Shape A magazine for the Sapa Group’s stakeholders No.

1, 2 0 0 3

HEAT TRANSFER

Sapa acquires

PR E SS STOP
one of Europe’s
largest producers
of profiles

One of Sapa’s
hottest companies

CH I NA
Expansion for
Profiles and
Heat Transfer

Sapa and
I KEA become
partners

100-YEAR HISTORY

ALU M I N U M BY DE S IG N
– exhibition on world tour
 Shape
A magazine for the Sapa Group’s stakeholders No. 1, 2003 LEAD ARTICLE

Collaboration between Sony and Sapa

yielded results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Generating growth
Sapa Heat Transfer world leading
in heat exchangers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
in a recession
A year ago, I warned that the
Aluminium profiles in newly constructed market would continue to be
Polish basilica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 weak, although, at the same
time, I stated that we were well
Heat sinks – exciting new area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 prepared to tackle the recession
if it were to persist. I was proven
Sapa Profiles in partnership with IKEA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
right on both counts. The long-
awaited upswing in the economy
Major order for bicycle lockers for Sapa
has yet to materialize, but by
in the Netherlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
rationalizing at an early stage,
Aluminium by design- exhibition on world tour . . . . . . . . 10 improving the efficiency of our
operations and continuing to
Analysis by Anders Haskel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 focus on growth areas such as
Poland, China and Heat Transfer,
Laser technology – seminar in Vetlanda . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 we were able to double our
profits and conclude 2002 with
Danish innovation – aluminium in a very healthy balance sheet.
laboratory fittings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 During the first quarter of 2003,
the trend from the end of 2002
Profile school . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 continued and profits increased
by 66 per cent.
Aluminium – the metal of the future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Sapa is the world’s largest
independent manufacturer of
Sapa expands in China. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 extruded aluminium profiles
and the world’s second largest
Aluminium conference in Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
producer of aluminium strip for
heat exchangers in the auto
Environment, health and safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
motive industry and we are cont-
Aluminium – the environmental metal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
inually increasing our share of the
market. For Profiles, this increase
Sapa around the world – announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 has been most apparent in North
America and for Heat Transfer in
German-Polish collaboration resulted China. In Europe, we have comb-
in glowing ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 ined maintained market shares
with improved profits. Since the
early 1990s, our volumes have
increased almost four times as
The editing of this issue was completed on April 22, 2003. rapidly as the total market. Half
Shape is a magazine about the Sapa Group. It is published in eight languages of this increase is attributable to
twice annually and is intended for customers, shareholders, analysts, journalists,
employees and others. Shape is also available via the Internet at internally generated growth and
www.sapagroup.com. half through acquisitions.
Editor in chief: Eva Ekselius.
Production: RHR Reklambyrå AB. Malmö, Sweden.
During 2002, we expanded
Changes of address: Customers should inform their contact person at Sapa, in Poland, the Czech Republic,
shareholders the institution that manages their account, employees their salary Spain and China. Value-added
department and others the Communications and Investor Relations Department
on +46 8-459 59 00. operations expanded with the
© Sapa AB, 2003 acquisition of Pressweld in the
Feel free to quote us, but please indicate your source. UK. This acquisition strengthens
Sapa is an international business group, which develops, manufactures and our position as a supplier to the
markets value-added aluminium profiles, profile-based components and systems, automotive industry and
and heat-exchanger strip in aluminium. Following divestments and restructuring
in 2002, today’s Sapa has sales of approximately SEK 2.7 billion and has nearly represents an important building
6,500 employees in Europe, the US and Asia. The Group is one of Europe’s block in our Automotive business
leading manufacturers within its field. Major customer segments include the
construction and engineering industries.
Sapa AB is listed on the A-list of Stockholmsbörsen (Stockholm Exchange).
Financial information:
• Interim report, three months ended March 31, 2003 April 11, 2003 Sapa acquires major Belgian producer of aluminium profiles
• Interim report, six months ended June 30, 2003 July 18, 2003
PR E SS STOP
segment.
During early
2003, we have
worked intensi-
vely to further
strengthen the
Group and to extend our posi-
tions. Heat Transfer’s successes
in Asia
have inspired us to increase
our investments in that market
by establishing value-added
refinement of profiles in China.
This process began during the
first quarter.
During the second quarter
of 2003, we have also acquired
56 per cent of shares in our
major Belgian competitor Remi
Claeys Aluminium. RCA is one
of Europe’s largest independent
manufacturers of profiles,
systems and welded tubing
in aluminium. The company
complements Sapa’s profile,
building-system and heat-transfer
operations extremely well. The
acquisition strengthens our
market positions in the Benelux
countries, France and Germany.
I am proud of the positive
atmosphere that prevails
within the Group, characterized
by customer orientation,
professionalism and an increasing
openness to changes that
strengthen our competitiveness.
We are ready for continued
expansion. I feel that our strong
business concept creates added
value in several dimensions – for
our customers, employees and
shareholders.
Staffan Bohman
President and CEO of Sapa

• Interim report, nine months ended September 30, 2003 October 20, 2003
• Preliminary report on full-year 2003
• 2003 Annual Report
Our website, www.sapagroup.com, contains information about the Group,
its operations and markets, as well as financial information.
The next issue of Shape will be published during the autumn of 2003.
Sapa AB (visiting address: Humlegårdsgatan 17), Box 5505, SE-114 85
Stockholm, Sweden
Tel +46 8-459 59 00 Fax +46 8-459 59 50 www.sapagroup.com
Sapa is currently in the final stages of acquiring Remi Claeys of Belgium,
one of Europe’s largest independent manufacturers of aluminium profiles,
systems based on aluminium profiles and welded aluminium tubing. Opera-
tions are located primarily in the Benelux countries, France and Germany. In
2002, the company posted sales of EUR 293 M and an operating margin of
4.5 per cent. The company has 1,100 employees. Remi Claeys is listed on
the Euronext exchange in Brussels.

2 Shape 1/2003
 Sony met Sapa and
made beautiful music!
Large picture screens and surround sound – today, an increas-
ing number of people are going to the movies at home. Home-
theatre systems have become prominent items of furniture in
our living rooms. Loudspeakers in particular play an important
role. Sony therefore took extreme care in selecting a partner to
manufacture loudspeaker casings for its new Home Movie
systems.

Last year, Sapa in Poland

delivered nearly 500,000
speaker casings for Sony’s
new DAV-S550 Home Movie
system.

Sony places stringent demands on anodising and perfect surface

finish.

Sony’s new, super-compact audio
and video systems are part of
the rapidly accelerating trend in
integrated home entertainment.
Design is an important element.
Most consumers want products
that do not require large amounts
of space and do not conflict with
the interior design features of their
homes. Accordingly, Sony focused
sharply on the appearance of its
new DAV-S550 system. Particularly
stringent demands were placed on
the five micro-satellite speakers,
which are the components of the
system visible in the living room.
Extensive demands on surface
finish and logistics
It was important to find a supplier
that could meet Sony’s demands on
design and finish. The Japanese
design team chose aluminium to
create a quality, high-tech image.
But they were not satisfied with
aesthetic appearance alone. In an
industry that lives on continuous
introductions of new products,
logistics are critical. The supplier
would have to provide large delivery
volumes at short notice. There could
quite simply be no weak link in the
logistics chain.
Sapa won on precision, surface
finish and beneficial partnership
Sony ultimately chose Sapa’s pro-
duction unit in Poland, which was
the only supplier able to meet
Sony’s demands on quality and
logistics. The surface finish quality,
for example, was better than any-
thing Sony’s Japanese designers
had seen previously. A contributing
factor in Sony’s selection of Sapa
was the company’s approach of
working in close partnership with its
customers. Or to quote Peter Arndt,
Managing Director of Sapa Poland:
“We were asked to produce
some samples and sent them to
Tokyo. Initially, we had some pro-
blems with small differences in ano-
dising between different series. We
discussed the problem openly and
honestly with the customer, which
created greater confidence in
our ability to solve the problem
– which we did! Sony’s order is
a good example of how we operate
in close partnership with our
customers, with the determination
to adapt to their needs. This gen-
erates results.”
Fast work led to success
Sapa manufactured the aluminium
casings for the speakers that were
introduced in Europe just before
the start of the 2002 Christmas
shopping season and became a
huge success. The finished casings
are delivered to assembly plants in
Hungary that deliver the assembled
products to Sony in Germany, which
markets the equipment in Europe.
In only eight months, a number of
problems were solved with this
advanced large-volume product
requiring complex production. S

