One of Sapa’shottest companies

Expansion for Profiles andHeat Transfer

Sapa and IKEA becomepartners

Sapa acquiresone of Europe’slargest producersof profiles

HEAT TRANSFER

100-YEAR HISTORY

CHINAP

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ALUMINUM BY DESIGN– exhibition on world tour

ShapeShapeA magazine for the Sapa Group’s stakeholders No. 1, 2003

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Collaboration between Sony and Sapa yielded results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Sapa Heat Transfer world leading in heat exchangers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Aluminium profiles in newly constructed Polish basilica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Heat sinks – exciting new area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Sapa Profiles in partnership with IKEA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Major order for bicycle lockers for Sapa in the Netherlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Aluminium by design- exhibition on world tour . . . . . . . . 10

Analysis by Anders Haskel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Laser technology – seminar in Vetlanda . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Danish innovation – aluminium in laboratory fittings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Profile school . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Aluminium – the metal of the future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Sapa expands in China. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Aluminium conference in Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Environment, health and safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Aluminium – the environmental metal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Sapa around the world – announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

German-Polish collaboration resulted in glowing ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

ShapeShapeA magazine for the Sapa Group’s stakeholders No. 1, 2003

The editing of this issue was completed on April 22, 2003.

Shape is a magazine about the Sapa Group. It is published in eight languagestwice annually and is intended for customers, shareholders, analysts, journalists,employees and others. Shape is also available via the Internet at www.sapagroup.com.

Editor in chief: Eva Ekselius.Production: RHR Reklambyrå AB. Malmö, Sweden.

Changes of address: Customers should inform their contact person at Sapa,shareholders the institution that manages their account, employees their salarydepartment and others the Communications and Investor Relations Departmenton +46 8-459 59 00.

© Sapa AB, 2003

Feel free to quote us, but please indicate your source.

Sapa is an international business group, which develops, manufactures and markets value-added aluminium profiles, profile-based components and systems,and heat-exchanger strip in aluminium. Following divestments and restructuringin 2002, today’s Sapa has sales of approximately SEK 2.7 billion and has nearly6,500 employees in Europe, the US and Asia. The Group is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers within its field. Major customer segments include the construction and engineering industries.

Sapa AB is listed on the A-list of Stockholmsbörsen (Stockholm Exchange).

Financial information:• Interim report, three months ended March 31, 2003 April 11, 2003• Interim report, six months ended June 30, 2003 July 18, 2003• Interim report, nine months ended September 30, 2003 October 20, 2003• Preliminary report on full-year 2003 • 2003 Annual Report

Our website, www.sapagroup.com, contains information about the Group, its operations and markets, as well as financial information.

The next issue of Shape will be published during the autumn of 2003.

Sapa AB (visiting address: Humlegårdsgatan 17), Box 5505, SE-114 85Stockholm, Sweden

Tel +46 8-459 59 00 Fax +46 8-459 59 50 www.sapagroup.com

LEAD ARTICLE

A year ago, I warned that themarket would continue to beweak, although, at the same time, I stated that we were wellprepared to tackle the recessionif it were to persist. I was provenright on both counts. The long-awaited upswing in the economyhas yet to materialize, but byrationalizing at an early stage,improving the efficiency of ouroperations and continuing tofocus on growth areas such asPoland, China and Heat Transfer,we were able to double our profits and conclude 2002 witha very healthy balance sheet.

During the first quarter of 2003,the trend from the end of 2002continued and profits increasedby 66 per cent.

Sapa is the world’s largestindependent manufacturer ofextruded aluminium profiles and the world’s second largestproducer of aluminium strip forheat exchangers in the automotive industry and we are cont-inually increasing our share of themarket. For Profiles, this increasehas been most apparent in NorthAmerica and for Heat Transfer inChina. In Europe, we have comb-ined maintained market shareswith improved profits. Since theearly 1990s, our volumes haveincreased almost four times asrapidly as the total market. Halfof this increase is attributable tointernally generated growth andhalf through acquisitions.

During 2002, we expanded in Poland, the Czech Republic,Spain and China. Value-addedoperations expanded with theacquisition of Pressweld in theUK. This acquisition strengthensour position as a supplier to theautomotive industry and represents an important buildingblock in our Automotive business

segment.During early

2003, we haveworked intensi-vely to furtherstrengthen theGroup and to extend our posi-tions. Heat Transfer’s successesin Asia have inspired us to increase our investments in that market by establishing value-added refinement of profiles in China.This process began during thefirst quarter.

During the second quarter of 2003, we have also acquired56 per cent of shares in ourmajor Belgian competitor RemiClaeys Aluminium. RCA is one of Europe’s largest independentmanufacturers of profiles,systems and welded tubing in aluminium. The company complements Sapa’s profile, building-system and heat-transferoperations extremely well. Theacquisition strengthens our market positions in the Beneluxcountries, France and Germany.

I am proud of the positiveatmosphere that prevails within the Group, characterizedby customer orientation, professionalism and an increasingopenness to changes that strengthen our competitiveness.We are ready for continuedexpansion. I feel that our strongbusiness concept creates addedvalue in several dimensions – forour customers, employees andshareholders.

Generating growth in a recession

Staffan BohmanPresident and CEO of Sapa

Sapa acquires major Belgian producer of aluminium profiles

Sapa is currently in the final stages of acquiring Remi Claeys of Belgium,one of Europe’s largest independent manufacturers of aluminium profiles,systems based on aluminium profiles and welded aluminium tubing. Opera-tions are located primarily in the Benelux countries, France and Germany. In2002, the company posted sales of EUR 293 M and an operating margin of4.5 per cent. The company has 1,100 employees. Remi Claeys is listed onthe Euronext exchange in Brussels.

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Sony’s new, super-compact audioand video systems are part of the rapidly accelerating trend inintegrated home entertainment.Design is an important element.Most consumers want products that do not require large amounts of space and do not conflict withthe interior design features of theirhomes. Accordingly, Sony focusedsharply on the appearance of itsnew DAV-S550 system. Particularlystringent demands were placed onthe five micro-satellite speakers,which are the components of thesystem visible in the living room.

Extensive demands on surfacefinish and logistics

It was important to find a supplierthat could meet Sony’s demands ondesign and finish. The Japanesedesign team chose aluminium tocreate a quality, high-tech image.But they were not satisfied withaesthetic appearance alone. In anindustry that lives on continuousintroductions of new products,

logistics are critical. The supplierwould have to provide large deliveryvolumes at short notice. There couldquite simply be no weak link in thelogistics chain.

Sapa won on precision, surfacefinish and beneficial partnership

Sony ultimately chose Sapa’s pro-duction unit in Poland, which wasthe only supplier able to meetSony’s demands on quality andlogistics. The surface finish quality,for example, was better than any-thing Sony’s Japanese designershad seen previously. A contributingfactor in Sony’s selection of Sapawas the company’s approach ofworking in close partnership with itscustomers. Or to quote Peter Arndt,Managing Director of Sapa Poland:

“We were asked to producesome samples and sent them toTokyo. Initially, we had some pro-blems with small differences in ano-dising between different series. Wediscussed the problem openly andhonestly with the customer, which

created greater confidence in our ability to solve the problem – which we did! Sony’s order is a good example of how we operate in close partnership with our customers, with the determinationto adapt to their needs. This gen-erates results.”

Fast work led to success

Sapa manufactured the aluminiumcasings for the speakers that wereintroduced in Europe just before the start of the 2002 Christmasshopping season and became ahuge success. The finished casingsare delivered to assembly plants inHungary that deliver the assembledproducts to Sony in Germany, whichmarkets the equipment in Europe. In only eight months, a number ofproblems were solved with thisadvanced large-volume productrequiring complex production.

Large picture screens and surround sound – today, an increas-ing number of people are going to the movies at home. Home-theatre systems have become prominent items of furniture inour living rooms. Loudspeakers in particular play an importantrole. Sony therefore took extreme care in selecting a partner tomanufacture loudspeaker casings for its new Home Moviesystems.

Sony met Sapa andmade beautiful music!

Sony places stringent demands on anodising and perfect surfacefinish.

Last year, Sapa in Polanddelivered nearly 500,000 speaker casings for Sony’snew DAV-S550 Home Moviesystem.

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At that time, the company was theplate and strip division of GrängesAluminium. A method had beendeveloped allowing a brazed surfacefinish to be applied to aluminium stripby hot rolling, facilitating the produc-tion of heat exchangers. The methodmade it possible to replace copperwith lower-weight aluminium in radia-tors and other heat exchangers inpassenger cars.

Since then, the developmentcurve for Sapa Heat Transfer haspointed upward. Shape recently met the roller king himself, MichaelMononen, President of Sapa HeatTransfer in Finspång, and some of hisemployees. We talked about HeatTransfer’s success in a time charac-terised by weak global demand.

