management. “You can liken the aluminium extrusion process

to a child’s Play-Doh machine – push the material in on one side and it comes out in one piece on the other,” he explains. Anyone who has spent an extended period of time in China soon learns that the cornerstone of innovation is resourcefulness. “Our strategy,” Littler smiles, “was to develop a very cheap solution to weld two smaller extrusions together using fsw, a technology invented in the United Kingdom, and developed extensively by Sapa.” He places two extrusions side by side, drawing his finger down the joint. “This has allowed Sapa to source profiles from smaller local presses – making the extrusion process cheaper and easier.” Littler points out that fsw has no negative effects on heat dissipation and no significant increase in scrap loss compared to direct extrusion. “And after machining the fsw product, you can’t see the seam and there’s no beading.” ERICSSON AND SAPA’S other telecom customers benefit from coolers being produced to European standards but available at lower cost in China. Lead times are reduced significantly when compared to imported profiles and Sapa can provide coolers at almost any width – opening the door to new designs to develop wide coolers using fsw technology exclusively and enabling Sapa to compete with die-cast products. This translates to customers being able to source large amounts of products in China, which will in turn supply the growing Asian and u.s. markets. For Sapa, market development is leading increased demand. Sapa Profiles, like its sister company Sapa Heat Transfer, will soon expand into a larger facility. “I have my team running seven days a week on three shifts,” he beams. On the factory floor, a glimpse of fsw technology shows the tool (spin-

Managing Director David Littler

ning at , rpm) being pulled across two sideby-side extrusions. It’s akin to drawing a spoon through a tray of quicksilver (mercury); not even a ripple as the bit passes through. Littler likens it to a zipper. “It just all comes together,” he smiles. T E XT K U R T B R AY B R O O K P H OTO Q I L A I S H E N

VINJETT IN THE LEAD

Roller skis for yearRoller skis of aluminium are actually no innovation. However, thanks to a new design developed by Sapa and Combisport, manufacturing has been simplified. In addition, they feel almost exactly like real cross-country skis.

Long-distance skier Ralf Corin spends many miles on roller skis. 10 SHAPE • # 2 2006

alf Corin has his sights set on next year’s -kilometer Vasalopp race in March. This will be the fifth time he skis the long trail from Mora to Sälen, Sweden. His goal is to better his personal record of  hours and  minutes. Prior to the Vasaloppet, he will ski the -kilometer Marcilonga race, which is Italy’s equivalent. His preparations have already started. “During the summer, I try to train on roller skis during the week, in addition to swimming, running and table tennis. I do so because I don’t want to lose my feeling for skiing or the muscles that I have built up. If you want to compete in long races, you have to train long distances,” he says.

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CORIN WORKS AS an automation engineer at Sapa Profiles in Vetlanda, Sweden. He purchased his first roller skis prior to competing in his first Vasalopp. Despite living close to the highlands of Småland, there is no guarantee of snow and thus no opportunities for training as much as required. Corin recently replaced his old wood-fibre skis with Free-skate classic bronze roller skis made of aluminium. “Skiing with roller skis requires a different

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The new skis are lighter, provide excellent balance and are robust and durable

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Short starting stretch for roller skis

Ralf Corin’s Free-skate classic bronze roller skis are designed for the classic style, meaning that the wheels have reverse lock-up.

round skiing technique compared with normal skis, because the wheels lock in reverse, meaning that you don’t roll backwards. With ordinary skis, you have to stamp your foot down, but roller skis are still the form of training that is most similar,” he observes. The sporting goods wholesaler Combisport has developed roller skis of aluminium, an idea that the company had had for some time. “We already sell roller skis made of wood, but they are not only difficult, but also expensive to manufacture. We therefore contacted Sapa as a partner to develop a suitable aluminium profile,” relates Greger Cornelius, president of Combisport. Sapa was responsible for developing the profile tool based on Combisport’s drawing of the roller ski. Roller skis are not new on the market, but the solution that Sapa and Combisport developed is a completely new design. “The roller skis are manufactured from a single aluminium profile and do not use wheel attachments of another material,” reveals Cornelius. This provides a number of advantages. With fewer components, it is easier to achieve the correct precision for the components that have to

be assembled. The manufacturing process is also shorter, since assembly steps can be eliminated. “Aluminium is also a competitive material with excellent durability. It is also light and easily shaped. Development of aluminium materials has reached a very advanced stage, which means aluminium profiles offer many possibilities,” he notes. Other common materials in roller skis are fibreglass, wood and composite materials containing carbon and fibreglass. CORNELIUS RELATES THAT the aluminium skis are manufactured in a single span so that it is as similar to an ordinary ski as possible. The span is the part of the ski that does not rest on the ground when the skier glides but instead is pressed down toward the ground with each tramp. “This also creates the right feeling when you push down on roller skis,” says Cornelius. “The new skis are lighter, provide excellent balance and are robust and durable. Aluminium roller skis also cost less. The shock absorbing capacity, however, is somewhat poorer,” notes Cornelius. Corin’s Free-skate classic bronze roller skis are designed for the classic style, which is why the

