ALUMINIUM 2014 Blog

Christian Wellner, managing director of the GDA (german Aluminium association)

Reed Exhibitions (RX): Mr. Wellner, as a founding partner and as institutional patron of ALUMINIUM, the GDA has supervised and supported the event right from the outset. You have been managing director of the GDA for many years now and were amongst those who first developed the idea of an ALUMINIUM trade fair and presented it to the industry. Can you tell our readers something about your career. How did you get involved with aluminium and the GDA?

Christian Wellner (CW): I’ve been working in the aluminium industry and its different bodies for nearly 30 years now. I studied Economics and my first job afterwards was with an aluminium industry trade association. My father advised to gain some experience there and then to do something “with good prospects”. In the mid-1980s there was a major boom in demand for aluminium as a material and in the aluminium industry as a whole. I very quickly realised that I’d found an industry with a bright future and with plenty of scope for development. Which is basically why I’m still here, working for a material and an industry which still has outstanding potential – and indeed one “with good prospects”.

RX: What do you see as the main challenges facing the aluminium industry in 2012?

CW: Despite the national debt crisis, our sector is facing the coming year with a degree of cautious optimism.  German producers are strongly placed amongst the international competition and benefit from their high degree of specialisation. If the politicians can come up with answers to the urgent national debt questions in Europe which the markets find satisfactory, this will considerably boost business expectations for the current year. And this, in conjunction with the positive underlying trend in the key aluminium industry markets, would provide a solid foundation for further growth in 2012.

RX: The GDA organised the EAC – European Aluminium Congress – at the end of November. What indications emerged from this regarding future developments for the industry?

CW: The international congress gave the equipment and technology partners of the aluminium producers and processors a platform for presenting their latest developments. The speakers and the experts from the national and international aluminium industry who took part all agreed that the technology partners and equipment providers to the aluminium industry can expect to face increasing demands in the future. Besides machinery and equipment, our sector needs providers with a comprehensive understanding of the whole process and extensive systemic know-how at all stages of the aluminium value creation chain – from production and processing right through to the area of recycling, which is now growing in significance. Read Full Post

Düsseldorf/Sao Paulo. From Düsseldorf to Shanghai and Mumbai, on to Dubai and from 2012 on to Sao Paulo: ALUMINIUM, the world’s leading trade fair partner for the aluminium industry, once more extends its global activities. Starting next year, it will also hold an event in Brazil.

With International ALUMINIUM BRAZIL, which will take place from 24 to 26 April 2012 as part of EXPOALUMINIO, Reed Exhibitions is intensifying its event activities in the world’s most important regions for the aluminium industry.

As a growing economical superpower, Brazil – third largest supplier of bauxite in the world and, with an output of 1.6 million tons the number 7 among primary aluminium producers – holds a key position on the South American continent also in aluminium production and processing. “As part of its ‘ALUMINIUM goes global’ strategy, ALUMINIUM is closing a gap with its presence in Brazil”, says Hans-Joachim Erbel, CEO of ALUMINIUM organiser Reed Exhibitions Deutschland GmbH.

Even today, EXPOALUMINIO, which is performed by ABAL and organised by Reed Exhibitions Alcantara Machado bringing together 120 exhibitors and more than 10,000 trade visitors on an exhibition area of 5,000 m², is one of the most important meeting places for the aluminium industry on the American continent. “With the International ALUMINIUM BRAZIL Area as part of EXPOALUMINIO we offer companies with worldwide operations a targeted entry into one of the most dynamic markets with a world format”, says Hans-Joachim Erbel. In a first step, an area of approximately 2,000 m² is planned.

www.aluminium-brazil.com

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As a result, 2010 brought a noticeable recovery for the German aluminium industry overall. Domestic demand stabilised, foreign demand also firmed up. The aluminium boom is primarily based on the recovery in the automotive and mechanical engineering sectors. Here order levels improved significantly since the all-time low in early 2009. The boom in the solar industry also contributed to an improvement in the utilisation of industry capacities.

There are many reasons why our industry rapidly emerged from the crisis and even increased its competitiveness in the global market. Our companies are characterised by a high degree of flexibility and creativity – qualities which were an asset in the difficult economic situation. The most important quality of our industry, however, is its high innovative potential. For many years – with the exception of 2009 – the aluminium industry has been set on a course of sound growth. Its dynamic development is closely connected to the innovative power present especially in medium-sized companies, and to the favourable qualities of the material. 

Aluminium has firmly established its position in a large number of application markets. Whether in the transportation sector as the most important market, in mechanical engineering, in electronics or in packaging: again and again, the aluminium companies drove technological development further and opened up new applications and fields of usage for this lightweight material. As a result, prognoses for aluminium remain optimistic, and the German aluminium industry starts into the new decade with confidence. Aluminium consumption worldwide will continue to increase over the next 10 to 15 years. The growing demand from Asian markets as well as the major application markets automotive, mechanical engineering, construction, packaging or solar will help the lightweight material to achieve continuous growth.