Strong increase in volumes

“Our delivery volumes increased by 13per cent last year, and 38 per cent inthe fourth quarter,” says MichaelMononen. “The strong increase wasattributable to a decline in competi-tion and the simple fact that our spe-cialisation makes Heat Transfer anattractive choice for our customers. Inaddition, our operations in China havedeveloped extremely well.“We are the only company in the

world that specialises in materialsdeveloped specifically for brazedheat exchangers. We concentrateour resources on efforts to refineour complex production processand strengthen the competitivenessof our customers by offering themcontinuously improved solutions.”

World-leading company in continuous development

Since 1977, development has progressed steadily and, during the 1990s, tonnage increased byabout 20-25 per cent annually.When production of strip for beverage cans was discontinued in 1997, the company turned itsattention to materials for heatexchangers in motor vehicles, which became a special productarea where the company investedwholeheartedly. The transformationwas based on a clearly defined strategy of change. Today, HeatTransfer holds a leading global posi-tion, manufacturing 60,000 tonnesannually. The path to the company’scurrent success was characterisedby determined strategic efforts con-ducted in parallel with continuousdevelopment campaigns.

Logistics are important

“Heat Transfer is the clear market lea-der in strip used in the production ofautomotive radiator tubes and also ofthe clad fins that are included in air-conditioning system condensers. Inthe remaining, ‘thick materials,’ somework still needs to be done, and weare currently concentrating on thisarea. Logistics are also important,”says Michael. “We must be able todeliver the right quality and quantity at the right time, and reduce our lead-times.”

“It should also be noted that wework with no less than 1,000 differ-ent items. We have more than 30basic alloys that are complementedwith different braze-metal coatingsfor different brazing requirementsand different types of heat exchang-ers. A large number of variationsrapidly emerges, as well as rathercomplicated flows,” says MattiasJoelsson, logistics manager.

The total through time in produc-tion is about 30 days. The processstarts with the casting of core andbraze-metal alloys. The braze-metalslabs are hot rolled to thick plates. Thecore slabs are scalped on the surfaceand thereafter joined to the braze-metal plates by welding. The welded

One of Sapa’s hottest companies

Sapa Heat Transfer in Finspång, Sweden lives by a very simple and power-ful vision. As early as in 1977, it became the first company in Europe todeliver commercial quantities of specially plated, aluminium sheet.

“We manufacture aluminium strip forbrazed heat exchangers. Nothing else.”

SAPA H EAT TRAN S FE R

Sapa Heat Transfer rolls aluminiumstrip for heat exchangers used bythe global automotive industry.From left to right: hot rolling, coldrolling and the finished product –brazed heat exchangers.

assemblies weigh about ten tonnes.These assemblies are then heatedand hot and cold rolled to a thicknessof about 1 mm. After hot rolling, and inall subsequent processing, the materi-al is in coil form. The lead time fromscalping the core slab to a cold rolled1-mm strip has been reduced from 14 to seven days. The lead time forfurther cold rolling and slitting toachieve the final product has beenreduced from 23 to 11 days.Accordingly, lead times have beenreduced by about half.

Intermediate stocks shorten lead times

“Our planning horizon is three months.Customers place their orders threemonths before they need their deliveries. A great deal can happenduring a period of three months. Ourintermediate station stocks offer oneway to reduce lead-times. Currently,about 80 per cent of all orders passthrough our intermediate stations.”

Greater strength through broadercustomer perspective

“The greatest challenge for HeatTransfer is creating value-added forcustomers. To achieve this objective,we must understand the entire process, from our suppliers through to product deliveries to the customer.We are working to broaden our per-spectives and skills so that we canbetter contribute to our customers’competitiveness. Naturally, this willalso strengthen our position,” continues Michael.

Strongest growth in China

In Europe and the US, growth withregard to car radiators is limited.

Over the long term, market growth willamount to a few percentage pointsannually. The market potential in Asiais different, with particularly strongmarket growth in China.

“Growth in Europe is attributable inpart to increased utilisation of air con-ditioning in small cars. There is also atrend toward larger heat exchangersin parallel with improved automotiveperformance standards. Asia is differ-ent. Private motoring is increasing inSoutheast Asia, and especially inChina. Our delivery volumes in Chinaincreased by nearly 60 percent during2002,” says Michael.

Promising outlook

“Limited growth in mature marketshas partly been offset by the disappearance of several competi-tors. Naturally there may be othercompanies planning to capture market shares in the future. At thistime, however, we do not see anyclear signs of this happening.”

It is doubtful that large rollingmills will maintain a product ascomplicated as heat-exchangerstrip over the long-term perspective,since it will never account for a significant percentage of their overall production. It is easier for a strictly specialised company such as Heat Transfer to achievesuccess in this market. Heat Transferis number two in the world today,with about 15 per cent of the global market, which offers strongpotential for continued growth.

“But we have to position our-selves and continue to streamlineour processes. And we are doingthat now. Naturally, we are also looking at other markets where ourskills and expertise can be applied.For the time being, however, we arefocused on our present course,which we believe offers good growthpotential. If we can show that wecreate value for customers, ourbusiness will also grow, which isexactly what we have seen duringthe past year,” concludes MichaelMononen.

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Three-stage rollingSapa Heat Transfer rolls aluminium strip fortubing and fins, as well as producing coils andother thicker materials that are included in heatexchangers. Heat Transfer delivers to custo-mers such as Valeo, Behr, Denso, Calsonic andother automotive industry tier-1 suppliers.Heat Transfer’s production begins with a 10-tonne slab and then follows a processcomprising three main stages.

1. The slab is rolled from a thick-ness of 575 to 4 mm in a hot-rol-

ling mill. The braze-metal plates are appliedto the slab before hot rolling. The process caninvolve up to five layers of alloys, resulting ina “multi-clad” material.

2. Cold-rolling comprises severalphases at different rolling mills.

The finished thickness of the thinnest strip is50 µm.

3. After cold rolling, the strip is cut into widths of 12 to 1,400

mm based on customer specifications.

Intensive development workThe activities of Sapa Technology, the Group’sresearch and development centre, are dividedequally between Heat Transfer’s materialsdevelopment and profile operations. Profilesaccount for 80 per cent of the Group’s business operations, with Heat Transferaccounting for 17-18 per cent. In co-operationwith Heat Transfer, Sapa Technology developsnew alloys and improves existing ones to meet market demands on durability, ease of processing, brazing characteristics, malleability, corrosion properties and pro-duction costs. The centre also works on thecontinuous development of Heat Transfer’sown production processes, monitors new technological developments and participates ininternational co-operation programmes. Thehighly interesting activities of Sapa Technologywill be presented in a coming edition of Shape.

Michael Mononen, President of Sapa Heat Transfer,stands by a 10-tonne aluminium blank that is hot-rolled to produce strip with a thickness of 0.2 mmfor heat exchangers used by the world’s automotiveindustry. Sapa Heat Transfer in Finspång has annualsales of SEK 2 billion and 650 employees, including425 in Finspång, and operations in Sweden, China,South Korea and the US.

Metal productionsince 1580!Aluminium rolling operations began inFinspång during the 1920s. The first bra-zed heat-exchanger strip was producedin 1975. Finspång is one of Sweden’soldest industrial communities, withindustrial production activities datingback 400 years. Sapa Heat Transfer is adirect descendent of Finspångs Bruk,which was founded during the 1580s.

Finspångs Metallverks AB was established in 1913 with copper pro-duction. Gränges entered the picture in1969 and, today, Heat Transfer is a partof the Sapa Group. Under variousnames, Heat Transfer in Finspång hasmanufactured semi-finished aluminiumproducts, sheet and strip since the 1920s.

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Sacred architecturealuminium profiles for new Polish basilica

In 2000, one of the largest

churches in the world was

inaugurated in Lichen,

Poland. The church has a

calendar motif, with 52

doors (one for each week

of the year) and 365 win-

dows. The structure was

inspired by Saint Peter’s

in Rome and is one of the

largest churches built in

Europe since the end of

the Second World War.

The basilica is twice aswide as Notre Dame inParis, twice has high as thecathedral in Milan and itssteeple is 141 metres high.The basilica has also be-come an important pilgrim-age destination in Poland.

Building system deliveries

Sapa delivered aluminiumprofiles for this monumentalecclesiastical structure. Inadvance, Tomasz Karwatka,President of Sapa Systemsp.z.o.o. in Poland, hadestablished contacts withPPU Okna sp.z.o.o, a win-dow and door manufacturer,and independent architectBarbara Bieleckas, finalizingnegotiations to secure thecontract for Sapa.

“Sapa had the bestcapabilities to deliver alu-minium profiles in the shapesand colours that wererequired for the complexstructure, and we madethe final deliveries,” saysTomasz Karwatka. “Initialdeliveries were made byan American company

that abandoned operationsin the Polish market beforethe structure was com-pleted. This meant thatinvestors and Okna weresuddenly left to fend forthemselves,” he explains.