Development work on the roller skis took Sapa only a couple of months, despite having to test several prototypes before the final solution for processing the profile was found. Production of roller skis entails several processing steps. First the aluminium profile is punched to make space for the wheels, which are mounted vertically. Cut-outs are then made for the wheel mounts, the forks and the holes for attaching the wheels. To provide space for the broad wheels, the forks are bent. Thereafter, the entire profile is bent to create the span that puts spring in the ski, thus providing a feeling just like a real cross-country ski. The profile is hardened to give it sufficient strength. Processing finishes with colour anodising prior to mounting the wheels, attaching decals and packaging the skis.

wheels lock in reverse. “For training free style, a different roller ski is required with slightly smaller wheels that do not lock in reverse,” Corin explains. As the autumn progresses, Corin increases the length and frequency of his training sessions. Before the first snow falls, he wants to have sessions of more than two hours under his belt. “When the snow falls and you have trained the right muscles, it’s easier to get started and to put enough miles behind you on real cross-country skis,” says Corin. He then skis as much as he can, often with a headlamp in the evenings. As the Vasaloppet approaches, he is careful to avoid germs that can result in colds. “That’s what I worry about up until the last minute. If you’re not completely healthy, you cannot compete, because the race is too demanding,” concludes Corin. T E XT U LR I K A LO K R A N T Z P H OTO M AG N U S G L A N S

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PROFILE

Rock’n’roll and a 67 Ford Galaxie convertible are Lars Axelhed’s passion in life.

Sapa is not the same company that it was 50 years ago. One person who knows is Lars Axelhed, who has come the whole way through buy-outs, name changes and breath-taking technical development. ars Axelhed was only  the first time he walked through the gates of Svenska Metallverken in Finspång. He had completed seven years of primary school and was starting in the occupational school that the company ran at that time. His father already worked at the company, so it was an easy choice. And Axelhed never regretted it. On the contrary, he believes that it was fortunate that he did not take another job. “I learned everything about mechanical engineering: lathing, milling, planning, welding, drilling, filing…” recalls Axelhed. The premises where he attended occupational school still exist, but that is about all. Today, operations are completely different, and Axelhed has followed the company’s development all the way through buy-outs, name changes and breathtaking technical developments. “One of the most momentous events was in  when what was then Gränges was listed on the exchange,” he recalls.

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for military service when he was , Axelhed returned with greater ambitions. He began his education to become an engineer at night school, four nights a week for five years in parallel with his full-time job. In addition, he married and built a summer home in his spare time. “I’m still building the summer house. The latest addition is glassing in the porch. I’m also still married,” Axelhed reveals. After night school, he became a mechanical engineer, a job he has retained ever since. Today he works with customisation and improvement of production equipment at Sapa Industriservice. Half of his working time, however, is devoted to union work. Since , he has been an employee representative on Sapa ab’s Board of Directors. “In local trade union work, we have to support those who are unable to keep up. Not everyone is as strong, but all employees are committed and skilled at their jobs,” notes Axelhed. As a union official, he has also been active in the European Works Council, which he helped to form. He regrets that it is now being phased out

AFTER A BREAK

but simultaneously feels that working conditions and the atmosphere at Sapa are very good. “There’s never any friction, not even between the different Sapa companies in Sweden. I also have to say that Sapa has always had good management.” AFTER WORKING 50 years in a company, it is impos-

sible not to have views about management. What then are Axelhed’s recommendations to management? “It may sound obvious, but the most important thing is to be  percent clear about what the company does. We have operations in many countries, and quite simply those who lead the company must keep tracks on what is going on,” says Axelhed. Technical development over  years has been so considerable that the company is hardly the same today. “Everything is so much more advanced. The materials that we worked with then weighed  kilos. Today they weigh ten tonnes. “On the other hand, there was much more heavy manual lifting before. Today, the job is not as physically demanding, and there are tools and lifting devices. On the other hand, there’s a mental pressure at the workplace that was not there before. The machines have to be kept running at all times, which increases the stress,” observes Axelhed. One of many innovations that Axelhed considers important is friction stir welding, which makes it possible to produce large surfaces, such as floors for refrigerator ships and sides for the carriages of underground trains. “Technical development must continue, and Sapa should develop towards manufacturing even more advanced products from a technological viewpoint,” Axelhed relates. “The simplest production of profiles is like cutting cookies. Anyone can do it. Sapa should continue its development toward more specialisation,” says Axelhed. Axelhed himself is heading towards retirement and will have time to spend on his personal interests. Highest on the list are travel, cars and rock‘n’roll. His car, a  Ford Galaxie convertible that he maintains lovingly, is only driven during the

summer. Wintertime, it is parked at his summer home. Sometimes he and his wife Birgitta combine interests, such as the time they rented a car in the United States and drove around buying spare parts and also visited Memphis. “Graceland was awesome,” notes Axelhed. Elvis may be king, but Fats Domino and Chuck Berry are the favourites. Both are naturally represented in his record collection of some  vinyl LPs. T E XT E WA T H I B AU D P H OTO S U S A N N E K R O N H O LM

