EuroWire January 2023

Corporate News

Major role for aluminium in journey to net zero The UK’s aluminium industry has a “once in a generation” opportunity to drive sustainability, the circular economy and the transition to net zero (carbon neutrality), according to a sector expert. to be bolder when looking at increasing domestic capacity, to support demand from the automotive, aerospace, con struction, packaging, rail and shipbuilding supply chains.

“We’ve come through Covid-19 and Brexit, and I’m pleased to say the impact of the aluminium industry in the UK is growing once again and we stand on the verge of something really exciting … if we have the courage to lead the way in supporting sustainable manufacturing and the journey to net zero,” explained Mr Jones. “Demand is definitely out there but, as it stands, we only have one primary smelter on our domestic shores and that will just not be enough going forward …we need to build supply chain independence at both the source and downstream in the producers of castings, extrusions and profiles.” ALFED’s Net Zero Report highlights that 8g of carbon emissions are saved every kilometre for each 100kg reduction in a car’s mass, thanks to aluminium

Tom Jones, CEO of the Aluminium Federation (ALFED), made the statement following the organisation’s latest report, which reveals that more than 39,000 people are directly employed in this manufacturing discipline, with a total GVA (gross value added) of nearly £3bn. Undertaken in partnership with the Fraser of Allander Institute, the document goes on to use an economic model that predicts the sector’s real value to be closer to £7.4bn, supporting 104,000 full-time jobs considering the indirect impact of the material. Mr Jones believes that aluminium’s light weight properties and easy recyclability will help UK manufacturing on the route to net zero. However, he also warns that both the government and the sector need

Tom Jones

driven lightweighting. Mr Jones added, “There’s up to a 50 per cent reduction in a building’s energy consumption with intelligent facades using aluminium systems and a 40 per cent decrease in foil thickness of packaging achieved by using this versatile material. These are just three examples. There’s countless more and this is beginning to sway the thinking of automotive designers, architects and specifiers and those responsible for the safe transit of goods.” ALFED www.alfed.org.uk

Emerging 5G and EV infrastructure opportunities In meetings held during IWCS 2022, designers and engineers from Web Industries outlined how contract manu- facturers can help telecom, power and energy, technical textiles, medical and transportation industry professionals roll out 5G, broadband and electric vehicle (EV) technologies. Web Industries high-capacity spools enabled the cable producer to extend the length of its production runs. nent manufacturing services that we offer while explaining new capabilities and capacities that we brought online during the pandemic.”

“The event was a great reminder that the wire and cable industry is a key enabler for many critical current and future initiatives, like the ongoing global 5G and EV charging network build-outs,” said Dante Ercoli, Web Industries director of sales for industrial markets. “It presented a unique opportunity to reconnect with our customer base and reinforce the wide range of customised formulation, extrusion and cable compo-

As a provider of contract converting and turnkey manufacturing services, Web Industries supports wire and cable companies in accelerating their speed to-market for new products, clearing up sourcing and supply chain problems and freeing in-house assets and personnel to focus on core business activities. Web Industries, Inc www.webindustries.com

Among the meetings’ highlights was a success story involving a major producer of data cables. With the assistance of Web Industries, the cable company increased its manufacturing throughput by 325 per cent, while virtually eliminating defects in its shielding tape production. In addition,

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January 2023