Cross-border operations

Tomasz Karwatka was familiar with the project and,in collaboration with design-ers from Sapa, he was ableto offer the customer asmart solution. The profilesfor the windows consist ofSapa Profile’s standardThermo 74 building system,which were delivered fromVetlanda in Sweden to theNetherlands. The external“cover” profiles” were pres-sed by Sapa Aluminium BVin the Netherlands and sub-sequently shaped, gold-ano-dised and polished alongwith profiles from Swedenby two Dutch co-suppliers.

Three Sapa companiesinvolved

“This project clearlyreflects our cross-border

operating philosophy,” saysKent Johansson, exportmanager for Sapa Profiles’building systems in Sweden.“Since the profiles weregoing to be anodised andprocessed in the Nether-lands, the project was alsocomplicated from a logisticsperspective and from aPolish taxation perspective.Our systems and solutionoffered obvious financialadvantages for the cus-tomer, based mainly on ourability and experience incross-border operations.” S

Inspired by St. Peter’s in Rome, one of the largest churches in Europe reaches toward thesky over Poland. The basilica’s steeple is 141metres high. Sapa delivered window profilesfor this complex construction project.

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For many years, Sapa has providedheat sinks for the electronicsindustry and we consider ourselvesthe leader in the manufacture ofcooling components. Actually, it isquite natural to construct heatsinks in aluminium since the mate-rial has favourable conductionqualities and is easily processedthrough cutting and other tech-niques. Extrusion technology, heat-conduction capacity, low weight,low cost and the highly mouldablenature of the metal are significantadvantages in the production ofheat sinks.

Are heat sinks really a “new” area when you have been delivering cooling componentssince the 1960s?

In collaboration with a few large-scale customers, we have worked in a focused manner to improve the qualities of our heat sinks. This is true of both the basic material, which has been optimisedto provide the best heat conductionwith maintained hardness, and thetechniques for extruding coolingprofiles with high, slim fins.

What does optimising the basicmaterial mean?

In its basic state, unhardened aluminium is soft but has favourable conduction properties. As hardnessis increased, heat conduction decreases. Because a hard materialis required for tooling, while a softmaterial is required for heat-con-duction purposes, an awkward situation arises. Producing efficient

cooling components using cuttingtechniques becomes difficult. We have therefore invested anextensive amount of developmentwork into optimising alloys for heatconduction while maintaining hard-ness. The result is the EN AW 6063variant currently used in our heatsinks. This allows us to producecooling components using ad-vanced processing while retaining heat-conduction capacity. The alloyis one of the factors behind thesuccess of our heat sinks.

What is meant by the techniquebeing refined?

Another success factor is the technique of extruding cooling profiles with high, slim fins, whilealso being able to maintain narrowgaps between the fins. There is a relationship of more than 11:1 between the height and breadth of the obtrusions on extrusion dies for today’s advanced coolingprofiles. In other applications, thisratio is generally 3:1 or 4:1.

What drives development forward?

In collaboration with our customers,we have gradually improved thecharacteristics of cooling compo-nents. To date, customers’ require-ments have been met and evenexceeded. We place customers and their requirements in focus.There are no standard heat sinks inour range. Instead, we concentrateon developing heat sinks that meetour customers’ specific needs.

What does the future hold?

We have a number of developmentprojects under way that could resultin major products in coming years,

including advanced liquid-coolingcomponents where friction stir welding (FSW) technology can beused. To remain one step ahead ofthe market, we collaborate with anumber of suppliers of advancedcooling technologies and severalacademic insti-tutions. Whenour customersrequire a par-ticular solution,we want to havethe experiencenecessary tomeet theirexpectations.

What can Sapaoffer?

We can offerhelp in optimis-ing heat sinks, designing fins thatprovide the maximum heat conduc-tion. We are able to simulate andverify the characteristics of the cooling component. We canalso optimise the design for cost-efficient production and refinementssuch as coating. Assisting us isSapa Technology, which has theequipment for this, including a wind tunnel and expertise in FEMcalculations.

What should I bear in mind as a customer?

We want to know the external conditions. Together we can thendevelop a heat sink that solves the customer’s problem in a cost-efficient way. No one else in theindustry has our holistic know howfrom design to series production.

Heat sinks– exciting new area

Shape interviews graduate engineer Lars-Erik Lindström,sales technician at SapaProfiler AB in Sweden.

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Today, Sapa is a majorsupplier to IKEA and hasIWAY approval. A few yearsago, IKEA’s senior manage-ment noted changes insociety concerning theenvironment and ethicalissues and established anin-house standard, IWAY, asa platform for raising allsuppliers to a minimumlevel regarding such mat-ters as the working environ-ment and the external envi-ronment. If a company isunable to meet the require-ments of the standard, it isexcluded from conductingany business with IKEA.This is a stance that appliesglobally. In recent years, Ulf

Svensson at Sapa ProfilerAB in Vetlanda and hissales team have proventhat we are able to meetIKEA’s requirements. Over aten-year period, we havecontinually advanced ourpositions. In actual fact, thecollaboration began back inthe 1970s, although thepartnership has truly gath-ered pace in the past fewyears.

How have we been ableto achieve such greatsuccess in our effortswith this world-leadingcompany?

“We have applied a long-term approach,” explains

Ulf Svensson. “And now,when aluminium andstainless steel have be-come a trend in the furniture industry, we have had the opportunityto come on board at anearly stage, being able to present smart solutionsand production schedules.

Collaborative partner

Today, Sapa acts as apartner. We live in a society where time is anincreasingly scarce

commodity. New itemsmust be added to theproduct range at an in-creasingly rapid rate. Inturn, this demands morerapid development and

Best in the world!

Bike lockers for MSEK 40!

The Dutch are a nation of cyclists.There are 20 million bicycles for 16 million inhabitants. In Amsterdamand the other principal cities, 16percent of bicycles change hands(involuntarily) each year. This makesbicycle storage a highly topical subject in the Netherlands.

To promote the use of collectivetransport and reduce the risk ofbicycle theft, the Dutch national railcompany has initiated an extensiveproject to equip all of the Nether-lands’ 380 rail stations with securebicycle-parking facilities. The instal-lation of the lockers is to be com-pleted in 2006.

Fierce competition for contract

Five companies competed for thecontract. The proposals were judgedaccording to their aesthetics, secu-rity, functionality, space-efficiency,overall cost and investment cost.Armada Outdoor International, in

Sapa’s Dutch company, Sapa Aluminium BV has secured an order foraluminium profiles for a new type of bicycle locker by Armada OutdoorInternational, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of unassembledstreet furniture.

Pir, Ramp, Avsikt, Åsnen, Billy, Stolmen and Seim areall names from IKEA’s product range and are wellknown to a large number of people throughout theworld. What is not known to everyone is that the prod-ucts incorporate aluminium profiles.

necessity in cooperation with IKEA

The Sapa sales team that works with IKEA.From left: Christer Johansson, Helén Carlsson,Johanna Almqvist and Ulf Svensson.

SAPA PROFILER

S h a p e 1 / 2 0 0 3 9

collaboration with Sapa, won thecontract. The Dutch rail companyappreciated the special design,which is largely based on aluminiumprofiles used as the framework forthe bicycle lockers. Armada alsoplaced considerable emphasis onSapa’s logistics capabilities.

“Our possibilities as a Group to offer technical assistance andextensive support convinced Armadato select us as the total supplier forthe full range of profiles,” says RobHogendorf, account manager atSapa in the Netherlands.

Production in both the Netherlandsand Sweden

Once completed, the lockers willprovide space for more than 100,000bicycles. The profiles are producedat Sapa’s press facilities in bothSweden and the Netherlands. Allfurther refinement takes place inthe Netherlands where the profiles

are also powder coated with a graffiti-resistant lacquer.

“Aluminium profiles are well suited to this type of outdoor project, where demands on dura-bility and resistance to corrosion are high. The order is the result of close collaboration betweenArmada Outdoor International andSapa,” says Jos van Leeuwen,President of Sapa Aluminium BV in the Netherlands.

Smooth cooperation

A second stage required the instal-lation of prototypes at 40 stations.This was a difficult task that wassolved through strong teamworkbetween Armada and its suppliers.

“The various suppliers cooperatewell. The collaboration with Sapaworks particularly smoothly. Theymeet our requirements and theiraccount managers provide usefulsupport. Their back office plays an

active role in day-to-day proceduresand is extremely friendly to dealwith,” says Dorus Mimpen, project-logistics manager at Armada.

Realistic tests

Extensive testing preceded thecommencement of production.Naturally security played a large roleand no effort was spared in makingthe bicycle lockers theft-proof.