Shape 1/2003 3
 S A PA H E AT T R A N S F E R
One of Sapa’s
hottest companies
“We manufacture aluminium strip for
brazed heat exchangers. Nothing else.”
Sapa Heat Transfer in Finspång, Sweden lives by a very simple and power-
ful vision. As early as in 1977, it became the first company in Europe to
deliver commercial quantities of specially plated, aluminium sheet.
At that time, the company was the
plate and strip division of Gränges
Aluminium. A method had been
developed allowing a brazed surface
finish to be applied to aluminium strip
by hot rolling, facilitating the produc-
tion of heat exchangers. The method
made it possible to replace copper
with lower-weight aluminium in radia-
tors and other heat exchangers in
passenger cars.
Since then, the development
curve for Sapa Heat Transfer has
pointed upward. Shape recently
met the roller king himself, Michael
Mononen, President of Sapa Heat
Transfer in Finspång, and some of his
employees. We talked about Heat
Transfer’s success in a time charac-
terised by weak global demand.
Strong increase in volumes
“Our delivery volumes increased by 13
per cent last year, and 38 per cent in
the fourth quarter,” says Michael
Mononen. “The strong increase was
attributable to a decline in competi-
tion and the simple fact that our spe-
cialisation makes Heat Transfer an
attractive choice for our customers. In
addition, our operations in China have
developed extremely well.
“We are the only company in the
4 Shape 1/2003
world that specialises in materials
developed specifically for brazed
heat exchangers. We concentrate
our resources on efforts to refine
our complex production process
and strengthen the competitiveness
of our customers by offering them
continuously improved solutions.”
World-leading company
in continuous development
Since 1977, development has
progressed steadily and, during
the 1990s, tonnage increased by
about 20-25 per cent annually.
When production of strip for
beverage cans was discontinued
in 1997, the company turned its
attention to materials for heat
exchangers in motor vehicles,
which became a special product
area where the company invested
wholeheartedly. The transformation
was based on a clearly defined
strategy of change. Today, Heat
Transfer holds a leading global posi-
tion, manufacturing 60,000 tonnes
annually. The path to the company’s
current success was characterised
by determined strategic efforts con-
ducted in parallel with continuous
development campaigns.
Logistics are important
“Heat Transfer is the clear market lea-
der in strip used in the production of
automotive radiator tubes and also of
the clad fins that are included in air-
conditioning system condensers. In
the remaining, ‘thick materials,’ some
work still needs to be done, and we
are currently concentrating on this
area. Logistics are also important,”
says Michael. “We must be able to
deliver the right quality and quantity
at the right time, and reduce our
lead-times.”
“It should also be noted that we
work with no less than 1,000 differ-
ent items. We have more than 30
basic alloys that are complemented
with different braze-metal coatings
for different brazing requirements
and different types of heat exchang-
ers. A large number of variations
rapidly emerges, as well as rather
complicated flows,” says Mattias
Joelsson, logistics manager.
The total through time in produc-
tion is about 30 days. The process
starts with the casting of core and
braze-metal alloys. The braze-metal
slabs are hot rolled to thick plates. The
core slabs are scalped on the surface
and thereafter joined to the braze-
metal plates by welding. The welded
Sapa Heat Transfer rolls aluminium
strip for heat exchangers used by
the global automotive industry.
From left to right: hot rolling, cold
rolling and the finished product –
brazed heat exchangers.