Lars Axelhed in brief

Age: 65. Home: Single-family home in Finspång. Family: Wife Birgitta (also born and raised in Finspång), sons Peter and Sonny and four grandchildren, all living in or around Finspång. Profession: Mechanical engineer at Sapa Industriservice. Union assignments: Cashier and negotiator in local branch of the Swedish Union of Clerical and Technical Employees in Industry. Employee representative on Sapa AB’s Board of Directors. Travel: Six trips to the United States plus travel to Egypt, China, India and other countries. Collects: Vinyl LPs and has some 400. Cars: Volvo S70 for daily travel and 67 Ford Galaxie convertible during the summer. Favourite TV programs: News, British crime series and comedy shows. Reading: Mostly biographies about Elvis and other rock legends. Future plans: Dividing time between summer home and travel.

# 2 2006 • SHAPE 13

BRIEF NOTICES

Home for dislocated persons

Sapa makes

MAJOR investment in France

Sapa is investing about 7.5 million euros in a new vertical lacquering plant in Puget, France. “With this investment, we’re meeting increasing market demand for volume, quality and delivery times,” says Fernand Venturi, president of Sapa Profiles in France. In the new factory, aluminium profiles will be powder coated while hanging vertically, instead of the traditional method in which they are coated horizontally. This technique results not only in greater productivity but also in a surface with a very high finish. “We’re increasing capacity significantly for the benefit of both our profile customers and building systems customers, which is a growing segment,” says Venturi. According to Lennart Evrell, President and CEO of Sapa, France is Sapa’s largest single market. “We have a leading position in France. This investment will contribute to our continued success,” says Evrell.

Floating houses may be the solution in the event of disasters such as flooding when new buildings must be put in place quickly. The same applies in areas where there is more water than firm ground, such as in the Netherlands. The Dutch company Aqua-life is developing the concept of floating housing. The company has built a prefabricated house on an aluminium platform with aluminium modules designed and manufactured by Sapa in Benelux. The entire project from start until the first prototypes were raised took three months. “Aqua-life was looking for an aluminium supplier that could offer project-oriented technical support and that also wanted to participate in the development of a new product,” says Rikwijn Boon, project manager at Sapa. Because the aluminium modules can be assembled in the desired size, there is no limit to how large an area the platforms can occupy. The modules consist of an open aluminium framework and are filled with the plastic material EPS to make them float. In freshwater, the aluminium platforms can be used without extra corrosion protection

Waterfront location guaranteed with the Aqua-life home. and have an estimated lifetime of 60 to 80 years. “The market potential is highly substantial, given that a large proportion of the world’s most densely populated areas are in river deltas. At such places, land is relatively inexpensive, since it is not possible to use conventional construction methods,” concludes Boon.

Joint effort for new customer Sapa Profiles Ltd in the United Kingdom received one of it largest-ever orders this spring. A total of 1,650 tonnes of aluminium profiles were delivered to Trax Portable Access. The profiles will be used as mobile floors and walkways at sporting and leisure events or for temporary road and bridge construction. “The order was valued at about 4 million British pounds,” notes Dave Humphries, sales director at Sapa Profiles Ltd. Trax Portable Access is a completely new customer for Sapa Profiles Ltd. Sapa received the order due to its ability to meet the customer’s requirements for delivery of such a large quantity in a short time.

Sapa Profiles Ltd received the order in February. By May, everything had been delivered. To meet the delivery requirements, Sapa Profiles in Sweden had to help out. In total, 200 tonnes of profiles were delivered from Sapa in Sweden. This type of capacity utilisation between two Sapa companies is called cross-border trading, a concept that Sapa would like to refine. According to Humphries, Sapa Profiles Ltd will continue to work with Trax Portable Access. “We’re in the process of developing a new product together. If the trials go well, we will deliver large volumes of materials to them during 2007.”