“The most difficult part was proving that a professional bike thief would not be able to open the locker in less than five minutes.We brought in a professional thiefwho was allowed to use any toolshe liked. After several failed attempts,we convinced our ‘test thief’ to give up,” says Jacco Zwart, sectormanager at Armada.

shorter periods for pro-ducing prototypes andfinished products.

“You cannot be a proat everything,” says Ulf.“IKEA is something of atrendsetter in the industryand is highly skilled indesign. We are profes-sionals in profiles and cancontribute technical sup-port and assistance withdevelopment and designwhere aluminium profilesare concerned. We formpart of their development

chain and by joining the process early on, we are able to optimisethe product.”

Delivers final product

Working with this world-famous Swedish companyis always a challenge.

“We are not only com-peting with Swedish andNordic companies. We are competing globally.Actually, it’s not just amatter of supplying thealuminium

pro-files. We providea finished product. For bathroom andkitchen-unit doors,we must provide afinished product thatincludes all compo-nents such as hinges,handles, screws andthe glass. We areinvolved with theentire chain right upto the finished prod-uct that is packed inIKEA’s packaging andshipped to central warehouses in Sweden, Germany,Belgium, France,

Poland, Switzerland, theUK, Malaysia and NorthAmerica. It isn’t easybeing best at everything,”affirms Ulf Svensson. “But if we want to con-tinue working with IKEA,we also have to be thebest in the world ataccessories.”

Great potential

IKEA is actually severalcustomers. The Groupincludes several business

areas and fields of opera-tions. Currently we deliverto only a few of these. Inother words there is greatpotential. Aluminium pro-files are at IKEA to stay.According to Ulf Svenssonand his colleagues atSapa, this is a long-termcommitment. Aluminium is not just a trend – todayit is a product concept.

“IKEA has high require-ments and is a demandingcustomer,” explains UlfSvensson. “Because thisis a matter of mass pro-duction, we conduct qua-lity assurance at an earlystage. Accordingly, wemust constantly improve – and we do. The processof improvement is centralto our partnership withIKEA!” S

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150 different objects

The history of bronze, iron andcopper dates back to antiquity.Aluminium was introduced for thefirst time at the Paris UniversalExposition in 1855. The chemistHenri-Sainte-Claire Deville hadsucceeded in efforts to manufac-ture enough aluminium to producethe first ingots, and the first smallitems were presented at the exhibi-tion.

The history of aluminium gainedmomentum in parallel with theindustrial revolution of the early1900s. It was actually the mobilisa-tion, chaos and damage causedduring WWII that provided alumi-nium with the strong impetus thatcarried forward to its breakthroughas a common metal material foreveryday products and applications.The exhibition shows the diversity ofapplication areas (150 differentobjects are on display), from simplesoda cans and kitchen devices tosophisticated aircraft componentsand architecture.

Modern design

During the 1920s and 30s, alumi-nium became a favourite material

for prominent furniture designersand architects. Members of theavant-garde such as Marcel Breuer,Ludwig Mies van Der Rohe, LeCorbusier and others made signifi-cant contributions that strongly iden-tified aluminium with modern design.It became fashionable to experimentwith the material in totally unrelatedareas of application.

Later, in the mid-1960s, fashiondesigner Paco Rabanne was in-spired by contemporary architectureand sculpture. His interest in metalwas vividly represented in his sur-roundings, and his metallic mini-dresses were almost immediatelydepicted by the media as futuristicand symbolic of a new approach tofashion design.

The exhibition is not limited to dis-plays of early design history.Furniture designers and architectsare also represented, including MarcNewson’s Lockheed Lounge from1986, his vision of “a floating metal-lic form, like a gigantic drop of mer-cury,” and Philippe Starck’s HudsonChaise, a chair completely in alumi-nium from 2000.

Up-to-date

The utilisation of aluminium isexpanding. Architects and designers

10 S h a p e 1 / 2 0 0 3

Exhibition on world tourAs treasured as gold. That was the general perception of aluminium when it was firstintroduced to the market in the early 1900s. It was a rare and exclusive metal. Today,it is taken for granted. “Aluminium by Design” is an exhibition that shows aluminium indifferent perspectives and illustrates the significance of the metal to modern design.The interdisciplinary structure of the exhibition provides the material with the appreciation it deserves. It describes how aluminium has inspired creativity and contributed to new innovations in virtually all sectors of industry, from furniture, sculpture, jewellery, architecture, fashion, transportation, consumer and industrial products to experimental avant-garde movements.

Prototype in aluminium, leather and fabric,1937. Designer: Frank Lloyd Wright.

ALUMINIUM

“Chaise Longe No. 313,” 1932. Designer: Marcel Breuer.

RCA Victor Special, Model N Phonograph,1937. Designer: John Vassos.Manufacturer: Radio Company of America.

Biscuit Box, British, early 20th century. Manufacturer: N.C.J for Carr & Co. (retailer)

S h a p e 1 / 2 0 0 3 11

still refer to aluminium as the mate-rial of the future, always up-to-date.Aluminium has a multi-faceted rollin today’s shifting and tolerant worldof design, and a qualified guess isthat aluminium will play the samerole for a long time into the future.Technology and alloys are beingdeveloped and new applicationareas are being discovered con-stantly. More than 100 years havepassed since the San Gioacchinochurch in Rome was fittedwith aluminium domes, andmore than 100 years havepassed since the alumi-nium sculpture of Eros was erected atPiccadilly Circus inLondon.

A material forthe future, with ahistory datingback morethan 100years.

Mini-dress, 1968. Designer: Paco Rabanne.

Eros aluminium sculpture,Piccadilly Circus, 1887-1893.Artist: Sir Alfred Gilbert.

Chair, 1932.Designer: Marcel Breuer

Aluminium violin, 1932.Manufacturer:Aluminium MusicalInstrument Company.

Lockheed Lounge, 1986-88Designer: Marc Newson

BY DESIGN

The “Aluminium by Design”

exhibition is now on a world tour.

It started in 2000 at The Carnegie

Museum of Arts in Pittsburgh,

PA, in the US, sponsored by the

Alcoa Foundation, before moving

on to New York and Montreal.

The European Aluminium

Association (EEA) has now

brought the exhibition to Europe.

It has been shown in London and

Brussels. On June 9, it will be

moved to La Villette in Paris,

where it will be shown until

November 5, 2003.

FACTS

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12 S h a p e 1 / 2 0 0 3

The current stock market climatehas allowed psychological factors to have an unusually large impact.Lower share prices are scaring awaybuyers and forcing new sellers tothe fore. Money is seeking out safehavens, in this case interest-bearinginvestments. That has resulted inbond yields falling to record lowlevels. Low interest rates are, inturn, providing an indication that the dismal development of the world’s economies will continue,since the interest situation reflectsgrowth prospects.

However, I do not think we shouldlock our gaze solely on currentevents. Those who look up will discover that despite everything,there are a few glimmers of hope.Although there has long been talkof a turnaround in the economy,nothing much has happened. Nowmost analysts are predicting an upswing towards the end of 2003and that 2004 may be a fairly goodyear. What’s to say that the analysts

have it right this time? One strongindication is those very low interestrates and the fact that the econo-mic downturn has lasted so long.Companies have now largely adapted after the boom years ofthe late 1990s. Many of the invest-ments that were made when theeconomy was at its peak will soonneed replacing. This includes invest-ments in computer equipment.

Low interest rates are also creating a favourable climate forconsumers. Smaller amounts ofhousehold budgets are being spenton housing costs. Instead, thatmoney is being channelled intoother forms of consumption. Cut-backs at many companies haveresulted in large profits despite aweak world economy. This is espe-cially true of a number of Swedishcompanies. Stock-market analystsare also anticipating that profits areon the rise. That should mean thatthe long downturn experienced bythe world’s stock markets will soon

be over. Investors must overcomethe psychological resistance thatthey have built up during threeyears of falling share prices. Thefact of the matter is that, based onnormal expectations for future earn-ings, there are now quite a fewcompanies that are more attrac-tively valued than they have beenfor many years. Many of the factors I have mentioned in this article are,in various ways, significant for Sapaand other engineering companies.

General global uncertainty is inhibiting growth. At the same time,demand for aluminium is growingsomewhat faster than the worldeconomy, and there is no reason to believe that this trend will be broken. While 2003 might wellprove to be yet another in-betweenyear, 2004 may well see mattersbeginning to look very positiveagain for Sapa’s customers and,consequently, for Sapa as well.

Laser- technology

seminar in Vetlanda

The Iraq conflict has cast its shadow over virtually every-thing going on in the world today. A weak economy, fallingshare prices, high oil prices – it has not been easy to be anoptimist during these past winter months, and those whowish to do so can easily paint a dark scenario for the future,especially considering the great uncertainty of the globalpolitical situation.

