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ADVANCED ALUMINIUM TECHNOLOGY












































                                                                                                  © Haruya KATADA
          Bringing out aluminum’s




          functionality in vehicle manufacture






         I NEVER EXPECTED TO SEE THIS      world. And in 1978, the company was the
         RICH WORLD.                       domestic pioneer in the development of
                                           aluminum alloy for automobile body
                                           panels. UACJ was created following a
         I VISITED THE ‘U-AI LAB’          merger of the two companies in 2013, and
         INNOVATION AREA AT THE UACJ       the technological expertise fostered in their
         R&D CENTER WHICH WAS WHOLLY       long histories has been firmly inherited.
                                                                                                    Kazue Shibue
         REDESIGNED IN FEBRUARY 2019.        The UACJ R&D Center has three bases
                                                                                             UACJ Director and Senior
                                           today, in Japan, North America and               Managing Executive Officer
           UACJ Corporation is one of the world’s   Thailand, with 300 top researchers from   Chief Executive, R&D Division.
         leading rolled aluminum manufacturers.   the world’s aluminum rolling industry. In
           The R&D Center actually goes back to   the production of cars, aluminum has
         the former Furukawa-Sky Aluminum   gradually taken over from steel.
         Corporation and the light metal research   The use of aluminum sheets began with
         team of Sumitomo Metal Industries Co. Ltd.  bonnets, and was then expanded to body
            In 1936, Dr. Isamu Igarashi invented   panels, including fenders, trunk lids and
         ESD (Extra Super Duralumin), the world’s   doors.                                        Yasuhiro Hosomi
                                                                                              UACJ Executive Officer
         strongest aluminum alloy as a material for   When making large parts out of     Vice Chief Executive Research &
         the production of aircraft.       aluminum, the springback issue created               Development Division
           The news of its arrival stunned the   hurdles in terms of forming and configura-  Head of the North America R&D Center

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