In Norway, salmon are spawning more happily than in a long time. The reason is an aluminium solution that has been used with great success in the rivers to prevent the spread of the salmon parasite gyrobactilus, which kills the fish. “The first treatment of a river was performed two years ago, and the parasite has not returned. Neither have we found the parasite in any other rivers that we have treated,” says Espen Lydersen, researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research, who believes that the aluminium solution is the future. The acidic aluminium solution is poisonous for salmon in higher concentration, but by adapting the dosage to the water level and chemical properties of the water, the parasite dies. Previously, the insecticide rotenone was used, which killed both the salmon and the parasite. 14 SHAPE • # 2 2006

TEXT ULRIKA LOKRANTZ

A happier salmon

With the aid of a microscope, aluminium material can be studied in detail.

Problem-solvers in Finspång Research and development work should result in more than just reports; it should solve problems and accelerate business development. “That’s why it’s important for us to understand how Sapa’s products are applied,” says Jan Strid, manager for Sapa Technology.

›

NEW TECHNOLOGY

“Research and development is particularly stimulating when we can solve problems for our customers,” says Jan Strid.

apa Technology, the Group’s research and development centre, is located in Finspång, Sweden. Having started as a traditional material-development laboratory, it now comprises an extensive operation that also encompasses pure product-design assignments. “We are becoming increasingly integrated into Sapa’s commercially operated business. Sometimes, this extends all the way to the endcustomer, which is particularly stimulating. I believe we have a good balance between science and industrial considerations,” says Jan Strid, who himself has a background as a researcher. Following many years in Norsk Hydro, he joined Sapa Technology in  and was appointed manager two years later.

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Sapa Technology in brief

between assignments from Sapa Heat Transfer and Sapa’s profile-related operations, which includes Building Systems and the Mass Transportation, Automotive and TeleCom business segments, in addition to all the pressing plants. Work is conducted within a number of technology areas – analysis and the environment, design and engineering mechanics, corrosion, soldering technology, mechanical properties, metallography, metallurgy and surface chemistry. Equipment comprises advanced computer programs for simulation and modelling, plus well-equipped laboratories with instruments for chemical analysis, mechanical tests, structural and corrosion examinations, optical microscopes and a scanning electron microscope. The aforementioned reveals elements down to some tens of nanometres (a nanometre is . of a millimetre), which means that research can also be conducted at the level of atoms. RESOURCES ARE DIVIDED

• Functions as the Group’s research and development centre. • Has 45 employees, 60 percent of whom have a university degree and 20 percent have a PhD. Employees include metallurgists, physicists, chemists, metallographers, design engineers, mechanical engineers and engineering technicians, all of whom have aluminium as a speciality. • Also responsible for the Group’s patent handling, technical documentation, lectures and courses. • Co-operates with Swedish and foreign universities and schools of higher education. • Participates in national and international research projects.

16 SHAPE • # 2 2006

Bosse Bengtsson and Johanna Elverson examine a profile cross section.

The facility also has special equipment, including a vacuum oven and a cab oven, used to develop soldering techniques, and a wind tunnel to study heat transfer. In the courtyard building, there is a small cold-rolling mill, an anodising plant and a machine used for friction stir welding (fsw) technology. the centre has enabled Sapa to be a world leader within fsw. “We didn’t invent the technology, but we were an important partner in its process design and development within Sapa. We’re now developing the tools to fine-tune the process to enhance productivity and finances.” The goal is that Sapa will be able to improve services to its external customers, and in this regard, Sapa Technology can make a considerable contribution – from material development to pure productdevelopment projects. Thanks to its ability to model both mechanical and thermal systems, it is possible to design load-bearing components for trains and cooler components for electronic applications. Simple assignments can also be successful. Strid describes a case in one of Sapa’s foreign companies, involving a relatively small customer who required immediate assistance. This became a technical service assignment for Sapa Technology, which was solved in the usual manner – one of hundreds dealt with by the centre each year. However, the results were so good that the customer later became the third largest for Sapa. “I’m sure there were other factors behind this success, but on such an occasion, it’s great to be a developer,” says Strid.

STRID EXPLAINS THAT

T E XT A N N A - LE N A R Ö N N P H OTO M AG N U S G L A N S

”

I believe we have a good balance between science and industrial considerations

” Passivation experiments can involve very simple equipment.

Car radiators in focus Aluminium car radiators are highly resistant to corrosion, according to a new unique study from Sapa Technology, in Finspång, Sweden. To examine how aluminium corrodes, Sapa Technology uses a seawater acetic acid test (SWAAT). The material is tested in a salt fog chamber, where it is exposed to moisture, heat and a salt spray with a low pH sprayed at intervals. 24 hours

Research Engineer Marja Melander.

