New Chinese JV to focus on light-weight materials

Alcan Engineered and Automotive Solutions, a subsidiary of mining and natural resources exploration company Rio Tinto Group, is establishing a new auto components joint venture (JV) in China to focus on the growing demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. The company will partner with local supplier Changchun Engley Automobile Parts to form a new entity called Alcan Engley Automotive Structures. Alcan Engley will be based in China’s Changchun province, with the intention of opening a second facility in Kunshan, near Shanghai. The JV will manufacture lighter weight crash management systems, aluminum instrument panel beams, and other aluminum structural components for automakers in China. It expects to begin production by the end of this year. (October 6, 2009)