Luvata is thinking about the automotive industry
“One billion vehicles will drive on our planet by 2020. Who is helping you make sure they are fit for the future?”
Jerker Adeberg
Executive Vice-President
Heat Transfer Automotive Division
A growing, but challenged industry
Whilst growth in vehicle numbers around the world over the next decade will ensure strong demand, this will be matched by intense environmental and economic pressures. Recent changes in the global competitive landscape are already beginning to reveal which strategies from which manufacturers address these challenges most effectively.
Luvata is working with many of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers and suppliers, to improve operational efficiency and to ensure the quality of products from radiator strips and electrical connectors to resistance welding electrodes. We are endeavouring to reach the best levels of corrosion resistance, durability, heat transfer, electrical conductivity and weldability.
Materials
New, tougher automotive emission standards are set to become legislation between 2009 and 2011. This introduces new industrial challenges, but they are necessary challenges. With nearly 50 years experience of supplying and working together with radiator producers, we are something of an authority in automotive heat transfer.
In most situations, the merits of substituting to other metals, especially on the grounds of cost, are short-lived once you take into account copper’s durability and ease of repair.
Trucks in particular must reduce their environmental impact. CuproBraze®, our brazed copper and brass technology, can withstand much higher temperatures than other metals such as aluminium. So, in the production of charge-air coolers for example, customers using this technology have been able to push beyond usual performance limits and produce heat exchangers which are more efficient, compact, durable, corrosion resistant, repairable and environmentally friendly.
Waste
Eliminating waste saves energy and material. It means optimisation. In manufacture and design, we are working with customers to optimise processes in production, from reducing fin size in radiators and air conditioning units to improving the productivity of robotic assembly lines through the application of resistance welding electrodes. But it’s not just a matter of technology, logistics are also important. By agreeing to a just-in-time principle with our customers, we deliver exactly when, and where, our customers need. By reducing inventory and storage, we reduce our customers’ tied-up capital. Together, we create a more efficient operation.
Welding consumables
In the highly automated world of automobile manufacturing, competitors race to increase productivity through improved manufacturing efficiencies. Automotive manufacturers have been searching for methods to reduce downtime and improve the quality of welding while, at the same time, reducing costs.
Coated-steel is a rapidly evolving technology, solving problems in corrosion, painting and many other areas. However, maintaining performance on welding lines whilst using coated steels is a challenge. By working with customers such as Toyota, we have developed welding electrode profiles and alloys that can deliver consistently high weld-standards throughout the life of the electrode - minimising downtime, reject welds, and waste. The unique blend of alloy composition and proprietary cold working properties enhances performance in the face of adverse welding conditions created by coated materials. The result is superior welding products produced from dispersion-strengthened and zirconium coppers, combined with a special mechanical deformation process.
Since we entered the resistance-welding market in 1978, we have always strived to exceed our customer’s expectations. Today, we continue to set standards in manufacturing methods and quality control. From engineering to production scheduling, to customer service and process engineering capabilities, Luvata is recognised as the leading manufacturer of resistance-welding cap electrodes.
For the foreseeable future, automobiles remain a mass-production industry. We feel that it is our responsibility to do all we can to make sure those vehicles are as efficient as possible in their design, their manufacture and their performance. Man’s negative impact on the environment cannot be solved overnight, but we believe that taking responsibility for the side effects of industry need not mean negative impact upon business. We can all prove this if we continue to work together.
We are proud of the partnerships we have forged with our automotive customers. Our aim is to ensure that we are helping them improve their operational efficiency, enhance their products and reduce tied-up capital. This commitment to achieving long-term results has forged relationships built on trust, and we have a track record of helping them to improve the quality, reliability and environmental performance of their products.
For more information on Luvata’s contribution to the automotive industry, visit our products and services page, or contact your nearest Luvata specialist.