Aug 19 2004
Hydro Aluminium Automotive has won its first bumper beam contract with the Australian carmaker Holden Ltd., which is a subsidiary of General Motors. Hydro will produce and deliver the crash management components from its Structures plant in Holland, Michigan.
The Holland plant will produce front and rear bumper beams for Holden beginning in 2006. The order calls for the annual delivery of approximately 360,000 bumper beams in all. Holden will pick up the components at Hydro's docks and be responsible for exporting.
The contract is Hydro's first as a supplier of aluminium components to the Australian carmaker, and the Holland plant's second - ever - for a customer outside of North America. At one time, the company shipped bumpers to Isuzu in Japan, says Hydro's Peter Rizk, who is key customer manager for General Motors for the Structures business unit.
"We're excited about having a new customer and hope to build upon this for future bumper beam business in North America," says Rizk.
Holden, with its head office in Melbourne, is the largest manufacturer of automobiles in Australia and holds a special place in the country's history as manufacturer of the first all-Australian passenger car, in 1948. Today, the company markets a range of locally built and imported products in Australia, and holds a domestic market share of nearly 20 percent.
Hydro Automotive Structures in Holland is a leading supplier of extruded aluminium components to automotive customers in the United States. In addition to bumper beams, the company delivers windshield frames and engines cradles - two of the most complex products in all of Hydro Aluminium.
Hydro expects to deliver nearly 900,000 bumper beams from its Holland plant this year.
Complete cooperation
The program is largely the result of strong cooperation between the Holland plant's sales and product engineering departments in particular, which worked closely together for many months to deliver a competitive solution to a new customer.
Sales manager Brian Kendall, who assists Rizk in managing GM business, says the entire organization in Holland deserves credit for winning the new order.
"Every department participated in the pursuit of this particular contract, either indirectly or directly," he says. "From the extrusion department to the shipping docks and everyone in between, there has been a tremendous amount of work and patience put into gaining new contracts.
"Our edge is that we have all competences represented here at our Holland plant. When we can utilize this, as in this case, we are able to identify good business opportunities and then work together to prove to the customer that we should be the chosen supplier. "
Growing relationship
Hydro developed contact with Holden through its existing contacts with General Motors, which is the Holland plant's largest single customer.
Chief engineer Christian Höll, who heads the plant's Product & Process Development area, says the relationship with Holden is developing quite well, especially with its purchasing and engineering departments.
"Holden values a well-engineered product and they value suppliers, such as Hydro, who invest in the fundamental technology which supports the entire value chain to produce the end product," he says.
For more information on bumpers, click here.