Novelis to establish Customer Solution Centers

Novelis, an aluminum producer headquartered in Atlanta, plans to establish a global network of Customer Solution Centers (CSCs) to accelerate collaborative innovation between Novelis and automakers for the next generation of vehicle design. 

According to a Novelis news release, the company will work with original equipment manufacturers to determine how to maximize lightweight, high-strength aluminum to design the best solutions for specific applications at the right cost to better compete against steel and other materials. The facilities will be led by teams of researchers, designers and engineers located in close proximity to automakers’ manufacturing sites in North America, China and Europe. In addition, Novelis CSCs will provide an environment to demonstrate product concepts, simulate customer processes and performance in use, as well as leverage data to educate stakeholders throughout the supply chain about elements ranging from forming to costing.

The first center is scheduled to open in Novi, Michigan, with China and Europe to follow.

“The global auto industry is experiencing disruptive change in nearly every dimension, including electrification, autonomy and accelerated development times,” says Steve Fisher, president and CEO, Novelis Inc. “To meet rapidly evolving demands, we are developing the CSCs to help our customers innovate with aluminum for tomorrow's lighter, safer and better performing vehicles.”

Each CSC will include high-tech development machinery ranging from computer-aided design software to virtual collaboration capabilities and visualization technologies, according to Novelis.

“The automotive industry is entering a period of transformative change and relying on partners to provide solutions to help them build the cars of the future,” says Pierre Labat, vice president, global automotive, Novelis Inc. “By creating another new way to engage with automakers, along with a physical space that inspires innovation, we are better prepared to make our customers more successful.”

As the facilities come online, Novelis says cross-regional teams will be in place to ramp up product development in critical stages for the auto industry. In addition, Novelis’ CSCs will provide sustainable process recommendations such as closed-loop recycling systems and the use of more alloys with higher recycled content to help curb CO2 emissions and establish more secure supply chains.