assemblies weigh about ten tonnes.
These assemblies are then heated
and hot and cold rolled to a thickness
of about 1 mm. After hot rolling, and in
all subsequent processing, the materi-
al is in coil form. The lead time from
scalping the core slab to a cold rolled
1-mm strip has been reduced from
14 to seven days. The lead time for
further cold rolling and slitting to
achieve the final product has been
reduced from 23 to 11 days.
Accordingly, lead times have been
reduced by about half.
Intermediate stocks shorten
lead times
“Our planning horizon is three months.
Customers place their orders three
months before they need their
deliveries. A great deal can happen
during a period of three months. Our
intermediate station stocks offer one
way to reduce lead-times. Currently,
about 80 per cent of all orders pass
through our intermediate stations.”
Greater strength through broader
customer perspective
“The greatest challenge for Heat
Transfer is creating value-added for
customers. To achieve this objective,
we must understand the entire
process, from our suppliers through
to product deliveries to the customer.
We are working to broaden our per-
spectives and skills so that we can
better contribute to our customers’
competitiveness. Naturally, this will
also strengthen our position,”
continues Michael.
Strongest growth in China
In Europe and the US, growth with
regard to car radiators is limited.
Michael Mononen, President of Sapa Heat Transfer,
stands by a 10-tonne aluminium blank that is hot-
rolled to produce strip with a thickness of 0.2 mm
for heat exchangers used by the world’s automotive
industry. Sapa Heat Transfer in Finspång has annual
sales of SEK 2 billion and 650 employees, including
425 in Finspång, and operations in Sweden, China,
South Korea and the US.
Over the long term, market growth will
amount to a few percentage points
annually. The market potential in Asia
is different, with particularly strong
market growth in China.
“Growth in Europe is attributable in
part to increased utilisation of air con-
ditioning in small cars. There is also a
trend toward larger heat exchangers
in parallel with improved automotive
performance standards. Asia is differ-
ent. Private motoring is increasing in
Southeast Asia, and especially in
China. Our delivery volumes in China
increased by nearly 60 percent during
2002,” says Michael.
Promising outlook
“Limited growth in mature markets
has partly been offset by the
disappearance of several competi-
tors. Naturally there may be other
companies planning to capture
market shares in the future. At this
time, however, we do not see any
clear signs of this happening.”
It is doubtful that large rolling
mills will maintain a product as
complicated as heat-exchanger
strip over the long-term perspective,
since it will never account for a
significant percentage of their
overall production. It is easier for
a strictly specialised company
such as Heat Transfer to achieve
success in this market. Heat Transfer
is number two in the world today,
with about 15 per cent of the
global market, which offers strong
potential for continued growth.
“But we have to position our-
selves and continue to streamline
our processes. And we are doing
that now. Naturally, we are also
looking at other markets where our
skills and expertise can be applied.
For the time being, however, we are
focused on our present course,
which we believe offers good growth
potential. If we can show that we
create value for customers, our
business will also grow, which is
exactly what we have seen during
the past year,” concludes Michael
Mononen. S
Three-stage rolling
Sapa Heat Transfer rolls aluminium strip for
tubing and fins, as well as producing coils and
other thicker materials that are included in heat
exchangers. Heat Transfer delivers to custo-
mers such as Valeo, Behr, Denso, Calsonic and
other automotive industry tier-1 suppliers.
Heat Transfer’s production begins with
a 10-tonne slab and then follows a process
comprising three main stages.
1. The slab is rolled from a thick-
ness of 575 to 4 mm in a hot-rol-
ling mill. The braze-metal plates are applied
to the slab before hot rolling. The process can
involve up to five layers of alloys, resulting in
a “multi-clad” material.
2. Cold-rolling comprises several
phases at different rolling mills.
The finished thickness of the thinnest strip is
50 µm.
3. After cold rolling, the strip is
cut into widths of 12 to 1,400
mm based on customer specifications. S
Intensive
development work
The activities of Sapa Technology, the Group’s
research and development centre, are divided
equally between Heat Transfer’s materials
development and profile operations. Profiles
account for 80 per cent of the Group’s
business operations, with Heat Transfer
accounting for 17-18 per cent. In co-operation
with Heat Transfer, Sapa Technology develops
new alloys and improves existing ones to
meet market demands on durability, ease
of processing, brazing characteristics,
malleability, corrosion properties and pro-
duction costs. The centre also works on the
continuous development of Heat Transfer’s
own production processes, monitors new
technological developments and participates in
international co-operation programmes. The
highly interesting activities of Sapa Technology
will be presented in a coming edition of Shape. S
Metal production
since 1580!
Aluminium rolling operations began in
Finspång during the 1920s. The first bra-
zed heat-exchanger strip was produced
in 1975. Finspång is one of Sweden’s
oldest industrial communities, with
industrial production activities dating
back 400 years. Sapa Heat Transfer is a
direct descendent of Finspångs Bruk,
which was founded during the 1580s.
Finspångs Metallverks AB was
established in 1913 with copper pro-
duction. Gränges entered the picture in
1969 and, today, Heat Transfer is a part
of the Sapa Group. Under various
names, Heat Transfer in Finspång has
manufactured semi-finished aluminium
products, sheet
and strip since
the 1920s. S
Shape 1/2003 5
 Sacred architecture
aluminium profiles for new Polish basilica
In 2000, one of the largest
churches in the world was
inaugurated in Lichen,
Poland. The church has a
calendar motif, with 52
doors (one for each week
of the year) and 365 win-
dows. The structure was
inspired by Saint Peter’s
in Rome and is one of the
largest churches built in
Europe since the end of
the Second World War.
6 Shape 1/2003
The basilica is twice as
wide as Notre Dame in
Paris, twice has high as the
cathedral in Milan and its
steeple is 141 metres high.
The basilica has also be-
come an important pilgrim-
age destination in Poland.
Building system deliveries
Sapa delivered aluminium
profiles for this monumental
ecclesiastical structure. In
advance, Tomasz Karwatka,
President of Sapa System
sp.z.o.o. in Poland, had
established contacts with
PPU Okna sp.z.o.o, a win-
dow and door manufacturer,
and independent architect
Barbara Bieleckas, finalizing
negotiations to secure the
contract for Sapa.
“Sapa had the best
capabilities to deliver alu-
minium profiles in the shapes
and colours that were
required for the complex
structure, and we made
the final deliveries,” says
Tomasz Karwatka. “Initial
deliveries were made by
an American company
that abandoned operations
in the Polish market before
the structure was com-
pleted. This meant that
investors and Okna were
suddenly left to fend for
themselves,” he explains.
Cross-border operations
Tomasz Karwatka was
familiar with the project and,
operating philosophy,” says
in collaboration with design-
ers from Sapa, he was able Kent Johansson, export
to offer the customer a manager for Sapa Profiles’
building systems in Sweden.
smart solution. The profiles
for the windows consist of “Since the profiles were
Sapa Profile’s standard going to be anodised and
processed in the Nether-
Thermo 74 building system,
which were delivered from lands, the project was also
Vetlanda in Sweden to the complicated from a logistics
Netherlands. The external perspective and from a
“cover” profiles” were pres- Polish taxation perspective.
sed by Sapa Aluminium BV Our systems and solution
in the Netherlands and sub- offered obvious financial
sequently shaped, gold-ano- advantages for the cus-
dised and polished along tomer, based mainly on our
with profiles from Sweden ability and experience in
by two Dutch co-suppliers. cross-border operations.” S
Three Sapa companies
involved
“This project clearly
reflects our cross-border
Inspired by St. Peter’s in Rome, one of the
largest churches in Europe reaches toward the
sky over Poland. The basilica’s steeple is 141
metres high. Sapa delivered window profiles
for this complex construction project.
 Heat sinks
– exciting new area
For many years, Sapa has provided
heat sinks for the electronics
industry and we consider ourselves
the leader in the manufacture of
cooling components. Actually, it is
quite natural to construct heat
sinks in aluminium since the mate-
rial has favourable conduction
qualities and is easily processed
through cutting and other tech-
niques. Extrusion technology, heat-
conduction capacity, low weight,
low cost and the highly mouldable
nature of the metal are significant
advantages in the production of
heat sinks.
Are heat sinks really a “new”
area when you have been
delivering cooling components
since the 1960s?
In collaboration with a few large-
scale customers, we have worked
in a focused manner to improve
the qualities of our heat sinks.
This is true of both the basic
material, which has been optimised
to provide the best heat conduction
with maintained hardness, and the
techniques for extruding cooling
profiles with high, slim fins.
What does optimising the basic
material mean?
In its basic state, unhardened
aluminium is soft but has favourable
conduction properties. As hardness
is increased, heat conduction
decreases. Because a hard material
is required for tooling, while a soft
material is required for heat-con-
duction purposes, an awkward
situation arises. Producing efficient
cooling components using cutting
techniques becomes difficult.
We have therefore invested an
extensive amount of development
work into optimising alloys for heat
conduction while maintaining hard-
ness. The result is the EN AW 6063
variant currently used in our heat
sinks. This allows us to produce
cooling components using ad-
vanced processing while retaining
heat-conduction capacity. The alloy
is one of the factors behind the
success of our heat sinks.
What is meant by the technique
being refined?
Another success factor is the
technique of extruding cooling
profiles with high, slim fins, while
also being able to maintain narrow
gaps between the fins. There is
a relationship of more than 11:1
between the height and breadth
of the obtrusions on extrusion
dies for today’s advanced cooling
profiles. In other applications, this
ratio is generally 3:1 or 4:1.
What drives development forward?
In collaboration with our customers,
we have gradually improved the
characteristics of cooling compo-
nents. To date, customers’ require-
ments have been met and even
exceeded. We place customers
and their requirements in focus.
There are no standard heat sinks in
our range. Instead, we concentrate
on developing heat sinks that meet
our customers’ specific needs.
What does the future hold?
We have a number of development
projects under way that could result
in major products in coming years,
including advanced liquid-cooling
components where friction stir
welding (FSW) technology can be
used. To remain one step ahead of
the market, we collaborate with a
number of suppliers of advanced
cooling technologies and several
academic insti-
tutions. When
our customers
require a par-
ticular solution,
we want to have
the experience
necessary to
meet their
expectations.
Shape interviews graduate
What can Sapa engineer Lars-Erik Lindström,
offer? sales technician at Sapa
Profiler AB in Sweden.
We can offer
help in optimis-
ing heat sinks, designing fins that
provide the maximum heat conduc-
tion. We are able to simulate and
verify the characteristics of
the cooling component. We can
also optimise the design for cost-
efficient production and refinements
such as coating. Assisting us is
Sapa Technology, which has the
equipment for this, including a
wind tunnel and expertise in FEM
calculations.
What should I bear in mind
as a customer?
We want to know the external
conditions. Together we can then
develop a heat sink that solves
the customer’s problem in a cost-
efficient way. No one else in the
industry has our holistic know how
from design to series production. S
Shape 1/2003 7
 Pir, Ramp, Avsikt, Åsnen, Billy, Stolmen and Seim are
all names from IKEA’s product range and are well
known to a large number of people throughout the
world. What is not known to everyone is that the prod-
ucts incorporate aluminium profiles.

SAPA PROFILER

Best in the world!

necessity in cooperation with IKEA
Today, Sapa is a major
supplier to IKEA and has
IWAY approval. A few years
ago, IKEA’s senior manage-
ment noted changes in
society concerning the
environment and ethical
issues and established an
in-house standard, IWAY, as
a platform for raising all
suppliers to a minimum
level regarding such mat-
ters as the working environ-
ment and the external envi-
ronment. If a company is
unable to meet the require-
ments of the standard, it is
excluded from conducting
any business with IKEA.
This is a stance that applies
globally. In recent years, Ulf
Svensson at Sapa Profiler
AB in Vetlanda and his
sales team have proven
that we are able to meet
IKEA’s requirements. Over a
ten-year period, we have
continually advanced our
positions. In actual fact, the
collaboration began back in
the 1970s, although the
partnership has truly gath-
ered pace in the past few
years.
How have we been able
to achieve such great
success in our efforts
with this world-leading
company?
“We have applied a long-
term approach,” explains
Ulf Svensson. “And now,
when aluminium and
stainless steel have be-
come a trend in the
furniture industry, we
have had the opportunity
to come on board at an
The Sapa sales team that works with IKEA.
early stage, being able From left: Christer Johansson, Helén Carlsson,
to present smart solutions Johanna Almqvist and Ulf Svensson.
and production schedules.
commodity. New items
Collaborative partner must be added to the
Today, Sapa acts as a product range at an in-
partner. We live in a creasingly rapid rate. In
society where time is an turn, this demands more
increasingly scarce rapid development and

The Dutch are a nation of cyclists.

