Aluminum: Mercedes-Benz turns to Constellium in the Haut-Rhin

L'usine de Neuf-Brisach, dans le Haut-Rhin, fournit la plupart des constructeurs automobiles.

Posted Sep 30, 2022, 10:23 AM

To lighten its new C-Class sedan while playing on its safety, its design and its resistance to corrosion, Mercedes-Benz will use aluminum alloys produced by Constellium in Neuf-Brisach, in the Haut-Rhin. The manufacturer will operate on its production sites in Europe, China and South Africa, two alloys produced in Alsace by the aluminum specialist, one usable in exterior bodywork and the other with superior mechanical resistance to serve internal parts.

This announcement further reinforces Constellium’s place in the automotive industry. The Neuf-Brisach plant supplies most manufacturers, from Audi to Toyota via BMW, Volkswagen, Stellantis and Renault-Nissan. This market represents a third of its annual production of 450,000 tonnes of aluminum alloys. The rest responds to food packaging with the manufacture of aluminum beverage cans.

No extension of capacity is envisaged despite production lines “already well filled”, specifies Willem Loué, director of the establishment: “It should be remembered that contracts in the automotive field often have the lifespan of a model, so new ones arrive but others end regularly. »

Recycling

The Constellium plant in the Haut-Rhin benefits from an investment of around 130 million euros, but to extend its metal recycling capacities over around 15,000 square meters. Recycled aluminum currently covers approximately 50% of the plant’s production and should reach 70% by the end of 2024. The creation of 90 jobs is expected within the same time frame.

These developments do not, however, protect the manufacturer from the additional costs of raw materials, the metal being purchased on the basis of quotations on the London metal market. The soaring energy costs, which are hitting the foundries hard, are not commented on by the management of the Haut-Rhin site, while the sale of another group factory, in Ussel (Corrèze), has was announced by the group at the end of September. The Neuf-Brisach site achieved 1.4 billion in turnover last year and has more than 1,500 employees.

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