in this environment is the equivalent of one year of real service life for heat exchangers on salted roads. Aluminium radiators can usually withstand 30 to 40 days in the chamber. Marja Melander, research engineer at Sapa Technology, has studied how well the tests correspond to reality in the first study to be published in Europe. “I study corrosion in radiators and in aluminium components in air conditioners in cars that are between four and ten years old,” says Melander. Functioning components are collected from ten different cars that have driven between 65,000 and 380,000 kilometres. A few of the radiators lie on a workbench in the corrosion laboratory. They are somewhat black and dirty after being exposed to the elements, road salt and many kilometres of driving. Hardly any corrosion, internally or externally, could be seen with the naked eye. Only when Melander studied the material with an optical light microscope did she discover various types of corrosion, but to a very limited extent. “I’m surprised to see there is so little corrosion on the inside of the tubes,” she says. When the material was compiled, the most nota-

ble results pertained to the oldest car, but these alloys are no longer used. “Alloys are the all-important element. It’s important to have the right combination of fins and tubes. The 0.1 millimetre thick fins that provide the tube with galvanised protection are of a more basic alloy than the tube, while the tube, which is approximately 0.3 millimetres thick, is often made from a long-life material. Melander’s study comprises four sections, the first of which concerns radiators. In the autumn, the condensers will be examined, then the evaporators and the intercoolers. Results from the first sub study* have already attracted international attention. Melander presented her material at the Aluminium Brazing Conference in Düsseldorf in the spring and at the International Invitational Aluminium Brazing Seminar in Detroit in October. “When the study is complete, I hope to be able to examine heat exchangers from cars driven in Asia to see how the climate has affected the external corrosion and the status of internal corrosion on the inside of tubes,” says Melander. * Corrosion Study of Brazed Heat Exchangers in Cars after Real Service Life # 2 2006 • SHAPE 17

BRIEF NOTICES

New shapes for Sapa Napkin rings in aluminium. This was one of the results when young Finnish designers were given the task by Iittala to create new objects inspired by designer Alvar Aalto. “This year, it has been 70 years since Alvar Aalto launched his well-known Design. To celebrate, we have developed a special collection inspired by him,” says Tuija Aalto-Setälä, communications manager at Iittala. Three designer groups were invited: the graphic design agency Dog Design, industrial designers Pentagon Design and fashion designer Hanna Sarén. “We asked them to base their designs on Alvar Aalto’s curvy shape and to use a material other than glass.” Pentagon Design developed the napkin ring in aluminium. Other products resulting from the co-operation included a wooden pot stand, a gingerbread cutter, a bowl, a tray and an ice-cube tray. The Alvar Aalto design was launched at the world exhibition in Paris in 1937. The irregular shape is typical of Alvar Aalto’s design language and influences both his architecture and furniture design. “Alvar Aalto got much of his inspiration from nature and the contours of a lake can be visualized in this design,” explains Aalto-Setälä.

A bright solution

18 SHAPE • # 2 2006

Swedish bus shelters in Russia Sapa has delivered aluminium profiles to meet a historically large order. The profiles will be used in the 200 bus shelters that the Swedish street-furniture manufacturer, Team Tejbrant, has exported to St Petersburg, in Russia. “It’s our standard product, entirely in aluminium and glass, featuring an advertising display case. It’s the same as those used all over Sweden and that we sell throughout the world. There are about one thousand of them in Stockholm,” says Johan Isaksson, design manager at Team Tejbrant. It is one of the largest orders ever for Team Tejbrant and the company hopes it will receive more large orders from Russia. “We believe that we will. We’ve gained a firm foothold with this delivery,” says Isaksson.

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and , lighting furniture t e e that tr s s e ht diod jects as clude lig such ob s in m. n s iu g ig s in in e tt m d n in alu stonia, pany’s fi ilt solutio t the com ased in E u h e b -b c , lig s m in h n S to ic o . s h ti ven be in w erior use ped a cu tu xt lo d e e Roller In n v d u e n d a ro t, into a ce hea apa has r interior n shaped e to redu f heat, S fittings fo ales at deal o t has bee ling flang a o re o th aksen, s g c S a m a i v iu te d genera says Taa ave fitte h ” ed alumin , s d e te ru w u , xt e in e d le of m tual tub “We use n the ac in a coup glued. O burn up re ld a u o s e w d dio l was ferential. ht diode r materia e, the lig ium is pre is in . m rw ia e lu n a th , no othe to f o s o re E o e s in rm u a e e p h r at Sa field, th ed. Furt ing.” enginee plication we wish d the fitt pe of ap xactly as ty e is le fi diode an th t r ro h o p F lig e e th th n n ig e ld des mber. e betwe “We cou in Septe exchang elivered d the heat e re lv e o w s s able to m profile aluminiu The first

High speed co-operation When business progresses favourably for the Finnish Wärtsilä company, Sapa Profiilit also develops well, which is the current situation. The engine manufacturer has been a customer of Sapa for 18 years. Wärtsilä’s order books are full and a positive trend can be seen on all of the company’s graphs. he Finnish company Wärtsilä is a leading supplier of complete propulsion systems for vessels and offshore installations. The comp a n y is also a significant supplier of power plants for decentralised energy production. Currently, there is considerable demand for the company’s products. “At present, our operations are developing extremely well and we expect sharp growth in the next number of years,” says Lasse Rintala, strategic purchasing manager. The co-operation with Sapa Profiilit in Espoo commenced in , when Sapa received an order for nine profile tools. Quite a lot has happened since then. Today, approximately  profile tools are used to work various engine components and Wärtsilä is Sapa Profiilit’s principal customer. Deliveries have increased to approximately  tonnes per year. “Sapa is our main supplier and since we use an increasing amount of aluminium in our products, the next few years will be a challenge – even for Sapa,” says Rintala.