There are 20 million bicycles for
16 million inhabitants. In Amsterdam
and the other principal cities, 16
percent of bicycles change hands
(involuntarily) each year. This makes
bicycle storage a highly topical
subject in the Netherlands.
To promote the use of collective
transport and reduce the risk of
bicycle theft, the Dutch national rail
company has initiated an extensive
project to equip all of the Nether-
lands’ 380 rail stations with secure

Bike lockers bicycle-parking facilities. The instal-

lation of the lockers is to be com-
pleted in 2006.

for MSEK 40! Fierce competition for contract

Five companies competed for the
Sapa’s Dutch company, Sapa Aluminium BV has secured an order for contract. The proposals were judged
aluminium profiles for a new type of bicycle locker by Armada Outdoor according to their aesthetics, secu-
International, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of unassembled rity, functionality, space-efficiency,
street furniture. overall cost and investment cost.
Armada Outdoor International, in

8 Shape 1/2003

shorter periods for pro-
ducing prototypes and
finished products.
“You cannot be a pro
at everything,” says Ulf.
“IKEA is something of a
trendsetter in the industry
and is highly skilled in
design. We are profes-
sionals in profiles and can
contribute technical sup-
port and assistance with
development and design
where aluminium profiles
are concerned. We form
part of their development
chain and by joining
the process early on,
we are able to optimise
the product.”
Delivers final product
Working with this world-
famous Swedish company
is always a challenge.
“We are not only com-
peting with Swedish and
Nordic companies. We
are competing globally.
Actually, it’s not just a
matter of supplying the
aluminium
pro-files. We provide areas and fields of opera-
a finished product. tions. Currently we deliver
For bathroom and to only a few of these. In
kitchen-unit doors, other words there is great
we must provide a potential. Aluminium pro-
finished product that files are at IKEA to stay.
includes all compo- According to Ulf Svensson
nents such as hinges, and his colleagues at
handles, screws and Sapa, this is a long-term
the glass. We are commitment. Aluminium
involved with the is not just a trend – today
entire chain right up it is a product concept.
to the finished prod- “IKEA has high require-
uct that is packed in ments and is a demanding
IKEA’s packaging and customer,” explains Ulf
shipped to Svensson. “Because this
central warehouses is a matter of mass pro-
in Sweden, Germany, duction, we conduct qua-
Belgium, France, lity assurance at an early
Poland, Switzerland, the stage. Accordingly, we
UK, Malaysia and North must constantly improve
America. It isn’t easy – and we do. The process
being best at everything,” of improvement is central
affirms Ulf Svensson. to our partnership with
“But if we want to con- IKEA!” S
tinue working with IKEA,
we also have to be the
best in the world at
accessories.”
Great potential
IKEA is actually several
customers. The Group
includes several business

collaboration with Sapa, won the
contract. The Dutch rail company
appreciated the special design,
which is largely based on aluminium
profiles used as the framework for
the bicycle lockers. Armada also
placed considerable emphasis on
Sapa’s logistics capabilities.
“Our possibilities as a Group
to offer technical assistance and
extensive support convinced Armada
to select us as the total supplier for
the full range of profiles,” says Rob
Hogendorf, account manager at
Sapa in the Netherlands.
Production in both the Netherlands
and Sweden
Once completed, the lockers will
provide space for more than 100,000
bicycles. The profiles are produced
at Sapa’s press facilities in both
Sweden and the Netherlands. All
further refinement takes place in
the Netherlands where the profiles
are also powder coated with a
graffiti-resistant lacquer.
“Aluminium profiles are well
suited to this type of outdoor
project, where demands on dura-
bility and resistance to corrosion
are high. The order is the result
of close collaboration between
Armada Outdoor International and
Sapa,” says Jos van Leeuwen,
President of Sapa Aluminium BV
in the Netherlands.
Smooth cooperation
A second stage required the instal-
lation of prototypes at 40 stations.
This was a difficult task that was
solved through strong teamwork
between Armada and its suppliers.
“The various suppliers cooperate
well. The collaboration with Sapa
works particularly smoothly. They
meet our requirements and their
account managers provide useful
support. Their back office plays an
active role in day-to-day procedures
and is extremely friendly to deal
with,” says Dorus Mimpen, project-
logistics manager at Armada.
Realistic tests
Extensive testing preceded the
commencement of production.
Naturally security played a large role
and no effort was spared in making
the bicycle lockers theft-proof.
“The most difficult part was
proving that a professional bike
thief would not be able to open
the locker in less than five minutes.
We brought in a professional thief
who was allowed to use any tools
he liked. After several failed attempts,
we convinced our ‘test thief’ to
give up,” says Jacco Zwart, sector
manager at Armada. S

Shape 1/2003 9
ALU M I N I U M
Exhibition on world tour
As treasured as gold. That was the general perception of aluminium when it was first
introduced to the market in the early 1900s. It was a rare and exclusive metal. Today,
it is taken for granted. “Aluminium by Design” is an exhibition that shows aluminium in
different perspectives and illustrates the significance of the metal to modern design.
The interdisciplinary structure of the exhibition provides the material with the
appreciation it deserves. It describes how aluminium has inspired creativity
and contributed to new innovations in virtually all sectors of industry,
from furniture, sculpture, jewellery, architecture, fashion, transportation,
consumer and industrial products to experimental avant-garde
movements.

150 different objects

The history of bronze, iron and
copper dates back to antiquity.
Aluminium was introduced for the
first time at the Paris Universal
Exposition in 1855. The chemist
Henri-Sainte-Claire Deville had
succeeded in efforts to manufac-
ture enough aluminium to produce
the first ingots, and the first small
items were presented at the exhibi-
tion.
The history of aluminium gained
momentum in parallel with the
industrial revolution of the early
1900s. It was actually the mobilisa-
tion, chaos and damage caused
during WWII that provided alumi-
nium with the strong impetus that
carried forward to its breakthrough
as a common metal material for
everyday products and applications.
The exhibition shows the diversity of
application areas (150 different
objects are on display), from simple
soda cans and kitchen devices to
sophisticated aircraft components
and architecture.
Modern design
During the 1920s and 30s, alumi-
nium became a favourite material
Biscuit Box, British, early 20th century.
Manufacturer: N.C.J for Carr & Co. (retailer)
Prototype in aluminium, leather and fabric,
1937. Designer: Frank Lloyd Wright.
for prominent furniture designers
and architects. Members of the
avant-garde such as Marcel Breuer,
Ludwig Mies van Der Rohe, Le
Corbusier and others made signifi-
cant contributions that strongly iden-
tified aluminium with modern design.
It became fashionable to experiment
with the material in totally unrelated
areas of application.
Later, in the mid-1960s, fashion
designer Paco Rabanne was in-
spired by contemporary architecture
and sculpture. His interest in metal
was vividly represented in his sur-
roundings, and his metallic mini-
dresses were almost immediately
depicted by the media as futuristic
and symbolic of a new approach to
fashion design.
“Chaise Longe No. 313,” 1932.
Designer: Marcel Breuer.
RCA Victor Special, Model N Phonograph,
1937. Designer: John Vassos.
Manufacturer: Radio Company of America.
The exhibition is not limited to dis-
plays of early design history.
Furniture designers and architects
are also represented, including Marc
Newson’s Lockheed Lounge from
1986, his vision of “a floating metal-
lic form, like a gigantic drop of mer-
cury,” and Philippe Starck’s Hudson
Chaise, a chair completely in alumi-
nium from 2000.
Up-to-date
The utilisation of aluminium is
expanding. Architects and designers

10 Shape 1/2003
 BY DE S IG N

Eros aluminium sculpture,

Piccadilly Circus, 1887-1893.
Artist: Sir Alfred Gilbert.

still refer to aluminium as the mate-

rial of the future, always up-to-date.
Aluminium has a multi-faceted roll
in today’s shifting and tolerant world
of design, and a qualified guess is
that aluminium will play the same
role for a long time into the future.
Technology and alloys are being
Mini-dress, 1968. Designer: Paco Rabanne.
developed and new application
areas are being discovered con-
stantly. More than 100 years have
FACTS
passed since the San Gioacchino
church in Rome was fitted The “Aluminium by Design”
with aluminium domes, and
more than 100 years have exhibition is now on a world tour.
passed since the alumi- It started in 2000 at The Carnegie
nium sculpture of Museum of Arts in Pittsburgh,
Eros was erected at
PA, in the US, sponsored by the
Piccadilly Circus in
London. Alcoa Foundation, before moving
A material for on to New York and Montreal.
the future, with a
The European Aluminium
history dating Chair, 1932.
back more Association (EEA) has now Designer: Marcel Breuer

than 100 brought the exhibition to Europe.

years. S It has been shown in London and
Brussels. On June 9, it will be
moved to La Villette in Paris,
Aluminium violin, 1932.
Manufacturer:
where it will be shown until
Aluminium Musical November 5, 2003.
Instrument Company.