A promising futuredespite everything by Anders Haskel

The Laser Group industrial associationrecently organised a laser-technologyseminar at Sapa Profiler in Sweden. Thegoal was to provide engineers and pro-duction technicians with skills andideas about the advantages of thetechnology in order to develop the useof laser technology in the engineeringindustry.

“We’ve been utilising existing cut-ting and welding techniques for a num-ber of years now. Thanks to our devel-opment work with friction stir welding,

we have made significant progress inthe area of joining techniques. In theUK, we are already utilising laser cut-ting at Sapa Pressweld,” says Sapa’stechnical director Åke Andersson.

Lars Forsberg, who is overseeingchanges at Sapa Profiler in Sweden,sees advantages to the method.

“It results in better welding joints, less aluminium waste and increaseddurability. I hope that we will soon beable to invest in this method,” he says.

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Åke Andersson, technical director for the SapaGroup, left, and Lars Forsberg, who is overseeingchanges at Sapa Profiler in Sweden, study a profilethat has been welded using a so-called hybrid laser.

S h a p e 1 / 2 0 0 3 13

Since its inception in 1961, Labflex ofÅrhus, Denmark has made a namefor itself in the laboratory world. Thecompany supplies laboratory furni-ture worldwide. Traditionally, suchfurniture has been made out of woodand steel, but a few years backLabflex embarked on a new course.

New vision for lab furniture

“We were looking for fresh designimpulses and hired external design-ers who recommended aluminium,”explains Søren Thomsen, projectleader at Labflex. “Today, the ventilation of aggressive gases inlaboratories is so effective that onecan easily use aluminium.”

The new furniture concept was named Matrix and completelychanged people’s notions of labo-ratory furniture. In the past, every-thing was bolted down, but sincealuminium combines low weight withhigh strength, furniture can now bemade portable. Matrix is extremelyflexible and can be positioned andmoved according to need.

“Matrix can provide a free span of up to four metres withoutinterfering table legs, while support-ing up to one tonne of pressure. A corresponding steel constructionwould be much too heavy,” saysSøren Thomsen.

Electrical conduits and surface treatments

Although Matrix is Labflex’s only furniture series in aluminium, thematerial is also gaining ground inother products. In the past, wireswere hidden in plastic channels.Today, aluminium profiles serve bothas load-bearing elements and aselectrical conduits. Labflex has alsoutilised Sapa’s technology in areasother than profiles. They choseSapa’s HM-white surface treatmentfor their white Omega series, an electro-coating process that providesan absolutely smooth colour layer of uniform thickness.

“With powder coating thicknesscan vary, but with HM-white the entire surface layer is exactly 10 µm thick, which ensures that oursnap-lock mechanisms work,”explains Søren Thomsen.

Close collaboration

Five years ago, Labflex only had a couple of tools at Sapa. Todaythat number is much larger andcontinues to grow.

“Today, if a customer has a spe-cial request, we solve the problemourselves. You don’t have to pro-duce too many metres of aluminiumprofiles to recover tool costs, and it

doesn’t cost anything to store thetool at Sapa,” says Søren Thomsen.

Sapa is always involved as a consultative partner during thedesign phase, providing advice ondurability and production methods.But as aluminium profiles havebecome an integral part of produc-tion at Labflex, they have been ableto manage a larger share of thedesign work themselves. Moreover,Søren Thomsen has participated in Sapa’s Profile Academy – anintroduction to the use of alumi-nium profiles – which he heartilyrecommends.

“The seminar straightens outmany questions and makes alumi-nium a material you can compre-hend,” concludes Søren Thomsen.

Innovative Danish design usesaluminium in laboratory fittings

Five years ago, Labflex opened

the door to the future. An entirely

new series of laboratory furniture,

based on aluminium profiles, has

set a new industry standard.

Sapa was a valuable collaborator

during the development effort.

“We were somewhat surprised by the many possibilities offered by aluminium profiles,” says Søren Thomsen, project manager at Labflex, which manufactures laboratory furniture.

The Matrix Wall is ready for use with gas and electrical installations hidden in support beams and columns. With its aluminium-based Matrix line,Labflex has set a new standard in laboratory furniture.

L A B F L E X

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14 S h a p e 1 / 2 0 0 3

Utilising the elasticityof aluminium

Aluminium’s low elasticity modulus (approximately onethird that of steel) sometimes results in limitations onusability. But when talking about snap functions withinthe context of profiles, it is an obvious advantage!

Snap locking is an old and well-tested technique for joining profiles. In addition to the material beingelastic, the extrusion process has obvious advantages duringformation.

Dimensioning

The appearance and dimensions of a snap jointdepend entirely on the requirements and the conditions.Common to all designs are the diagonal insertion sur-faces and a jam. Other considerations include adapt-ing the thickness of the material in the spring leg tothe length of the leg, the length of the profile that isto be snapped, the alloy and the surface treatment.Hooks are designed differently depending on whetherthe joint is intended to be permanent or easily re-opened. In dimensioning, it is important to check that the tension in the material does not exceed thetensile yield limit, which would result in permanentdeformation and the loss of the snap effect.

Surface treatment

Surface treatment is very important. Anodising resultsin low friction and facilitates snapping, untreated sur-faces are significantly rougher. Powder coating also

results in low friction, but on electrostati-cally powder-coated profiles, the paintsurface can, in extreme cases, exceed100 µm on every surface. In a snapoperation, four separate surfaces arealmost always involved. That could

result in a total dimension increase of 0.4 mm, which must be taken into consideration

when designing the profile.

Problem solving – a concrete example

A designer wanted to create space for a light fixtureby snapping together an upper and lower profile.Since the profiles were approximately 160 mm wide,the demands for design and measurement toleranceswere too great. To deal with this problem, the snapswere moved to the middle. Since the profiles couldbe about two metres long, it was still difficult tomount by hand in long lengths. The solution finallyimplemented was a third profile, cut in shorterlengths (40-50 mm), which provides significantadvantages in mounting and eliminates all earlier problems.

The question is rhetorical.Aluminium fulfils the vision-ary dreams of every age.Jules Verne’s aluminiummoon vehicle became areality when Apollo 11 landed on the moon in1969, exactly 100 yearslater.

Today’s large cities, withtheir aluminium framedglass facades are reminis-cent of the futuristic citiesin Flash Gordon maga-zines from the 1930s. Thequestion is, what are ourcurrent visions for thefuture? And how will theseaffect demand for alumi-nium?

Sapa looks at trends

Docere Intelligence AB, a leading business-intelligence analysis firm,has assisted Sapa inexploring trends that willinfluence the future use of aluminium. Accordingto Docere, it is importantto find subtle indicators,such as an increase in theconsumption of profes-sional sports and kitchenequipment. The underlyingtrend could be that sportshave become a lifestyle,which may in turn indicatethat we are growing increasingly focused onexperiences and want todemonstrate this throughvarious attributes. Docerelooked at trends withinthe automotive sector,

telecom, interior designand sports.

In the shadow of IT and biotech

Exciting developments inmaterials are taking placein the shadow of IT andbiotech, involving poly-mers, nanotechnology,carbon and compositematerials of various kinds.Competing against thesenew materials is alumi-nium, a traditional andmultifaceted material. Ithas always had an imageas a high-tech material ofthe future. Polished orbrushed aluminium isused in everything fromcars and bicycles to lap-top computers and furni-ture to profile products ashigh-tech. Aluminium isalso perceived as environ-mentally friendly since itis so easily recycled.

Lighter cars

The automotive industryanticipates that its use ofaluminium will increase byat least 50 per cent overthe next five years, thereason being to saveweight. Consumers wantmore luxurious cars, withmore equipment and greater comfort. At thesame time they want carsthat are more fuel efficientand environmentally friend-ly. The solution will be anincreasing number of partsmade of aluminium.

Is future bright

Sony’s smart little gleaming aluminiumelectronic dog is a fitting symbol for thefuturistic nature of aluminium.

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S h a p e 1 / 2 0 0 3 15

Telecom industry’s need for cool

Within the data and tele-com industries the use of aluminium is growingdue to an increasing needto cool electronic compo-nents as they becomeever more compact. Theexpansion of 3G networksand broadband is alsoresulting in a greater needfor antennas, connectioncabinets and cooling fins.

Attractive and smart in the home

New, innovative materials,such as carbon fibre andplastics, are being usedincreasingly in interior and furniture design.Aluminium is also taking a prominent position infurniture and fittings.Examples include PhilipStarck’s Hudson chair

and the new Le Georgerestaurant at the CentrePompidou in Paris. Thedevelopment of “smart”homes is also likely toincrease the need for alu-minium. When all the elec-tronics in a home areconnected together andmade accessible via theInternet, solutions will beneeded for running cables.Aluminium mouldings willsolve the problem.

