Alcan Forging: Joint Venture with Czech Partner Strojmetal for further
expansion of forging activities

PARIS, France, Oct. 19 /CNW Telbec/ - Alcan Forging, a business of Alcan Engineered Products (Rio Tinto Group) has entered into a Joint Venture with Strojmetal Kamenice s.r.o. The creation of this Joint Venture, named "Alcan Strojmetal Aluminium Forging s.r.o.", materializes a longstanding partnership between the two companies since 2000, which primarily develops and manufactures innovative forgings such as automotive chassis parts, decorative applications, power train components as well as industrial products made from aluminium.

The headquarters of the Joint Venture, of which Alcan Singen GmbH holds 50 percent, will be in Kamenice, 30 kilometres southeast of Prague, Czech Republic. Leading automotive manufacturers and subcontractors located in Europe and Asia are already being served from this site. Product development, marketing and distribution will be provided by a new subsidiary company in Singen, Germany. The production site in Kamenice will be expanded with additional fully automated aluminium extrusion press lines in order to comply with the fast-growing demand in this segment.

"With this Joint Venture we want to further improve our successful, long-term cooperation with Kamenice" said Hans-Gerd Roczyn, General Manager of Alcan Forging. Alcan´s engineered forging solutions contribute considerably to reducing weight and improving handling characteristics in future generations of vehicles and engines. The Alcan Strojmetal Joint Venture therefore also anticipates strong customer demand. "With the awarding of several important supply contracts from global automotive manufacturers and thanks to our forging skills and modern production processes, with this JV, we are well-equipped for the global market," added Miroslav Jelinek, Managing Director of Strojmetal s.r.o..

About Strojmetal Kamenice s.r.o.

Strojmetal Kamenice s.r.o. was founded in 1822 for the conversion of non-ferrous metals. With the move to industrial aluminium production in 1942, the product portfolio changed accordingly. Within the last decades, the company concentrated increasingly on the production of high-quality, innovative aluminium forgings.

As one of the longest-standing industrial sites in the Czech Republic, Strojmetal has been able to make a name for itself as a reliable and technically competent partner in Europe.

About Alcan Engineered Products

Alcan Engineered Products is a global sector-leader strongly committed to developing innovative, value-added aluminium products for a broad scope of markets and applications, including aerospace, mass transportation, automotive, packaging, energy and building. With around 10,000 employees located in 26 countries and a commercial presence in more than 60 markets across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region, Alcan Engineered Products is organised around businesses dedicated to performance materials in the areas of aluminium rolled products, extrusions and automotive structures, and international trade.

About Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa.

For further information:

www.alcan-singen.de, www.strojmetal.cz