Lockheed Lounge, 1986-88

Designer: Marc Newson

Shape 1/2003 11
 The Iraq conflict has cast its shadow over virtually every-
thing going on in the world today. A weak economy, falling
share prices, high oil prices – it has not been easy to be an
optimist during these past winter months, and those who
wish to do so can easily paint a dark scenario for the future,
especially considering the great uncertainty of the global
political situation.

A promising future
despite everything by Anders Haskel

T
The current stock market climate
has allowed psychological factors
to have an unusually large impact.
Lower share prices are scaring away
buyers and forcing new sellers to
the fore. Money is seeking out safe
havens, in this case interest-bearing
investments. That has resulted in
bond yields falling to record low
levels. Low interest rates are, in
turn, providing an indication that
the dismal development of the
world’s economies will continue,
since the interest situation reflects
growth prospects.
However, I do not think we should
lock our gaze solely on current
events. Those who look up will
discover that despite everything,
there are a few glimmers of hope.
Although there has long been talk
of a turnaround in the economy,
nothing much has happened. Now
most analysts are predicting an
upswing towards the end of 2003
and that 2004 may be a fairly good
year. What’s to say that the analysts
have it right this time? One strong
indication is those very low interest
rates and the fact that the econo-
mic downturn has lasted so long.
Companies have now largely
adapted after the boom years of
the late 1990s. Many of the invest-
ments that were made when the
economy was at its peak will soon
need replacing. This includes invest-
ments in computer equipment.
Low interest rates are also
creating a favourable climate for
consumers. Smaller amounts of
household budgets are being spent
on housing costs. Instead, that
money is being channelled into
other forms of consumption. Cut-
backs at many companies have
resulted in large profits despite a
weak world economy. This is espe-
cially true of a number of Swedish
companies. Stock-market analysts
are also anticipating that profits are
on the rise. That should mean that
the long downturn experienced by
the world’s stock markets will soon
be over. Investors must overcome
the psychological resistance that
they have built up during three
years of falling share prices. The
fact of the matter is that, based on
normal expectations for future earn-
ings, there are now quite a few
companies that are more attrac-
tively valued than they have been
for many years. Many of the factors
I have mentioned in this article are,
in various ways, significant for Sapa
and other engineering companies.
General global uncertainty is
inhibiting growth. At the same time,
demand for aluminium is growing
somewhat faster than the world
economy, and there is no reason
to believe that this trend will be
broken. While 2003 might well
prove to be yet another in-between
year, 2004 may well see matters
beginning to look very positive
again for Sapa’s customers and,
consequently, for Sapa as well. S

The Laser Group industrial association we have made significant progress in

Laser- recently organised a laser-technology
seminar at Sapa Profiler in Sweden. The
technology goal was to provide engineers and pro-
seminar duction technicians with skills and
ideas about the advantages of the
in Vetlanda technology in order to develop the use
of laser technology in the engineering
industry.
“We’ve been utilising existing cut-
ting and welding techniques for a num-
ber of years now. Thanks to our devel-
opment work with friction stir welding,
the area of joining techniques. In the
UK, we are already utilising laser cut-
ting at Sapa Pressweld,” says Sapa’s
technical director Åke Andersson.
Lars Forsberg, who is overseeing
changes at Sapa Profiler in Sweden,
sees advantages to the method.
“It results in better welding joints,
less aluminium waste and increased
durability. I hope that we will soon be Åke Andersson, technical director for the Sapa
Group, left, and Lars Forsberg, who is overseeing
able to invest in this method,” he says. S changes at Sapa Profiler in Sweden, study a profile
that has been welded using a so-called hybrid laser.

12 Shape 1/2003
Five years ago, Labflex opened
the door to the future. An entirely
new series of laboratory furniture,
based on aluminium profiles, has
set a new industry standard.
Sapa was a valuable collaborator
during the development effort.
LABFLEX
Innovative Danish design uses
aluminium in laboratory fittings
Since its inception in 1961, Labflex of
Århus, Denmark has made a name
for itself in the laboratory world. The
company supplies laboratory furni-
ture worldwide. Traditionally, such
furniture has been made out of wood
and steel, but a few years back
Labflex embarked on a new course.
New vision for lab furniture
“We were looking for fresh design
impulses and hired external design-
ers who recommended aluminium,”
explains Søren Thomsen, project
leader at Labflex. “Today, the
ventilation of aggressive gases in
laboratories is so effective that one
can easily use aluminium.”
The new furniture concept
was named Matrix and completely
changed people’s notions of labo-
ratory furniture. In the past, every-
thing was bolted down, but since
aluminium combines low weight with
high strength, furniture can now be
made portable. Matrix is extremely
flexible and can be positioned and
moved according to need.
“Matrix can provide a free
span of up to four metres without
interfering table legs, while support-
ing up to one tonne of pressure.
A corresponding steel construction
would be much too heavy,” says
Søren Thomsen.
“We were somewhat surprised by the many possibilities offered by aluminium profiles,”
says Søren Thomsen, project manager at Labflex, which manufactures laboratory furniture.
Electrical conduits
and surface treatments
Although Matrix is Labflex’s only
furniture series in aluminium, the
material is also gaining ground in
other products. In the past, wires
were hidden in plastic channels.
Today, aluminium profiles serve both
as load-bearing elements and as
electrical conduits. Labflex has also
utilised Sapa’s technology in areas The Matrix Wall is ready for use with gas and
other than profiles. They chose electrical installations hidden in support beams
and columns. With its aluminium-based Matrix line,
Sapa’s HM-white surface treatment Labflex has set a new standard in laboratory furniture.
for their white Omega series, an
electro-coating process that provides
an absolutely smooth colour layer doesn’t cost anything to store the
tool at Sapa,” says Søren Thomsen.
of uniform thickness.
Sapa is always involved as a
“With powder coating thickness
consultative partner during the
can vary, but with HM-white the
design phase, providing advice on
entire surface layer is exactly
durability and production methods.
10 µm thick, which ensures that our
But as aluminium profiles have
snap-lock mechanisms work,”
become an integral part of produc-
explains Søren Thomsen.
tion at Labflex, they have been able
to manage a larger share of the
Close collaboration design work themselves. Moreover,
Five years ago, Labflex only had Søren Thomsen has participated
a couple of tools at Sapa. Today in Sapa’s Profile Academy – an
that number is much larger and introduction to the use of alumi-
continues to grow. nium profiles – which he heartily
“Today, if a customer has a spe- recommends.
cial request, we solve the problem “The seminar straightens out
ourselves. You don’t have to pro- many questions and makes alumi-
duce too many metres of aluminium nium a material you can compre-
profiles to recover tool costs, and it hend,” concludes Søren Thomsen. S
Shape 1/2003 13
 Is future bright
Utilising the elasticity The question is rhetorical. telecom, interior design
and sports.
Aluminium fulfils the vision-
of aluminium ary dreams of every age.
In the shadow of IT
Aluminium’s low elasticity modulus (approximately one Jules Verne’s aluminium and biotech
third that of steel) sometimes results in limitations on moon vehicle became a Exciting developments in
usability. But when talking about snap functions within reality when Apollo 11 materials are taking place
the context of profiles, it is an obvious advantage! landed on the moon in in the shadow of IT and
1969, exactly 100 years biotech, involving poly-
Snap locking is an old and well-tested technique later. mers, nanotechnology,
for joining profiles. In addition to the material being carbon and composite
elastic, the extrusion process Today’s large cities, with materials of various kinds.
has obvious advantages during their aluminium framed Competing against these
formation. glass facades are reminis- new materials is alumi-
cent of the futuristic cities nium, a traditional and
Dimensioning
in Flash Gordon maga- multifaceted material. It
The appearance and has always had an image
zines from the 1930s. The
dimensions of a snap joint as a high-tech material of
question is, what are our
depend entirely on the
current visions for the the future. Polished or
requirements and the conditions.
future? And how will these brushed aluminium is
Common to all designs are the diagonal insertion sur-
affect demand for alumi- used in everything from
faces and a jam. Other considerations include adapt-
nium? cars and bicycles to lap-
ing the thickness of the material in the spring leg to
the length of the leg, the length of the profile that is top computers and furni-
Sapa looks at trends ture to profile products as
to be snapped, the alloy and the surface treatment.
Hooks are designed differently depending on whether Docere Intelligence AB, high-tech. Aluminium is
the joint is intended to be permanent or easily re- a leading business- also perceived as environ-
opened. In dimensioning, it is important to check intelligence analysis firm, mentally friendly since it
that the tension in the material does not exceed the has assisted Sapa in is so easily recycled.
tensile yield limit, which would result in permanent exploring trends that will
deformation and the loss of the snap effect. influence the future use Lighter cars
of aluminium. According The automotive industry
Surface treatment to Docere, it is important anticipates that its use of
Surface treatment is very important. Anodising results to find subtle indicators, aluminium will increase by
in low friction and facilitates snapping, untreated sur- such as an increase in the at least 50 per cent over
faces are significantly rougher. Powder coating also consumption of profes- the next five years, the
results in low friction, but on electrostati- sional sports and kitchen reason being to save
cally powder-coated profiles, the paint equipment. The underlying weight. Consumers want
surface can, in extreme cases, exceed trend could be that sports more luxurious cars, with
100 µm on every surface. In a snap have become a lifestyle, more equipment and
operation, four separate surfaces are greater comfort. At the
which may in turn indicate
almost always involved. That could same time they want cars
that we are growing
result in a total dimension increase of that are more fuel efficient
increasingly focused on
0.4 mm, which must be taken into consideration
experiences and want to and environmentally friend-
when designing the profile.
demonstrate this through ly. The solution will be an
Problem solving – a concrete example various attributes. Docere increasing number of parts
looked at trends within made of aluminium.
A designer wanted to create space for a light fixture
by snapping together an upper and lower profile. the automotive sector,
Since the profiles were approximately 160 mm wide,
the demands for design and measurement tolerances
were too great. To deal with this problem, the snaps
were moved to the middle. Since the profiles could
be about two metres long, it was still difficult to
mount by hand in long lengths. The solution finally
Sony’s smart little
implemented was a third profile, cut in shorter gleaming aluminium
lengths (40-50 mm), which provides significant electronic dog is a
advantages in mounting and eliminates all earlier fitting symbol for the
futuristic nature of
problems. S aluminium.