Shiny aluminium sportinggoods

Innovative materials are to be found everywhere in the sports world and a growing number of ordi-nary sports enthusiastsare using professionalequipment. Today, sportsare viewed increasingly asa lifestyle choice, meantto be shown off. Manylifestyle sports are mate-

rial intensive, such asmountain biking, golfing,inline skating, sailing andsnowboarding. And gymswith aluminium exerciseequipment are sproutingup everywhere.

A bright but competitive future

The future looks bright foraluminium. New innova-tions, such as aluminiumfoam, are exciting – it is

ten times more rigid thansheet metal, weighs onlyhalf as much, is soundand heat insulating andfloats. But there are, ofcourse, also threats, suchas carbon, which is becom-ing increasingly common-place. Another threatcomes from new mate-rials being developed withhighly specific propertiesadapted to particularneeds.

for metal of the future?

In 1854, it became economically feasible to produce significant amounts of alu-minium. The first smelting plants were established in 1888 in France, Switzerlandand the US. Since that time, aluminium usage has steadily increased.

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16 S h a p e 1 / 2 0 0 3

Sapa continues its expan-sion in China. The Swedishcompany Sapa Profiler isestablishing operations forqualified processing inShanghai. The investmentincludes the leasing ofplant facilities and the purchasing of CNC ma-chinery and other essenti-al equipment. Sapa

Profiles (Shanghai)Ltd. is expected tobe fully operationalby the start of 2004and will initiallyemploy around 20people.

“This investmentwas necessitatedprimarily by ourtelecom customers,”says Arne Rengstedt,

President of Sapa Profiler.“As our major internationalcustomers expand over-seas, we want to followthem, providing onsite ser-vice. China is a strategicmarket for Sapa and, overthe long term, this invest-ment will serve as a spring-board into a market withsignificant growth potential.”

David Littler has beenappointed President of theoperation. He has exten-sive experience in theChinese business world,coming most recently fromSapa Heat Transfer, whichhas been established inShanghai for some time.Sapa Heat Transfer manu-factures heat-exchangerstrip for the global auto-motive industry.

Sapa expandsin China

The Chinese symbol for aluminium,the world’s most common metal.

The conference dealt witheverything relating to thealuminium semi-manufac-turing industry, from mar-kets to foundry technolo-gies, extrusion, rolling andthe surface treatment ofsheet metal and profiles.There were also opportu-nities for field trips.

Strong growth in China

Among the more interest-ing presentations wasBenson Wu’s, which cov-ered aluminium extrusionin China. Examples weregiven of the incredibledevelopment being expe-rienced in China. Con-sumption of extrudedproducts increased fromapproximately 350,000tonnes in 1993 to almost1,500,000 tonnes in 2002.Today there are approxi-mately 2,000 extrusionpresses in China.

Wu predicts a phase of consolidation duringthe coming years, withincreased productivitythrough the transfer ofwestern technology, moreexports to the west andthe closing down ofsmaller operations.

Weak demand in Russia

Russia stands in stark

contrast to developmentsin China. M. Lokshin andG. Makarov discussed theproduction of semi-manu-factured aluminium goodsin Russia. There, the con-sumption of aluminium in1990 was 1,930,000 ton-nes – a figure that hadfallen to 402,000 tonnesby 1999.

Technology push essential

Bruno G. Ruettimanngave a presentation aboutthe impact of globalisa-tion on Western Europeanaluminium semi-manufac-tured products and com-ponents, discussing the

effects of increased glo-balisation on our industry.He emphasised that cur-rent developments withincreased exports fromplaces like China willcontinue, as will consoli-dation within the alumi-nium industry. In order toensure continued positivegrowth, companies willhave to become largerwhile simultaneously dif-ferentiating themselvesmore, partly through theuse of new technologies.Ruettimann said that a“technology push” will beessential.

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1. Automotive. Estimated market for 2003 at 200,000 tonnes.

2. Cooling profiles for the electronics industry. It has been estimated that 65 per cent of the world’s production of computer motherboards takes place in China. The annual need for cooling profiles was estimated at 60,000 tonnes.

3. The transportation industry, especially the manufacture of trains, is estimated to require 100,000 tonnes of aluminium profiles over the next five years.

4. The construction Industry. It is estimated that 3.3 million apartments are built annually, which would correspond to an annual requirement of 550,000 tonnes of ex-truded construction profiles.

Arne Rengstedt,President of SapaProfiler AB inSweden.

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This year’s “Aluminium

2000” conference was

held in Rome on March 18-

22. While one’s first asso-

ciation with Rome might

not be aluminium, there is

an interesting connection.

In 1897, the dome of the

San Gioacchino Church

was covered in aluminium

sheet metal. The roof

remains intact to this day!

Rome, the capital of aluminium for five days

S h a p e 1 / 2 0 0 3 17

Aluminium is everywhere. For every 100 kilograms of earth, almost 8 kilograms are aluminium. Supply could be considered virtually limitless!

Life on earth is adapted to aluminium. However, acidi-fication, caused by the burning of coal and oil, is up-setting the natural balance and leaching out some aluminium into especially acidic environments. Otherwise,aluminium is one of the most beneficial and environmen-tally friendly raw materials we have. Aluminium is justifia-bly known as “the green metal.”

Relatively harmless extraction of raw material

The raw material from which aluminium is extracted is bauxite, which exists throughout the earth’s crust. The world’s aluminium needs can be met by mining 16 square kilometres of land per year. This land can be easily restored in an environmentally appropriatemanner once the bauxite has been mined.

Recycling highly profitable

Scrap aluminium is a very important part of the aluminiumsupply. Melting down scrap aluminium requires only five percent of the energy and environmental impact expended inproducing new metal. The manufacture of one kilogram ofnew aluminium consumes the amount of energy existing inthree litres of gasoline. However, recycling one kilogram ofaluminium consumes only 0.15 litres of gasoline!

All aluminium products can be recycled again andagain without a reduction in quality. In products where alu-minium is just a small part that cannot be separated, it isrecycled through energy recovery. When burned, alumi-nium gives off just as much energy as coal and twice asmuch as paper. Moreover, no residual gases are formed,only ash in the form of aluminium oxide.

Aluminium makes life easier

Designs made of aluminium weigh, on average, only halfas much as corresponding steel products. This saves hugeamounts of energy. If automobiles were made 100 kilo-grams lighter through the use of aluminium, the estimatedgasoline savings in Sweden alone, with its 8 million inhabitants, would be 300 million litres per year!

Products that weigh less consume less energy andresult in fewer emissions during transport.

Aluminium can be extruded as profiles with built-infunctions. Making such items out of steel would requireextensive processing with the resulting energy con-sumption.

The mechanical machining of aluminium is easier than for many other materials.

Aluminium is able to withstand corrosion and is used,to a large degree, for construction purposes where itresults in reduced external maintenance.

Source: “Aluminium makes life a little easier,” published by MetallKretsen AB.

The Group’s processes,emissions, permissionsand plans are reportedannually in Sapa’s Environ-mental CommunicationPlatform. The Environmen-tal Council is now beingrenamed as Sapa’sCouncil for Environment,Health and Safety and willbe expanding its opera-tions to include the keyareas of health and safety,in other words issues relating to the workingenvironment.

Since the summer of2002, Ulf Lindstrand,administrative director for Sapa Profiler AB, haschaired the council, whichbrings together represen-tatives from a number ofSapa companies.

“Each company employsdifferent standards onthese issues. Statistics andregulations differ betweencountries. Consequently,the first step will be tocreate uniform reportingprinciples for matters

such as accidents. Ourambition is to comple-ment the existing Environ-mental Policy with a policyat Group level regardingHealth and Safety,” saysUlf Lindstrand.

Initial efforts will be con-ducted in several stages.The first will be to comple-ment and summariseexisting statistics. Theresulting data will thenform the basis for theimplementation of shareddefinitions throughout theGroup. Consequently, fu-ture reports and summarieswill provide a better over-view of accident statistics.

“In this ongoing effort,we will attempt to imple-ment best practices bystudying the routines andsafety efforts of variousSapa companies, as wellas looking at the ap-proaches of external companies, in order to beable to continually impro-ve our efforts,” concludesUlf Lindstrand.

CO M M O N P LATFO R M FO R

Environment,health and safetySince 1999, Sapa’s Environmental Council has dealtwith Group-wide environmental issues. Those respon-sible for the environment at various companies haveused the forum to share information and experiences,with the goal of making their environmental effortsmore efficient.

Lage Knutsson, Sapa Technology, Bengt Sundström, Sapa Profiler AB,Ulrika Björn Sapa, Heat Transfer, Staffan Johannisson and Ulf Lindstrand,Sapa Profiler AB, Jan de Hoop, Sapa Aluminium BV and Joao Moreira,Sapa Portugal S.A. Eric Burgess, Sapa Profiles Ltd is not pictured.