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profiles has become more advanced over the years. “When a girder is to have  holes, it becomes complicated. During pressing, it’s only possible to make holes in one direction. The remainder must be made in post-processing. Since the girders can weigh up to  kilos at this stage, we require large machines,” explains Henrik Lindén, who works with technical support at Sapa. Engine hatches are one example of what Sapa manufactures for Wärtsilä. A liner engine is up to

PROCESSING OF ALUMINIUM

The gigantic Queen Mary 2 cruise liner is propelled by four engines, which deliver a total of 157,000 horsepower. The liner can reach a top speed of 30 knots.

ten meters long and is covered by up to ten aluminium hatches that can be opened. The engine hatches are divided into two parts, both the upper and lower hatches are from Sapa. A third Sapa product is the air block, which has a vital function. “It’s used to start the engine. Compressed air is used to get the pistons to move up and down. Each engine has  to  cylinders,” explains Lindén. One example of the trend towards an increasing amount of aluminium (an average of  kilos per engine) is that piping is being replaced by profiles. “It’s easy to fasten components, cables and other fittings to the profiles, which makes them more versatile than piping,” says Lindén. The people at Wärtsilä are happy with the co-operation and describe it as first-class and efficient. Sapa attributes the success to competent sales staff, an excellent network of sub-suppliers and the fact that it is a reliable partner. “It is important to deliver the right quality at the right time. This is an absolute requirement when it comes to customers like Wärtsilä,” says Lindén. T E XT T H O M AS Ö ST B E R G P H OTO WÄ R TS I L Ä

Hard facts about Sapa Profiilit Oy

• The company has been in operation since the 1970s and has had its current organisation since 1991. • Sapa Profiilit’s sales office in Espoo, Finland, is responsible for Sapa’s profile operation in Finland. • Refining of profiles is performed by a number of subcontractors in Finland and by Sapaowned Fima in Finspång, Sweden. • The company has 12 employees (three of which work with building systems). • Sales totalled approximately 9,5 million euros in 2005.

# 2 2006 • SHAPE 19

The Läkerol arena in Gävle, Sweden, has been completely renovated over the course VINJETT PROFILEN of a year. The arena has the capacity for just over 8,000 spectators following the remodelling.

Ice hockey’s In Sweden, ice-hockey halls have been transformed from dilapidated arenas to modern entertainment temples for the entire family. Inspiration came from the large NHL arenas in Canada. “We had to scale everything down to Swedish conditions,” says architect Ulf Bergfjord.

20 SHAPE •# 2 2006

new luxury home ne of Sweden’s national sports, ice hockey, was played for many years in old dilapidated arenas with minimal comfort. Spectators were almost exclusively men, who cared little for comforts. The sponsors were uncomplaining gentlemen from the local business community who were satisfied with free coffee at the interval. However, a wave of modernisation is currently lifting ice-hockey arenas to a new level adapted to the modern entertainment industry. “Basically, the old halls had a hole in the wall where hotdogs were sold. The new arenas have large restaurants, sports bars, sizeable vip spaces and boxes,” says architect Ulf Bergfjord from the Bergfjord and Ivarson architect office. Bergfjord and Ivarson were the architects of the Löfbergs Lila arena in Karlstad, Sweden. The Löfbergs Lila Arena was inaugurated in  and became the template for many of the new arenas that have appeared throughout Sweden. “We travelled to the nhl in  and looked at the new arenas there. The arenas that influenced us included the Ottawa Senators’ arena, Corel Centre, and the Montreal Canadians’ arena,