14 Shape 1/2003
for metal of the future?
Telecom industry’s
need for cool
Within the data and tele-
com industries the use
of aluminium is growing
due to an increasing need
to cool electronic compo-
nents as they become
ever more compact. The
expansion of 3G networks
and broadband is also
resulting in a greater need
for antennas, connection
cabinets and cooling fins.
Attractive and smart
in the home
New, innovative materials,
such as carbon fibre and
plastics, are being used
increasingly in interior
and furniture design.
Aluminium is also taking
a prominent position in
furniture and fittings.
Examples include Philip
Starck’s Hudson chair
and the new Le George
restaurant at the Centre
Pompidou in Paris. The
development of “smart”
homes is also likely to
increase the need for alu-
minium. When all the elec-
tronics in a home are
connected together and
made accessible via the
Internet, solutions will be
needed for running cables.
Aluminium mouldings will
solve the problem.
Shiny aluminium sporting
goods
Innovative materials are
to be found everywhere
in the sports world and
a growing number of ordi-
nary sports enthusiasts
are using professional
equipment. Today, sports
are viewed increasingly as
a lifestyle choice, meant
to be shown off. Many
lifestyle sports are mate-
rial intensive, such as ten times more rigid than
mountain biking, golfing, sheet metal, weighs only
inline skating, sailing and half as much, is sound
snowboarding. And gyms and heat insulating and
with aluminium exercise floats. But there are, of
equipment are sprouting course, also threats, such
up everywhere. as carbon, which is becom-
ing increasingly common-
A bright but place. Another threat
competitive future comes from new mate-
The future looks bright for rials being developed with
aluminium. New innova- highly specific properties
tions, such as aluminium adapted to particular
foam, are exciting – it is needs. S
24000000
tonnes
8000 65000 128000 537000 681000
tonnes tonnes tonnes tonnes tonnes
1900 1913 1920 1938 1946 1999
In 1854, it became economically feasible to produce significant amounts of alu-
minium. The first smelting plants were established in 1888 in France, Switzerland
and the US. Since that time, aluminium usage has steadily increased.
Shape 1/2003 15

The Chinese symbol for aluminium,
the world’s most common metal.
Sapa expands
in China
Sapa continues its expan-
sion in China. The Swedish
company Sapa Profiler is
establishing operations for
qualified processing in
Shanghai. The investment
includes the leasing of
plant facilities and the
purchasing of CNC ma-
chinery and other essenti-
al equipment. Sapa
Profiles (Shanghai)
Ltd. is expected to
be fully operational
by the start of 2004
and will initially
employ around 20
people.
“This investment
Arne Rengstedt,
President of Sapa was necessitated
Profiler AB in primarily by our
Sweden. telecom customers,”
says Arne Rengstedt,
President of Sapa Profiler.
“As our major international
customers expand over-
seas, we want to follow
them, providing onsite ser-
vice. China is a strategic
market for Sapa and, over
the long term, this invest-
ment will serve as a spring-
board into a market with
significant growth potential.”
David Littler has been
appointed President of the
operation. He has exten-
sive experience in the
Chinese business world,
coming most recently from
Sapa Heat Transfer, which
has been established in
Shanghai for some time.
Sapa Heat Transfer manu-
factures heat-exchanger
strip for the global auto-
motive industry. S
16 Shape 1/2003
This year’s “Aluminium
2000” conference was
held in Rome on March 18-
22. While one’s first asso-
ciation with Rome might
not be aluminium, there is
an interesting connection.
In 1897, the dome of the
San Gioacchino Church
was covered in aluminium
sheet metal. The roof
remains intact to this day!
Rome, the capital
of aluminium for five days
The conference dealt with
everything relating to the
aluminium semi-manufac-
turing industry, from mar-
kets to foundry technolo-
gies, extrusion, rolling and
the surface treatment of
sheet metal and profiles.
There were also opportu-
nities for field trips.
Strong growth in China
Among the more interest-
ing presentations was
Benson Wu’s, which cov-
ered aluminium extrusion
in China. Examples were
given of the incredible
development being expe-
rienced in China. Con-
sumption of extruded
products increased from
approximately 350,000
tonnes in 1993 to almost
1,500,000 tonnes in 2002.
Today there are approxi-
mately 2,000 extrusion
presses in China.
Wu predicts a phase
of consolidation during
the coming years, with
increased productivity
through the transfer of
western technology, more
exports to the west and
the closing down of
smaller operations.
Weak demand in Russia
Russia stands in stark
contrast to developments effects of increased glo-
in China. M. Lokshin and balisation on our industry.
G. Makarov discussed the He emphasised that cur-
production of semi-manu- rent developments with
factured aluminium goods increased exports from
in Russia. There, the con- places like China will
sumption of aluminium in continue, as will consoli-
1990 was 1,930,000 ton- dation within the alumi-
nes – a figure that had nium industry. In order to
fallen to 402,000 tonnes ensure continued positive
by 1999. growth, companies will
have to become larger
Technology push essential
while simultaneously dif-
Bruno G. Ruettimann ferentiating themselves
gave a presentation about more, partly through the
the impact of globalisa- use of new technologies.
tion on Western European Ruettimann said that a
aluminium semi-manufac- “technology push” will be
tured products and com- essential. S
ponents, discussing the
Fastest growing product areas in China,
according to Benson Wu
1. Automotive. Estimated market for 2003 at 200,000
tonnes.
2. Cooling profiles for the electronics industry. It has been
estimated that 65 per cent of the world’s production
of computer motherboards takes place in China.
The annual need for cooling profiles was estimated
at 60,000 tonnes.
3. The transportation industry, especially the manufacture
of trains, is estimated to require 100,000 tonnes of
aluminium profiles over the next five years.
4. The construction Industry. It is estimated that 3.3 million
apartments are built annually, which would correspond
to an annual requirement of 550,000 tonnes of ex-
truded construction profiles.
C O M M O N P LAT F O R M F O R