Christian Wellner

Managing Director of Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V. (GDA)

“For us the crisis is over.” The experience of Frank Busenbecker, Managing Director with Erbslöh Aluminium GmbH, a medium-sized supplier for the automotive industry, is currently shared by many companies in the aluminium industry. After the sharp decline last year, the industry has started on a catch-up race which, with its tempo, surprises even industry insiders. “In the first half of 2010 alone, the production of rolled and extruded products increased by a remarkable 30.3 per cent to 1.2 million tons – an unprecedented increase”, says Christian Wellner, Managing Director of the German Aluminium Association (GDA,) at the start of this year’s ALUMINIUM which, with a total of 873 exhibitor companies from 47 countries, was even slightly larger than the 2008 event which had so far held the record.

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The world’s largest gathering of the aluminium industry, the ALUMINIUM 2010 trade fair, will be attracting some 18,000 trade visitors to Essen, Germany, this week. From 14-16 September 2010, aluminium producers, processors, suppliers of technology and plant for the production, processing and finishing of aluminium together with representatives of the user industries will be meeting to present the latest trends, innovative products, equipment and services.

The motto under which approximately 900 companies from about 45 different nations will be exhibiting is ‘Between Innovation and Environment’. More than half of the exhibitors are from abroad. Particularly noteworthy this year is the increase in the number of exhibitors from the Middle East. The organiser Reed Exhibitions and its partners Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie (GDA) and the European Aluminium Association (EAA) are expecting visitors from over 100 countries. The whole of the material’s value chain will be on view at ALUMINIUM 2010, from the raw material via semi-finished products through to finished products for all areas of application of aluminium. Plant manufacturers and equipment suppliers are the largest exhibitor group this year, followed by companies engaged in the manufacture of semi-finished products, casting and surface finishing.

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After its crisis year in 2009 the German aluminium industry is now looking more confidently to the future. Compared with the first six months of the previous year, overall German primary aluminium smelters and semis plants experienced a marked recovery in production in the first half of 2010. Ahead of the ALUMINIUM 2010 trade fair, GDA -Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V., Düsseldorf, has announced that German aluminium companies remain optimistic that they will be able to maintain this good level during the second half of 2010. Domestic demand has stabilised and demand from abroad is also becoming firmer.

The improved situation is being driven by the economic recovery in vehicle manufacturing and the manufacture of industrial machinery. The booming solar industry has also helped improve the sector’s capacity utilisation. The German aluminium industry is expecting the sector’s leading exhibition, the ALUMINIUM 2010 trade fair, which is being held from 14-16. September in Essen, to further stimulate business.

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In 2010, Essen will not only be the meeting place for the aluminium world, but also the European Capital of Culture. How art and aluminium come together can be seen at the ALUMINIUM 2010 fair from 14 to 16 September. Amongst others, the photographer from Düsseldorf Susanne Dobler presents photographs around aluminium and Bernd W. Schmidt-Pfeil, artist from Munich, presents some of his sculptures in aluminium.

For her reliefs, Heike Rose cuts patterns in aluminium slabs with a plasma cutter, which are then melted and welded by TIG arc welding. For her installations, she casts objects in silicone aluminium. Through the casting process patented by the artists, the structures of the objects are retained in the finest detail, whereby the silvery surface of the silicone aluminium achieves a virtually forward-looking, futuristic effect. Heike Rose has encapsulated and presented photo-realistically in colour in installations some of her objects cast in silicone aluminium, whilst others can be seen individually.

The sculptures of Bernd W. Schmidt-Pfeil, which to date have been exhibited exclusively without colouration, are also produced in silicone aluminium by the above-mentioned patented metal casting process. For the first time, Bernd W. Schmidt-Pfeil now presents a photo-realistically coloured sculpture, namely “The Art Observer”. more information

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The internationally recognised and copyrighted Aluminium Logo is now available for use in eight different colours for a nominal charge. In addition, a short line of text in English or German for each of the eight coloured logos emphasises the light metal’s positive properties with respect to the environment, the economy, ecology or conservation of resources.

The logo, which was created back in 1983 by the Düsseldorf-based designer Bernard Langerock working in close co-operation with GDA Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V., is in use worldwide and symbolises the quality and good recyclability of aluminium. Companies wishing to use the logo officially for their corporate communications must obtain a licence for unlimited simple rights to use the logo. Licence fees are graduated according to company size and type of organisation. Existing licence holders can upgrade their licence.
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Four years ago already COMPOSITES EUROPE, the international trade fair for composite materials, celebrated its premiere parallel to ALUMINIUM. This year, the two fairs will complement each other even better: together, ALUMINIUM and COMPOSITES EUROPE with far more than 1,100 exhibitors form the largest platform for lightweight construction materials in Europe.

At COMPOSITES EUROPE around 300 exhibitors from 25 countries show the entire value chain of the composites industry – from primary products to semi-finished, finished and intermediate products to technologies and services. With a large number of special forums such as workshops, live demonstrations and the accompanying AVK Conference, COMPOSITES EUROPE has succeeded after only four events to become Germany’s largest B2B platform for composite materials.

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ALUMINIUM 2010 offers a wide range of themes. As many as three joint stands dealing with new trade fair themes will celebrate their premiere: solar technology, piecework coating and magnesium. They complement the already established theme pavilions on the subjects of surface treatment (“World of Surface”), casting, welding and joining as well as primary production.

The Solar Pavilion specifically targets suppliers of aluminium for solar technology. The material has been accepted for a long time as a basis for substructures, poles, mounting systems or mouldings for solar panels in this sector which is of increasing interest to the industry as a sales market. Exhibitors to present their solar components include Sapa, RBB Aluminium, Kastens & Knauer and Thoni Alutec.

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