O

Molson Centre. These are larger than the Swedish arenas, so we had to scale everything down to Swedish conditions,” explains Bergfjord. The Swedish ice-hockey clubs have realised that their arenas must be able to attract a wider audience. Furthermore, the arenas must be suitable for more than ice hockey; they must also be able to host concerts, conferences and other sports. Other commercial operations, such as shops, must be present in, or available in direct connection to, the arena. “In Karlstad, the task was to design an icehockey arena that was suitable for other events. The Cloetta Centre in Linköping, is almost the opposite; it’s an events arena where ice hockey can also be played,” says Bergfjord. An arena designed to welcome hockey supporters one day and concert visitors the next must be, by definition, significantly more comfortable and flexible than the old ice-hockey halls. “The new arenas are almost like the new city marketplace – a place people go to see and be seen,” says Bergfjord. Externally, the arena is also more aesthetically pleasing and modern looking than before. Large glass facades in the entrances and other parts of

the exterior give an open impression toward the surrounding environment. Aluminium profiles have been used to construct entrances, winArchitect Ulf Bergfjord dows and glass facades. Håkan Furukrantz, promotional manager at Sapa Building System, Sweden, explains: “In such large glass facades, aluminium is ideal. It results in aesthetically pleasing facades, and aluminium is also largely maintenance free. It is cost efficient in the long term.” To date, Sapa’s aluminium profiles have been used in six of the new arenas in Sweden: the Swedbank Arena in Örnsköldsvik; the Läkerol Arena in Gävle; the Ejendals Arena in Leksand; the Kinnarps Arena in Jönköping; the Löfbergs Lila Arena in Karlstad and the Cloetta Centre in Linköping. T E XT JA N N E P E T T E R S S O N P H OTO H A N S B O N N E V I E R

New arenas for Swedish hockey clubs The Läkerol Arena City: Gävle. Inauguration year: 2006. Total cost: EUR 17.4 million. Architect: Bergfjord & Ivarsson Architects. Made of aluminium: Facades, doors, windows, powder-coated facade sections, doors and door leafs.

The Läkerol Arena

The Löfbergs Lila Arena City: Karlstad. Inauguration year: 2001. Total cost: EUR 19.6 million. Architect: Bergfjord & Ivarsson Architects. Made of aluminium: Facades and doors.

The Kinnarps Arena City: Jönköping. Inauguration year: 2001. Total cost: EUR 14.7 million. Architect: Flensborns Arkitektkontor. Made of aluminium: Facades and doors.

The Kinnarps Arena

The Ejendals Arena City: Leksand. Inauguration year: 2005. Total cost: EUR 14 million. Architect: Sweco FFNS Falun. Made of aluminium: Facades, doors, fixed windows, fire doors, powder-coated facade sections, interior sections and natural anodised windows.

The Cloetta Centre City: Linköping. Inauguration year: 2004. Total cost: EUR 27.2 million. Architect: Bergfjord & Ivarsson Arkitekter. Made of aluminium: Facades, décor profiles, windows and doors.

The Swedbank Arena City: Örnsköldsvik. Inauguration year: 2006. Total cost: EUR 21.2 million. Architect: Bergfjord & Ivarsson Arkitekter. Made of aluminium: Facades, doors, décor profiles, powder-coated facade sections, windows and décor profiles.

The Swedbank Arena

# 2 2006 • SHAPE 21

ON THE MOVE

Expertise yielded new assignment It was skills in friction stir welding, FSW, that convinced train manufacturer Bombardier to turn to Sapa. In co-operation, the two companies have developed the most advanced cooler ever manufactured by Sapa.

Spain’s S 130 high-speed train, with a liquid cooler from Sapa.

rigorous demands on the liquid coolers used in its trains, such as good cooling capacity, high strength and surface fineness, which impose considerable demands on processing. Furthermore, the components must be light. The problem with the coolers from the previous supplier was that they did not perform according to Bombardier’s requirements. “We wanted a supplier that could assume responsibility for the entire process. Sapa Mass Transportation in Finspång, Sweden, had the equipment, expertise and necessary skills. Together, we could rapidly solve the problem,” says Tobias Zimmermann, project manager at Bombardier in Turgi, Switzerland. The development work commenced in the spring of . In September this year, Bombardier and Sapa presented the finished product at the InnoTrans Exhibition in Berlin, Germany. “It’s the most advanced and complex cooler that

BOMBARDIER TRANSPORTATION PLACES

22 SHAPE • # 2 2006

Sapa has been involved in to date,” says project manager Henrik Nyström. Two problems needed to be tackled. Firstly, it was necessary to find a flow that resulted in minimal temperature variations on the cooler’s surface, so that the heat would not damage the electronics in the cooler. “The old cooler had a vertical liquid flow. We discovered that a horizontal flow was better from the viewpoint of temperature,” says Nyström. SECONDLY, THE WORK involved assembly of the cooler in such a manner that it provided enhanced strength and surface fineness. This is when Sapa’s fsw skills came to use. In the old coolers, mig welding was used, which exposed the material to a higher temperature. The result was poorer strength and an increase in the deformation of the metal when cooling. “The challenge was to combine cooling capacity and assembly into a finished product. There

was nothing similar to copy,” explains Nyström. Since the cooler has to be light (depending on the model, three to six are used per train), aluminium was the obvious material. It is cheap and easy to design already at the profile stage. By removing all unnecessary metal, the team succeeded in reducing the weight to  kilos. “Since an increasing amount of equipment is used in a modern train, we work to reduce weight in various ways,” explains Zimmermann. From the beginning, Bombardier was interested in purchasing – coolers annually. However, demand has already increased and  will be manufactured next year. Sapa has already delivered  coolers to Bombardier. Both companies are very open to more cooperation projects in the future. “I would be happy to work with Sapa again,” says a pleased Zimmermann. T E XT T H O M AS Ö ST B E R G P H OTO B O M B A R D I E R