Environment,
health and safety
Since 1999, Sapa’s Environmental Council has dealt
with Group-wide environmental issues. Those respon-
sible for the environment at various companies have
used the forum to share information and experiences,
with the goal of making their environmental efforts
Al Al is the chemical symbol for
the metal aluminium, with an
atomic number of 13, density
of 2,699 g/cm3, a melting point
of 660.77°C and a boiling point
of 2,467°C.

Aluminium is everywhere. For every 100 kilograms

of earth, almost 8 kilograms are aluminium.
Supply could be considered virtually limitless!

Life on earth is adapted to aluminium. However, acidi-

more efficient.
fication, caused by the burning of coal and oil, is up-
setting the natural balance and leaching out some
aluminium into especially acidic environments. Otherwise,
aluminium is one of the most beneficial and environmen-
tally friendly raw materials we have. Aluminium is justifia-
bly known as “the green metal.”

Relatively harmless extraction of raw material

Lage Knutsson, Sapa Technology, Bengt Sundström, Sapa Profiler AB,
Ulrika Björn Sapa, Heat Transfer, Staffan Johannisson and Ulf Lindstrand,
Sapa Profiler AB, Jan de Hoop, Sapa Aluminium BV and Joao Moreira,
Sapa Portugal S.A. Eric Burgess, Sapa Profiles Ltd is not pictured.
The Group’s processes,
emissions, permissions
and plans are reported
annually in Sapa’s Environ-
mental Communication
Platform. The Environmen-
tal Council is now being
renamed as Sapa’s
Council for Environment,
Health and Safety and will
be expanding its opera-
tions to include the key
areas of health and safety,
in other words issues
relating to the working
environment.
Since the summer of
2002, Ulf Lindstrand,
administrative director
for Sapa Profiler AB, has
chaired the council, which
brings together represen-
tatives from a number of
Sapa companies.
“Each company employs
different standards on
these issues. Statistics and
regulations differ between
countries. Consequently,
the first step will be to
create uniform reporting
principles for matters
such as accidents. Our
ambition is to comple-
ment the existing Environ-
mental Policy with a policy
at Group level regarding
Health and Safety,” says
Ulf Lindstrand.
Initial efforts will be con-
ducted in several stages.
The first will be to comple-
ment and summarise
existing statistics. The
resulting data will then
form the basis for the
implementation of shared
definitions throughout the
Group. Consequently, fu-
ture reports and summaries
will provide a better over-
view of accident statistics.
“In this ongoing effort,
we will attempt to imple-
ment best practices by
studying the routines and
safety efforts of various
Sapa companies, as well
as looking at the ap-
proaches of external
companies, in order to be
able to continually impro-
ve our efforts,” concludes
Ulf Lindstrand. S
The raw material from which aluminium is extracted
is bauxite, which exists throughout the earth’s crust.
The world’s aluminium needs can be met by mining
16 square kilometres of land per year. This land can
be easily restored in an environmentally appropriate
manner once the bauxite has been mined.
Recycling highly profitable
Scrap aluminium is a very important part of the aluminium
supply. Melting down scrap aluminium requires only five per
cent of the energy and environmental impact expended in
producing new metal. The manufacture of one kilogram of
new aluminium consumes the amount of energy existing in
three litres of gasoline. However, recycling one kilogram of
aluminium consumes only 0.15 litres of gasoline!
All aluminium products can be recycled again and
again without a reduction in quality. In products where alu-
minium is just a small part that cannot be separated, it is
recycled through energy recovery. When burned, alumi-
nium gives off just as much energy as coal and twice as
much as paper. Moreover, no residual gases are formed,
only ash in the form of aluminium oxide.
Aluminium makes life easier
Designs made of aluminium weigh, on average, only half
as much as corresponding steel products. This saves huge
amounts of energy. If automobiles were made 100 kilo-
grams lighter through the use of aluminium, the estimated
gasoline savings in Sweden alone, with its 8 million
inhabitants, would be 300 million litres per year!
Products that weigh less consume less energy and
result in fewer emissions during transport.
Aluminium can be extruded as profiles with built-in
functions. Making such items out of steel would require
extensive processing with the resulting energy con-
sumption.
The mechanical machining of aluminium is easier
than for many other materials.
Aluminium is able to withstand corrosion and is used,
to a large degree, for construction purposes where it
results in reduced external maintenance. S
Source: “Aluminium makes life a little easier,” published by MetallKretsen AB.

Shape 1/2003 17
 S a p a a r o u n d t h e w o r l d

Sapa at the Acquisition of UK

Scandinavian Masters components company
in Barsebäck, Sweden Sapa has acquired the UK firm Press-
weld Ltd. in Gloucester, two hours west
July 31 – Aug 3, 2003 of London. The company specialises in
Summer is here and we are making the design and machining of aluminium
preparations for Sweden’s largest, profile components and systems for pres-
annually recurring sporting event tigious brands in the automotive indus-
– the Scandinavian Masters golf try. Typical applications include highly
competition. Sapa continues to be polished doorstep profiles, grills, details
one of the main sponsors of the for wood-veneer backing, components
event, together with Scandic, Carls- for airbag housings and decorative
berg, Volvo, Eurocard and Vodafone, panels and frames.
among others. This is the sixth time “Pressweld has experienced strong
that the highly regarded facility on growth in recent years and we are con-
the shores of the Sound in south- vinced that the purchase will result in
ern Sweden will be the site of the favourable synergies,” says Sapa CEO
Swedish world-class competition. Staffan Bohman. “Pressweld strengthens
This year, the course is even longer our position in the Automotive business
and narrower. All of the greens Approximately 260 million viewers, segment.”
have been redesigned and several in more than 100 countries, are able “We have a clear ambition of expan-
holes have been changed. A first- to follow the tournament live. This ding into the area of value-added pro-
class championship course awaits. year, a special effort is being made ducts. Through Pressweld, we will gain a
to attract the next generation of golf significant market presence that we did
Key European tour event stars. At the time of going to press, not have before, especially within the
The tournament has created a we know that Calle Pettersson, also automotive area. The acquisition will
unique position for itself within pro- known as “Big Dog,” will be coming strengthen our position as one of
fessional golf. It attracts several of to this year’s Masters event. Calle, Europe’s leading suppliers of intelligent
the world’s best players and pro- who is ranked among the top 60 solutions based on aluminium profiles.” S
vides international competition at players in the world and who has Automotive and Press-
the highest level. In terms of spec- recently made a strong showing in weld displayed some
tators, the Masters event has led the US, appreciates the opportunity of their products in a
the PGA European Tour since its to play in Sweden. small exhibit presented
inception. The spectator record in connection with semi-
Dane Thomas Björn has also nars at Jaguar and Land
dates back to 1995 at Barsebäck been contracted. Playing at Barse- Rover. The new hydro-
when Jesper Parnevik won in front bäck is almost like playing on home forming and friction stir
of a crowd of 121,800 people. Those turf for Denmark’s best ever golfer. welding technologies
generated a great deal
high spectator figures make the Graeme McDowell is also ready for of attention.
tournament the largest on the Euro- this year’s tournament. S
pean tour after the British Open.
The tournament is also a popular
television event on all continents. Sapa Automotive
and Sapa Pressweld
When simple things are difficult to collaborate
Classic American aluminium mailbox
In an attempt to capitalise on synergies
Sapa Anodising Inc., of Oregon in the US, recently solved a problem to increase sales, Sapa Automotive and
for Salsbury Industries, a large manufacturer of various kinds of mail- Pressweld have organised a number of
boxes. Salsbury attempted to construct a mailbox out of a single piece business meetings. Together they have
of extruded aluminium. However, it was not possible to make it cost- visited customers such as Renault,
efficient, despite the simple design. Sapa solved the problem in an Jaguar and Land Rover.
elegant manner by basing the mailbox on two profiles with a snap lock “Automotive and Pressweld have
construction that simplified the manufacturing process and resulted overlapping areas of expertise, enabling
in a sturdy one-piece mailbox. In other words, Sapa succeeded in us to offer our customers a broader and
creating the one-piece mailbox that Salsbury wanted. A piece of more complete product assortment,”
creative thinking that represented a profitable transaction for both says Percy Ekström, head of Sapa’s
companies – and a decorative addition to American homes! S Automotive business segment. S

