CORUS AND TENNECO WIN AT ALUMINIUM AWARD 2000

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CORUS AND TENNECO WIN AT ALUMINIUM AWARD 2000
26 March 2001 - Corus Automotive

Corus Aluminium Extrusions and Tenneco Automotive won The Innovation Award in Automotive Parts and Accessories at Aluminium Award 2000, which took place at the AutoDome Automobile Museum Rosmalen.

The award in this category recognised the work of Corus and Tenneco in developing an aluminium piston rod for shock absorbers.

To achieve weight savings in the pre-springed part of a car is a significant step forward for the automotive industry. The rod itself is 60% lighter than conventional rods, which normally constitute 20% of the weight of a shock absorber.

The combination of cost, weight and mechanical properties encouraged designers to use aluminium instead of other materials such as titan, magnesium or composites to develop their award-winning prototype.

P.D. van der Koogh, director of the Stan Ackermans Institute, presented the awards, in which the Audi A2 won the Cars category and the Opel G90 won the Concept Car award. The Euorpean Aluminium Award Automotive is a bi-annual award, which is an initiative of the Dutch Aluminium Centre in co-operation with the European Aluminium Association (EAA). Winners received a bauxite and aluminium sculpture and a certificate.

Corus Aluminium Extrusions developed a tailor-made aluminium alloy in the 7000 series, which retained the design of the rod and replaced steel with aluminium. Channel induction ovens at the highly specialised Corus Aluminium foundry cast the special alloy into extrusion billets to ensure homogeneity. Corus tests billets and drawn rods ultrasonically at its plant in Duffel. Eddy-current testing of semi-finished products guarantees a zero-defect aluminium rod. The precise straightness and tight diameter tolerances of Corus’ rod help Tenneco manufacture a high-quality, economical piston rod for shock absorbers. Reducing its weight helps the environment.

About: Corus Automotive
Corus is one of the leading suppliers of steel products, services and technology to the automotive industry. A broad range of Corus steel from strip, engineering steels, special strip and tubes are used to make products that go into automotive applications including body-in-white, closures, chassis and suspension systems, powertrain, seats, safety systems and other components. Corus is committed to the global automotive industry, and, uniquely, combines its materials and vehicle engineering knowledge to respond cost-effectively to key drivers of importance to the sector, such as safety, fuel-efficiency, innovation and the environment. The Company actively supports supply chain initiatives that improve efficiency and enhance the value of steel used in automotive applications.

Corus Group Plc is one of the world's largest metal producers with an annual turnover of £8 billion and major operating facilities in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Norway and Belgium. Corus' four divisions comprising Strip Products, Long Products, Distribution & Building Systems and Aluminium provide innovative solutions to the construction, automotive, packaging, mechanical engineering and other markets worldwide. Corus has 48,500 employees in over 40 countries and sales offices and service centres worldwide. Combining international expertise with local customer service, the Corus brand represents quality and strength.

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