The Center of Excellence of Alcoa's Global Primary Products group: The Focus
is on Québec!
Highlights
- The Deschambault aluminum smelter is the hub of expertise transfer to Alcoa's aluminum smelters throughout the world.
- Roughly 50 experts, half of whom are from Québec, dedicate themselves to innovation in the aluminum production process.
- Research, training, experimentation, and deployment of best practices are a daily mission.
DESCHAMBAULT, QC, Oct 6 /CNW Telbec/ - Every day, Québec expertise stands out at the Centre of Excellence for Alcoa's Global Primary Products group. It is in Québec, more specifically at the Alcoa smelter in Deschambault, that Alcoa's top management chose to implement this international center, a decision that rests on confidence in the global influence of Québec know-how in the aluminum sector.
"Identifying and transferring best practices throughout the world, putting them to the test, documenting and deploying these practices through Alcoa's other aluminum smelters, all of this enables us to strive for excellence, regardless of where the plant is located on the planet," explains Dr. Moustapha Mbaye, Vice-President, Technology, Innovation and Center of Excellence at Alcoa.
The Technology, Innovation and Center of Excellence team is composed of more than 50 world-renowned experts, half of whom are from the plants in Québec. The team works with people from the Deschambault smelter to ensure the continued assessment of all known best practices, and to see to their validation, deployment and certification. Already, 13 new practices have been implemented in 2010 and 15 others will be implemented in 2011, all of which translates into substantial savings as compared to figures posted for 2008, with enhancements in areas such as energy efficiency, processes, productivity, and health & safety in the workplace..
"We are often deeply concerned about the brain drain, but this time, the focus is on Québec!" proudly states Martin Brière, General Manager of the Deschambault aluminum smelter, now the platform for global deployment of best practices. The plant has 33 pots dedicated specifically to a pilot zone for testing technological advances.
A Center of Excellence teeming with activity
The activities of the Center of Excellence revolve around five components:
- An applied research centre - The centre develops, finalizes and deploys the technology applicable to all the elements of the aluminum production process, including energy efficiency optimization, air emission reduction, materials selection, anode composition and organization;
- An industrial phase experimentation site - Part of the Deschambault smelter is currently used for purposes of research, experimentation, technical testing, and benchmark testing, as it constitutes the preferred site for validating the technology designed by the Alcoa Technical Center in Pittsburgh, the world's largest research center dedicated to aluminum;
- A support structure for plants in need of help or for plant startup and modernization projects - Composed of top-level experts, including the active participation of Québec experts, this structure is particularly important in a context where Alcoa plans to build or modernize aluminum smelters;
- A training hub for Alcoans from all over the world;
- A center for the development, transfer and standardization of best practices in manufacturing and human resource management.
Continued support for knowledge development
The presence of the Center of Excellence in Québec reinforces Alcoa's continued efforts in the area of scientific research. With the inception, last June, of Laval University's Industrial Research Chair Program NSERC/Alcoa on modeling of aluminum cell and energy efficiency (MACE3), Alcoa recognizes that Québec's colleges and universities are an essential component of knowledge development in the field of aluminum. Furthermore, Alcoa Innovation, with the cooperation of Québec's industrial research center (Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec or CRIQ), helps small- and medium-size businesses integrate aluminum into the design of various applications.
Thanks to people and action, our homegrown expertise is sown here and there throughout the world. A plus for Québec and for Alcoa!
About Alcoa
In Québec, Alcoa Canada Primary Products (ACPP) is composed of the Bécancour (ABI), Baie-Comeau and Deschambault smelters, as well as the Bécancour Rod Plant. These four plants have an annual production capacity of almost one million metric tons of ingots, castings, billets and aluminum rods. ACPP counts roughly 3,300 employees and its activities generate over $1.2 billion in economic impact annually in Québec. Further information is available at www.alcoa.com/canada/en.
Alcoa is the world's leading producer and manager of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities.
For further information:
Source: |
Lysane Martel Director, Communications and Public Affairs (514) 906-2537 or[email protected] |
Information: |
Stéphanie Quirion (514) 845-8222, x223 or[email protected] |
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