18 Shape 1/2003

Award winning Sapa façade in the UK
Sapa Building Systems
customer Bromsgrove
Glass in the UK recently
completed a construction
project in Cheltenham.
The building, designed by
the Beswick Partnership
in Tewkesbury, has been
cited by Cheltenham’s
Civic Award Society for its
modern design. According
to the jury, it is “well
designed with careful
consideration given to
form, materials and de-
tailing.”
The thousand square-
metres showroom was
built for UK auto com-
pany Warners, which is
a Peugeot retailer. The
impressive glass façade is
constructed using Sapa’s
313 Gridframe profiles and
202 Stormframe door-
frames. The large auto
showroom, which contains
a café, boutiques and a
high-tech workshop, was
tailor-made for Warners in
order to create a different
experience for visitors.
The large, two-storey glass
surface that forms the
façade and its tower
dominate the area and
provide strong visual
support for the Warners
and Peugeot brands. S
Building Systems
New business segment
coordinates Sapa’s
construction operations
A new, Group-wide business
segment, Sapa Building Systems,
has been formed in order to better
take advantage of the Group’s
combined expertise and resources.
The goal is to create the conditions
necessary for the profitable collabo-
ration and development of Sapa’s
various building systems. This in-
cludes, for example, production,
product development and purchas-
ing, but perhaps to an even greater
degree, marketing and
sales in existing and new
markets. Sven Magnusson
heads the business seg-
ment.
“We work very closely
with all stages of the busi-
ness process. Distribution,
customer-adapted solu-
tions and project support
Sven Magnusson,
are important compo-
head of Sapa Building
nents. We collaborate with Systems.
producers, architects and
builders. We think that buying from
Sapa should be easy and profitable
and that it should assist develop-
ment,” says Sven Magnusson.
The construction industry is
often very locally anchored, both in
terms of architecture and national
building standards. However,
changes are in the works. The EU’s
demand for greater harmony
between various standards among

••
countries is influencing develop-
ment, as are all other international
Three new sales offices agreements, such as various
environmental programs.

•
Sapa’s primary markets are Europe, the US and China. Our goal is to be
a borderless company with the ability to serve our customers globally in
these markets.
A new sales office in Spain complements existing
operations on the Iberian Peninsula. An extrusion
plant already exists in Portugal, developing, manu-
facturing and marketing aluminium profiles and
systems for the construction sector, which accounts
for 40 per cent of the Group’s sales. Through our
office in Spain, we are further able to profile oursel-
ves towards customers within the building industry.
For Sapa, Eastern Europe and China are priority
markets with significant potential for growth. That is
why expansion is continuing with new sales offices in
the Czech Republic and China. The Czech Republic
has increased in significance in recent years. The
country has a strong and growing industrial base
and exports to the Czech Republic from our Polish
pressing plant are increasing steadily.
“This is how the company will continue to grow,”
says Group CEO Staffan Bohman. “Organically, by
extending out our positions to markets where we are
already operating, through greater collaboration with
existing customers and through acquisitions, such as
the purchase of Pressweld in the UK.”
The new sales office in China is a natural part of
Sapa’s strategy to expand outside of Europe. Sapa
Heat Transfer has been established in China since
1999 and of course the country is also an important
future market for aluminium profiles. Several of our
large customers are becoming increasingly global.
In order to easily provide them with service, specific
systems and solutions, we have decided to follow
them out into the world. S
“No less than 40 per cent of our
collective energy consumption goes
toward heating or cooling buildings!
By investing in modern systems,
energy consumption can be
lowered, as can the environmental
impact. Safety issues place various
requirements on fire, noise and
burglary security, and in extreme
cases against bullets and explo-
sives. At Sapa we have advanced
products that are able to meet all
kinds of new demands and we are
developing continuously,” concludes
Sven Magnusson.
In Building Systems, Sapa sees
greater opportunities to strengthen
its already prominent position within
the European construction sector,
while at the same time creating a
platform for both geographic growth
and future acquisitions. S

Shape 1/2003 19
 German-Polish collaboration
resulted in glowing ideas
JK Ergoline is Europe’s leading manufacturer of solariums. The company
operates in an industry where aesthetically pleasing shapes are of great
significance to the success of a product in the market. However, JK
Ergoline had another demand on their list: “alles aus einer Hand,”
everything from one supplier. It was against this background that
collaboration with Sapa was initiated in spring 2002.
The result was a new series of solariums that has now
been successfully launched.

JK Ergoline is Europe’s leading manufacturer

Today, JK Ergoline’s primary focus is
on developing, manufacturing and
marketing solariums. It has been
highly successful at doing so. The
company has gone from being a
small sauna manufacturer thirty
years ago to developing into the
worlds leading manufacturer of
solariums for professional use.
Solariums for home use also form
part of their line-up. In its home
market of Germany, Ergoline is
estimated to hold a market share
of more than 55 per cent.
12 profiles machined into 24 parts
Armed with Ergoline’s expertise on
solariums and Sapa’s experience
with profiles, work began. Together,
the two companies developed
12 cross-sections, which, after
machining by Sapa, became 24
different parts in the new solarium
series.
Sapa delivers parts ready for
assembly. These profile solutions
have integrated functions for
aspects such as joining, which
reduces the need for machining
and simplifies assembly work.
Anodised for sake of hygiene
The parts are anodised. This is
to provide the solariums with a
decorative finish, although the ano-
dising also has other advantages.
Surfaces are more durable to the
touch, repelling dirt and meeting
of solariums. Aesthetically pleasing shapes
are of great significance to the success of
their products. Anodised profiles provide
the solariums with a decorative finish.
The profile solutions integrate functions
such as joining, reducing the need for
additional processing.
exacting requirements for hygiene,
an important aspect in solariums.
Moreover, the finish is very durable
– the oxide layer is harder than
glass.
German-Polish collaboration
Sapa in Germany was responsible
for initial contacts with the
customer, but Sapa in Poland
soon became involved, since
production takes place at the
Polish facility. Once serial produc-
tion had begun, close collaboration
with a production manager was an
absolute necessity. As mentioned
previously, JK Ergoline demanded
“alles aus einer Hand.” This involves
not only profile extrusion, mechani-
cal processing and anodising –
logistics questions are also high on
the agenda. S
From Ergoline’s website:
Solariums for brittle
bones
Up until our thirties, calcium is stored
in our bones, making them hard.
Calcium is also needed in other parts
of the body, however. If the body does
not receive enough calcium then it
“steals” what it needs from the skeletal
structure.
In order to be able to absorb the
calcium in our food, our bodies need
vitamin D. This is the only vitamin that
the body can produce on its own.
To accomplish this UV-B light is
required. From October to March,
sunlight at our latitudes contains
practically no UV-B at all. It quite
simply disappears into the atmos-
phere.
According to Dr. Albrecht
Falkenbach of the Gasteiner Heilstollen
Sanatorium, the body’s production
of vitamin D ceases entirely and
even if we eat a calcium-rich diet we
are unable to replace that important
mineral. The low dose of UV-B
generated by solariums is sufficient
to restart vitamin-D production.
Conclusion: not only a suntan but
also strong bones. S
Additional information about JK
Ergoline is available at:
www.ergoline.de.

20 Shape 1/2003