Sapa : More automotive aluminium growth in North America

Sapa is expecting a 'significant bump' in the sales of aluminium solutions to automotive companies in North America, writes Bloomberg Business.

Charlie Straface (pictured), executive vice president responsible for Sapa's extrusion organization in North America, says to Bloomberg journalist Sonja Elmquist that 'auto is a huge growth market for us' and that it represents 10 to 15 percent of the organization's volume.

Furthermore, while he points to the growth in aluminium in electric vehicles and to Ford Motor Company's increasing utilization of the light metal in its F-Series pickup trucks, Straface tells Bloombergthat the commercial transportation sector - Sapa's largest in North America - also is using more aluminium to lighten and better protect heavy trucks and trailers.

Record sales
Sapa announced in 2015 its partnership with Ford to supply the all-new F-150 with structural aluminium tubing, and to provide the automaker with ongoing development support for future aluminium extrusion applications.

Earlier this month, Ford reported that it sold some 2.6 million vehicles in the United States last year -its highest annual figure since 2006. The company ended the year with a bang, with nearly 240,000 vehicle sales in December, including more than 85,000 F-Series trucks. This was the first time in a decade that the company exceeded that figure.

The F-Series, starring the F-150, has been America's best-selling pickup for 39 consecutive years, and the best-selling vehicle for the past 34 years.

- Read the Bloomberg Business story

- Learn more about Sapa's work with automotive aluminium solutions