Alcoa 2006 Annual Report Download - page 21

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Wheel Buy-Back Program
Alcoa is the first aluminum wheel
manufacturer to buy back its used
wheels through a new program
launched in the U.K. called “Value
for Life.” Specifically, Alcoa offers
to buy back used Alcoa aluminum
wheels when customers replace
them. The program provides cus-
tomers with high-quality products
that offer a lifetime of value and an
environmentally friendly solution.
Cutting Edge Design
Alcoa supplied more than 2,500
metric tons of tube and forgings
from Alcoa’s Samara, Russia, and
Lafayette (Ind.) plants to Noble
Corporation for its newly designed
aluminum drilling risers. The
risers leverage Alcoa’s advanced
7,000 series alloys and weigh 40%
less than steel risers. By using Alcoa
aluminum, the offshore drilling
contractor can explore in deeper
waters with higher payload.
Sustainability in Action
An Outstanding Stewardship of
America’s Rivers Award was
given to Alcoa by the National
Hydropower Association for the
Tapoco Hydroelectric Project
in Tennessee and North Carolina.
The award recognizes Alcoa’s
new practice of releasing water into
two bypassed reaches of rivers in
the two states, granting conserva-
tion easements and the protecting
of 10,000 acres of land.
Up-Armoring Humvees
AM General and Armor Holdings
awarded contracts to Alcoa to
supply high-performance, light-
weight aluminum armor alloys
to retrofit more than 50,000 doors
on High-Mobility Multipurpose
Wheeled Vehicles (Humvees)
for the U.S. military.
Second Iceland Smelter
Alcoa, local authorities and the
government of Iceland have begun
feasibility studies for developing
a 250,000-mtpy smelter at Bakki in
North Iceland. It would be the first
entirely geothermal-powered
smelter in the world. If approved,
construction would start in 2010.
Technology Transfer
The Dura-Bright®patented surface
treatment, which revolutionized
wheel maintenance by eliminating
the need to polish, has expanded
its usage:
• Dura-Bright®Fuel Tank – The first
fuel tank with Alcoa’s patented
Dura-Bright®surface treatment –
no polishing required – was
introduced at the Mid-America
Truck Show.
• Dura-Bright®Wheels with XBR™
Technology – An enhanced
version of Alcoa’s original Dura-
Bright®wheels, these are 50%
more reflective, have 75% more
image clarity and a longer-
lasting shine.
Serious Virtual Reality
Alcoa partnered with Etcetera
Edutainment, an offshoot of
Carnegie Mellon University, to
develop a highly interactive, three-
dimensional professional training
tool that offers a realistic way to
learn safety procedures involving
mobile equipment. Alcoa SafeDock
puts participants behind the wheel,
virtually, in simulated loading dock
scenarios. Everyone walks away
injury-free, with a better under-
standing of how to operate safely.
The “serious video game” will be
rolled out globally in 2007.
Portfolio Management
• Alcoa Home Exteriors was
sold to Ply Gem Industries, Inc.
for $305 million.
• Alcoa sold its aerospace services
businesses to ThyssenKrupp
Services AG, of Germany.
• Alcoa agreed with Orkla’s Sapa
Group to form a joint venture
that combines Alcoa’s soft alloy
extrusion business with Sapa’s
Profiles extruded aluminum
business.
Delivering
Uncompromising Quality
Volvo Truck North America
and Mack Trucks, two leaders in
the commercial vehicle market,
selected Alcoa Wheel Products as
their primary supplier of forged
aluminum wheels. Alcoa has been
supplying Mack Trucks with
wheels for nearly 60 years.
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