Page 4 - ATZ11 November 2019 Professional

ADVANCED ALUMINIUM TECHNOLOGY

© Haruya KATADA
Bringing out Aluminium’s

Functionality in Vehicle Manufacture

I NEVER EXPECTED TO SEE THIS The news of its arrival stunned the
RICH WORLD. world. And in 1978, the company was the
domestic pioneer in the development of
aluminium alloy for automobile body pan-
I VISITED THE ‘U-AI LAB’ els. UACJ was created following a merger
INNOVATION AREA AT THE UACJ of the two companies in 2013, and the
R&D CENTER WHICH WAS WHOLLY technological expertise fostered in their
Kazuhisa SHIBUE
REDESIGNED IN FEBRUARY 2019. long histories has been firmly inherited. UACJ Director and Senior
The UACJ R&D Center has three bases Managing Executive Officer
UACJ Corporation is one of the world’s today, in Japan, North America and Thai- Chief Executive, R&D Division.
leading rolled aluminium manufactur- land, with 300 top researchers from the
ers. The R&D Center actually goes back world’s aluminium rolling industry. In the
to the former Furukawa-Sky Aluminum production of cars, aluminium has gradu-
Corporation and the light metal research ally taken over from steel.
team of Sumitomo Metal Industries Co. The use of aluminium sheets began
Ltd. with bonnets, and was then expanded to
In 1936, Dr. Isamu Igarashi invented body panels, including fenders, trunk Yasuhiro HOSOMI
UACJ Executive Officer
ESD (Extra Super Duralumin), the world’s lids and doors.
Vice Chief Executive Research &
strongest aluminium alloy as a material for When making large parts out of alu-
Development Division
the production of aircraft. minium, the springback issue created hur- Head of the North America R&D Center
2