Al Al is the chemical symbol forthe metal aluminium, with anatomic number of 13, densityof 2,699 g/cm3, a melting pointof 660.77°C and a boiling pointof 2,467°C.

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18 S h a p e 1 / 2 0 0 3

S a p a a r o u n d t h e w o r l d

Sapa Automotive and Sapa Pressweld to collaborate

In an attempt to capitalise on synergiesto increase sales, Sapa Automotive andPressweld have organised a number ofbusiness meetings. Together they havevisited customers such as Renault,Jaguar and Land Rover.

“Automotive and Pressweld haveoverlapping areas of expertise, enablingus to offer our customers a broader andmore complete product assortment,”says Percy Ekström, head of Sapa’sAutomotive business segment.

Summer is here and we are makingpreparations for Sweden’s largest,annually recurring sporting event – the Scandinavian Masters golfcompetition. Sapa continues to beone of the main sponsors of theevent, together with Scandic, Carls-berg, Volvo, Eurocard and Vodafone,among others. This is the sixth timethat the highly regarded facility onthe shores of the Sound in south-ern Sweden will be the site of theSwedish world-class competition.This year, the course is even longerand narrower. All of the greenshave been redesigned and severalholes have been changed. A first-class championship course awaits.

Key European tour eventThe tournament has created a unique position for itself within pro-fessional golf. It attracts several ofthe world’s best players and pro-vides international competition atthe highest level. In terms of spec-tators, the Masters event has ledthe PGA European Tour since itsinception. The spectator recorddates back to 1995 at Barsebäckwhen Jesper Parnevik won in frontof a crowd of 121,800 people. Thosehigh spectator figures make thetournament the largest on the Euro-pean tour after the British Open.The tournament is also a populartelevision event on all continents.

Approximately 260 million viewers,in more than 100 countries, are ableto follow the tournament live. Thisyear, a special effort is being madeto attract the next generation of golfstars. At the time of going to press,we know that Calle Pettersson, alsoknown as “Big Dog,” will be comingto this year’s Masters event. Calle,who is ranked among the top 60players in the world and who hasrecently made a strong showing inthe US, appreciates the opportunityto play in Sweden.

Dane Thomas Björn has alsobeen contracted. Playing at Barse-bäck is almost like playing on hometurf for Denmark’s best ever golfer.Graeme McDowell is also ready forthis year’s tournament.

Sapa at theScandinavian Masters in Barsebäck, SwedenJuly 31 – Aug 3, 2003

Acquisition of UK components companySapa has acquired the UK firm Press-weld Ltd. in Gloucester, two hours westof London. The company specialises inthe design and machining of aluminiumprofile components and systems for pres-tigious brands in the automotive indus-try. Typical applications include highlypolished doorstep profiles, grills, detailsfor wood-veneer backing, componentsfor airbag housings and decorativepanels and frames.

“Pressweld has experienced stronggrowth in recent years and we are con-vinced that the purchase will result infavourable synergies,” says Sapa CEOStaffan Bohman. “Pressweld strengthensour position in the Automotive businesssegment.”

“We have a clear ambition of expan-ding into the area of value-added pro-ducts. Through Pressweld, we will gain asignificant market presence that we didnot have before, especially within theautomotive area. The acquisition willstrengthen our position as one ofEurope’s leading suppliers of intelligentsolutions based on aluminium profiles.”

When simple things are difficultCCllaassssiicc AAmmeerriiccaann aalluummiinniiuumm mmaaiillbbooxx

Sapa Anodising Inc., of Oregon in the US, recently solved a problem for Salsbury Industries, a large manufacturer of various kinds of mail-boxes. Salsbury attempted to construct a mailbox out of a single pieceof extruded aluminium. However, it was not possible to make it cost-efficient, despite the simple design. Sapa solved the problem in an elegant manner by basing the mailbox on two profiles with a snap lockconstruction that simplified the manufacturing process and resulted in a sturdy one-piece mailbox. In other words, Sapa succeeded in creating the one-piece mailbox that Salsbury wanted. A piece of creative thinking that represented a profitable transaction for both companies – and a decorative addition to American homes!

Automotive and Press-weld displayed some of their products in asmall exhibit presentedin connection with semi-nars at Jaguar and LandRover. The new hydro-forming and friction stirwelding technologiesgenerated a great dealof attention.

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S h a p e 1 / 2 0 0 3 19

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ffoorr 4400 ppeerr cceenntt ooff tthhee GGrroouupp’’ss ssaalleess.. TThhrroouugghh oouurr

ooffffiiccee iinn SSppaaiinn,, wwee aarree ffuurrtthheerr aabbllee ttoo pprrooffiillee oouurrsseell--

vveess ttoowwaarrddss ccuussttoommeerrss wwiitthhiinn tthhee bbuuiillddiinngg iinndduussttrryy..

FFoorr SSaappaa,, EEaasstteerrnn EEuurrooppee aanndd CChhiinnaa aarree pprriioorriittyy

mmaarrkkeettss wwiitthh ssiiggnniiffiiccaanntt ppootteennttiiaall ffoorr ggrroowwtthh.. TThhaatt iiss

wwhhyy eexxppaannssiioonn iiss ccoonnttiinnuuiinngg wwiitthh nneeww ssaalleess ooffffiicceess iinn

tthhee CCzzeecchh RReeppuubblliicc aanndd CChhiinnaa.. TThhee CCzzeecchh RReeppuubblliicc

hhaass iinnccrreeaasseedd iinn ssiiggnniiffiiccaannccee iinn rreecceenntt yyeeaarrss.. TThhee

ccoouunnttrryy hhaass aa ssttrroonngg aanndd ggrroowwiinngg iinndduussttrriiaall bbaassee

aanndd eexxppoorrttss ttoo tthhee CCzzeecchh RReeppuubblliicc ffrroomm oouurr PPoolliisshh

pprreessssiinngg ppllaanntt aarree iinnccrreeaassiinngg sstteeaaddiillyy..

““TThhiiss iiss hhooww tthhee ccoommppaannyy wwiillll ccoonnttiinnuuee ttoo ggrrooww,,””

ssaayyss GGrroouupp CCEEOO SSttaaffffaann BBoohhmmaann.. ““OOrrggaanniiccaallllyy,, bbyy

eexxtteennddiinngg oouutt oouurr ppoossiittiioonnss ttoo mmaarrkkeettss wwhheerree wwee aarree

aallrreeaaddyy ooppeerraattiinngg,, tthhrroouugghh ggrreeaatteerr ccoollllaabboorraattiioonn wwiitthh

eexxiissttiinngg ccuussttoommeerrss aanndd tthhrroouugghh aaccqquuiissiittiioonnss,, ssuucchh aass

tthhee ppuurrcchhaassee ooff PPrreesssswweelldd iinn tthhee UUKK..””

TThhee nneeww ssaalleess ooffffiiccee iinn CChhiinnaa iiss aa nnaattuurraall ppaarrtt ooff

SSaappaa’’ss ssttrraatteeggyy ttoo eexxppaanndd oouuttssiiddee ooff EEuurrooppee.. SSaappaa

HHeeaatt TTrraannssffeerr hhaass bbeeeenn eessttaabblliisshheedd iinn CChhiinnaa ssiinnccee

11999999 aanndd ooff ccoouurrssee tthhee ccoouunnttrryy iiss aallssoo aann iimmppoorrttaanntt

ffuuttuurree mmaarrkkeett ffoorr aalluummiinniiuumm pprrooffiilleess.. SSeevveerraall ooff oouurr

llaarrggee ccuussttoommeerrss aarree bbeeccoommiinngg iinnccrreeaassiinnggllyy gglloobbaall..

IInn oorrddeerr ttoo eeaassiillyy pprroovviiddee tthheemm wwiitthh sseerrvviiccee,, ssppeecciiffiicc

ssyysstteemmss aanndd ssoolluuttiioonnss,, wwee hhaavvee ddeecciiddeedd ttoo ffoollllooww

tthheemm oouutt iinnttoo tthhee wwoorrlldd..

BBuuiillddiinngg SSyysstteemmssNew business segmentcoordinates Sapa’sconstruction operations

AA nneeww,, GGrroouupp--wwiiddee bbuussiinneessss sseeggmmeenntt,, SSaappaa BBuuiillddiinngg SSyysstteemmss,,hhaass bbeeeenn ffoorrmmeedd iinn oorrddeerr ttoo bbeetttteerrttaakkee aaddvvaannttaaggee ooff tthhee GGrroouupp’’ssccoommbbiinneedd eexxppeerrttiissee aanndd rreessoouurrcceess..TThhee ggooaall iiss ttoo ccrreeaattee tthhee ccoonnddiittiioonnssnneecceessssaarryy ffoorr tthhee pprrooffiittaabbllee ccoollllaabboo--rraattiioonn aanndd ddeevveellooppmmeenntt ooff SSaappaa’’ssvvaarriioouuss bbuuiillddiinngg ssyysstteemmss.. TThhiiss iinn--cclluuddeess,, ffoorr eexxaammppllee,, pprroodduuccttiioonn,,pprroodduucctt ddeevveellooppmmeenntt aanndd ppuurrcchhaass--iinngg,, bbuutt ppeerrhhaappss ttoo aann eevveenn ggrreeaatteerrddeeggrreeee,, mmaarrkkeettiinngg aannddssaalleess iinn eexxiissttiinngg aanndd nneewwmmaarrkkeettss.. SSvveenn MMaaggnnuussssoonnhheeaaddss tthhee bbuussiinneessss sseegg--mmeenntt..