A lift for persons with

MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS The Danish company Vela represents innovation – also when it comes to chairs for persons with mobility impairments. The company’s new model is specifically adapted to the child, and not the reverse. ela is a Danish furniture producer that manufactures such products as office chairs, children’s chairs and chairs for persons with mobility impairments. Previously, the company used a traditional steel structure for the back support and frame, but after contacting Sapa Profiles in Grenå, Denmark, it decided to develop a pillar of aluminium. The solution was used in Hip Hop – an ergonomically designed chair for children with mobility impairments. “The aluminium pillar gives the chair an exciting and exclusive look, at the same time as it significantly increases user friendliness,” says Helle Lennø Weesgaard, marketing coordinator at Vela. For example, the child previously could not lean backwards, but now the seat cushion can be angled at a comfortable resting position. Furthermore, the pillar allows the seat to be adjusted further downwards and higher up, making it easier for the child to participate in various Aluminium pillar. activities.

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The transition from steel to aluminium is not only appreciated in Vela’s marketing department, the development department and production also see several advantages. In the past, it was necessary to specially order such chair components as wheels and electric motors, otherwise they would not fit the steel profile. Now, it is possible to purchase standard components and form the aluminium profiles around these. This provides a much more flexible and economical production. “Sapa has been extremely flexible and has made a large contribution during the entire co-operation,” explains Michael Vestergaard, development manager at Vela. “We will definitely continue on this track with the next models.” The pivotal factors involved in the selection of Sapa were the company’s size, stability and good reputation in the market. In addition to delivery reliability, Sapa’s technical skills were also highly valued. “The co-operation with Sapa has resulted in a product with unique advantages – in terms of

A CNC processed aluminium profile has provided an extra lift for design and functionality in Hip Hop 300.

both application and design. The Hip Hop chair has already attracted huge interest throughout the world. Everybody is talking about it, which makes it difficult to keep up with demand in production,” says Weesgaard. T E XT J I M H A N S E N

Steel exchanged for aluminium sible for us to design a system that meets all the requirements and that is angularly stable. Sapa has done a great job in helping us solve the technical problems.” Gustafs Interiors decided to develop its own mounting system for its panels, since the systems made of steel had several disadvantages. “Mainly from the viewpoint of stability, and as a result, with regard to safety, functionality and aesthetics. We considered steel, but found that aluminium was superior. For a small type of product, aluminium is more economical and also more flexible,” says Markoff.

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Gustafs Interiors in Sweden, is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of wooden panels for covering walls and ceilings. However, the company has been finding it difficult to find a mounting system that is sufficiently stable for ceiling panels. “We now offer the market’s only aluminium mounting system for suspended ceilings. In cooperation with Sapa Profile’s engineers, we have designed and dimensioned the Capax system, which has been available in the market for two years,” says Peter Markoff, product development manager at Gustafs Interiors. “Using aluminium profiles, it has been pos-

# 2 2006 • SHAPE 23

AND FINALLY

Icebound at the North Pole At the moment, the French expedition boat Tara is icebound at the 82nd parallel. The risk of Tara being crushed by ice is nonexistent, because of its specially developed aluminium hull.

4 SHAPE • Nr 2 2006

TARA IS A two-masted schooner that has sailed the oceans for nearly  years, of which the recent years have been spent as a research platform for environmental studies. This year’s expedition started in September, in co-operation with unep, the un’s environmental programme. The assignment is to study climatic changes for two years, icebound in the vicious grip of the polar ice. This is the reason why Tara was built specifically to cope with tremendous strain. The engineers, Bovet-Petit, designed a -meter long hull, which at certain pressures from the sides “slide up”, almost like a cherry seed being pressed between your fingers. The choice of material was just as important as the hull design. It must withstand tremendous strain and, at the same time, be lightweight.

But, despite the boat being made of aluminium, it weighs  tonnes and in places the hull is more than four centimetres thick. During the winter, seven crewmen will implement various studies involving meteorology, solar radiation and glaciology. In early spring, the relief crew will arrive, but not until the summer of  will the polar ice release its grip on Tara. The drift ice will then have taken the boat nearly , kilometres from its current location. Follow the expedition on www.taraexpeditions.org T E XT DAG E N A N D E R P H OTO F R A N C I S L AT R E I LLE / A D O DA M O C LE S