Alcan Inks Automotive Forging JV with Czech Partner

Rio Tinto Group’s Alcan Engineered Products unit is forming a joint venture with the Czech company Strojmetal Kamenice s.r.o., making more permanent a 10-year long partnership that has been designing and producing aluminum automotive and industrial forgings. The venture will be organized as a holding of Alcan Singen GmbH, the group’s operating subsidiary for a series of units producing rolled products, extrusions, and forgings in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Strojmetal Kamenice s.r.o., the Czech partner, has been producing nonferrous metals for nearly 200 years, and in recent decade has concentrated increasingly on the production of forged aluminum components.

The joint venture — Alcan Strojmetal Aluminium Forging s.r.o. — will be jointly held by Alcan Singen GmbH and Strojmetal in a 50-50 arrangement. Its headquarters will be at Kamenice, southeast of Prague, Czech Republic. The location is described as being near to a number of automotive OEMS and suppliers.

"With this joint venture we want to further improve our successful, long-term cooperation with Kamenice," stated Hans-Gerd Roczyn, general manager of Alcan Forging. Since its establishment in 2000, Alcan Forging has been developing and manufacturing forged aluminum automotive chassis parts, decorative applications, powertrain components and industrial products.

The plant at Kamenice will be expanded with new, automated aluminum extrusion press lines in order to meet rising demand in that segment.

"With the awarding of several important supply contracts from global automotive manufacturers and thanks to our forging skills and modern production processes, with this JV, we are well-equipped for the global market," stated Miroslav Jelinek, managing director of Strojmetal s.r.o..