““WWee wwoorrkk vveerryy cclloosseellyywwiitthh aallll ssttaaggeess ooff tthhee bbuussii--nneessss pprroocceessss.. DDiissttrriibbuuttiioonn,,ccuussttoommeerr--aaddaapptteedd ssoolluu--ttiioonnss aanndd pprroojjeecctt ssuuppppoorrttaarree iimmppoorrttaanntt ccoommppoo--nneennttss.. WWee ccoollllaabboorraattee wwiitthhpprroodduucceerrss,, aarrcchhiitteeccttss aannddbbuuiillddeerrss.. WWee tthhiinnkk tthhaatt bbuuyyiinngg ffrroommSSaappaa sshhoouulldd bbee eeaassyy aanndd pprrooffiittaabblleeaanndd tthhaatt iitt sshhoouulldd aassssiisstt ddeevveelloopp--mmeenntt,,”” ssaayyss SSvveenn MMaaggnnuussssoonn..

TThhee ccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn iinndduussttrryy iissoofftteenn vveerryy llooccaallllyy aanncchhoorreedd,, bbootthh iinntteerrmmss ooff aarrcchhiitteeccttuurree aanndd nnaattiioonnaallbbuuiillddiinngg ssttaannddaarrddss.. HHoowweevveerr,, cchhaannggeess aarree iinn tthhee wwoorrkkss.. TThhee EEUU’’ssddeemmaanndd ffoorr ggrreeaatteerr hhaarrmmoonnyy bbeettwweeeenn vvaarriioouuss ssttaannddaarrddss aammoonnggccoouunnttrriieess iiss iinnfflluueenncciinngg ddeevveelloopp--mmeenntt,, aass aarree aallll ootthheerr iinntteerrnnaattiioonnaallaaggrreeeemmeennttss,, ssuucchh aass vvaarriioouuss eennvviirroonnmmeennttaall pprrooggrraammss..

““NNoo lleessss tthhaann 4400 ppeerr cceenntt ooff oouurrccoolllleeccttiivvee eenneerrggyy ccoonnssuummppttiioonn ggooeessttoowwaarrdd hheeaattiinngg oorr ccoooolliinngg bbuuiillddiinnggss!!BByy iinnvveessttiinngg iinn mmooddeerrnn ssyysstteemmss,,eenneerrggyy ccoonnssuummppttiioonn ccaann bbee lloowweerreedd,, aass ccaann tthhee eennvviirroonnmmeennttaalliimmppaacctt.. SSaaffeettyy iissssuueess ppllaaccee vvaarriioouussrreeqquuiirreemmeennttss oonn ffiirree,, nnooiissee aanndd bbuurrggllaarryy sseeccuurriittyy,, aanndd iinn eexxttrreemmeeccaasseess aaggaaiinnsstt bbuulllleettss aanndd eexxpplloo--ssiivveess.. AAtt SSaappaa wwee hhaavvee aaddvvaanncceeddpprroodduuccttss tthhaatt aarree aabbllee ttoo mmeeeett aallllkkiinnddss ooff nneeww ddeemmaannddss aanndd wwee aarreeddeevveellooppiinngg ccoonnttiinnuuoouussllyy,,”” ccoonncclluuddeessSSvveenn MMaaggnnuussssoonn..

IInn BBuuiillddiinngg SSyysstteemmss,, SSaappaa sseeeessggrreeaatteerr ooppppoorrttuunniittiieess ttoo ssttrreennggtthheenniittss aallrreeaaddyy pprroommiinneenntt ppoossiittiioonn wwiitthhiinntthhee EEuurrooppeeaann ccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn sseeccttoorr,,wwhhiillee aatt tthhee ssaammee ttiimmee ccrreeaattiinngg aappllaattffoorrmm ffoorr bbootthh ggeeooggrraapphhiicc ggrroowwtthhaanndd ffuuttuurree aaccqquuiissiittiioonnss..

Sapa Building Systemscustomer BromsgroveGlass in the UK recentlycompleted a constructionproject in Cheltenham.The building, designed bythe Beswick Partnership in Tewkesbury, has beencited by Cheltenham’sCivic Award Society for itsmodern design. Accordingto the jury, it is “welldesigned with careful

consideration given toform, materials and de-tailing.”

The thousand square-metres showroom was built for UK auto com-pany Warners, which is a Peugeot retailer. Theimpressive glass façade isconstructed using Sapa’s313 Gridframe profiles and202 Stormframe door-frames. The large auto

showroom, which containsa café, boutiques and ahigh-tech workshop, wastailor-made for Warners inorder to create a differentexperience for visitors.The large, two-storey glasssurface that forms thefaçade and its towerdominate the area andprovide strong visualsupport for the Warnersand Peugeot brands.

Award winning Sapa façade in the UK

Three new sales offices•••Sapa’s primary markets are Europe, the US and China. Our goal is to bea borderless company with the ability to serve our customers globally inthese markets.

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Sven Magnusson, head of Sapa BuildingSystems.

20 S h a p e 1 / 2 0 0 3

Today, JK Ergoline’s primary focus ison developing, manufacturing andmarketing solariums. It has beenhighly successful at doing so. Thecompany has gone from being asmall sauna manufacturer thirtyyears ago to developing into theworlds leading manufacturer ofsolariums for professional use.Solariums for home use also formpart of their line-up. In its homemarket of Germany, Ergoline is estimated to hold a market share of more than 55 per cent.

12 profiles machined into 24 parts

Armed with Ergoline’s expertise onsolariums and Sapa’s experiencewith profiles, work began. Together,the two companies developed 12 cross-sections, which, aftermachining by Sapa, became 24 different parts in the new solariumseries.

Sapa delivers parts ready forassembly. These profile solutionshave integrated functions foraspects such as joining, which reduces the need for machining and simplifies assembly work.

Anodised for sake of hygiene

The parts are anodised. This is to provide the solariums with adecorative finish, although the ano-dising also has other advantages.Surfaces are more durable to thetouch, repelling dirt and meeting

exacting requirements for hygiene,an important aspect in solariums.Moreover, the finish is very durable– the oxide layer is harder thanglass.

German-Polish collaboration

Sapa in Germany was responsiblefor initial contacts with the customer, but Sapa in Poland soon became involved, since production takes place at the Polish facility. Once serial produc-tion had begun, close collaborationwith a production manager was anabsolute necessity. As mentionedpreviously, JK Ergoline demanded“alles aus einer Hand.” This involvesnot only profile extrusion, mechani-cal processing and anodising – logistics questions are also high onthe agenda.

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German-Polish collaborationresulted in glowing ideas

From Ergoline’s website:

Solariums for brittlebonesUp until our thirties, calcium is storedin our bones, making them hard.Calcium is also needed in other partsof the body, however. If the body doesnot receive enough calcium then it“steals” what it needs from the skeletalstructure.

In order to be able to absorb thecalcium in our food, our bodies needvitamin D. This is the only vitamin thatthe body can produce on its own. To accomplish this UV-B light isrequired. From October to March, sunlight at our latitudes contains practically no UV-B at all. It quite simply disappears into the atmos-phere.

According to Dr. AlbrechtFalkenbach of the Gasteiner HeilstollenSanatorium, the body’s production of vitamin D ceases entirely and even if we eat a calcium-rich diet weare unable to replace that important mineral. The low dose of UV-B generated by solariums is sufficient to restart vitamin-D production.

Conclusion: not only a suntan butalso strong bones.

Additional information about JKErgoline is available at: www.ergoline.de.

JK Ergoline is Europe’s leading manufacturer of solariums. The companyoperates in an industry where aesthetically pleasing shapes are of greatsignificance to the success of a product in the market. However, JKErgoline had another demand on their list: “alles aus einer Hand,” everything from one supplier. It was against this background that collaboration with Sapa was initiated in spring 2002. The result was a new series of solariums that has now been successfully launched.

The profile solutions integrate functionssuch as joining, reducing the need for additional processing.

JK Ergoline is Europe’s leading manufacturer of solariums. Aesthetically pleasing shapes are of great significance to the success of their products. Anodised profiles provide the solariums with a decorative finish.

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