MONTREAL, May 23, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - If the demand for aluminium is surging, that is because important markets are in full expansion. The entire spectrum of transportation is the most promising and leads all sectors. To respond to the needs for energy efficiency and to meet the strictest environmental norms of the day, the newest generation of vehicles and equipment necessitates the use of a lighter, more durable and resistant material like aluminium. That explains the orientation of the upcoming Canadian International Aluminium Conference (CIAC) in Montreal June 2-4 at which all of these questions will be discussed in depth.
Three expert panels will examine the contribution of aluminium in road transportation, public transit and aerospace. The expertise of these participants will come from varied sources including Bombardier, Alstom, Héroux-Devtek; Sonaca; Marcon; Alcoa; All Raw Materials Consulting; la Société de gestion et d'acquisition de véhicules et systèmes de transport (AVT – company management and acquisition of vehicles and transport systems), National Research Council Canada (NRCC) ; SA2GE (Smart Affordable Green Efficient, The Coalition for Greener Aircraft) as well as Severstal who will compare aluminium with the use of steel products in these areas.
"A large number of automotive manufacturers, including those producing cars, public transit vehicles and aircraft, have gravitated to aluminium whose expanded usage is becoming universal. A few months ago, Ford announced that it would use aluminium to lower the weight of its iconic F150 by some 300 kilograms. A few weeks later, spokespersons for GM and Chrysler expressed a similar interest. This is definitely a new era for the aluminium industry, similar to that of the production of the first aluminium can in the 1950s," said Jean Simard, President and General-Manager of the Aluminium Association of Canada.
Pleasant surprises for participants
Conference participants will have the privilege of seeing up close and even test-driving the SORA, the first all-electric, 100 per cent Quebec produced motorcycle. In production for just three months after years of research, development and road testing, the motorbike is accelerating into the future with its design and performance. The bikes available at the conference will permit attendees to note with satisfaction their many aluminium component parts, including the chassis.
And as the CIAC gathering will take place a few days before the Grand Prix du Canada, members of the F1 Williams racing team will be on the scene at a dinner on June 4 where they will discuss the use of aluminium and lightweight materials in motorsport and their future in the automotive sector.
Formula One offers the ultimate test for the properties of various materials as the teams are perpetually striving to replace heavier materials with lighter ones that offer increased and improved efficiency, durability and strength.
Finally, the attendees will be privileged to attend a special presentation that could revolutionize future generations of batteries for electric automobiles. Dr. Raymond J. Kilmer, Executive Vice President and Head of Technologies with Alcoa, and Aviv Tzidon, President and Founder of Israeli company, Phinergy, will conduct the joint presentation. Not to be missed.
All conference content and news is available at: www.ciacmontreal.com.
The Canadian International Aluminium Conference (CIAC) – an initiative of the Aluminium Association of Canada (AAC) in collaboration with its partners Alcoa, Rio Tinto Alcan and Aluminerie Alouette, takes place in Montreal June 2-4 and will bring together top global experts to discuss all matters aluminium. This conference will discuss best practices, innovation, sustainable development and other strategic topics which will interest the decision-makers, hiring contractors, operators and suppliers in the industry, as well as industrial users.
SOURCE: Aluminum Association of Canada
Michel Rochette, Program and communications, Canadian International Aluminium Conference, (514) 792-4430
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