Important new investment at Heat Transfer Tønder

TUBE: The micro MPE tube is the main component of brazed heat exchangers for the automotive industry.

(June 20, 2002) Hydro Aluminium is investing about DKK 100 million (EUR 13.5 million) in a new extrusion press at Heat Transfer Tønder in Denmark.

The new press will more than double the production capacity of the company's micro multiport extrusions for the automotive industry, an area in which it is currently Europe's leading supplier.

The micro MPE tube is the main component of brazed heat exchangers for the automotive industry. Typical applications of the lightweight tube are condensers and evaporators for air conditioning equipment, heaters, intercoolers for diesel engines, and also radiators.

Heat Transfer Tønder a.s, which is part of Hydro Aluminium's Automotive business sector, is Europe's leading producer of precision drawn aluminium tubes and multiport extrusions for the automotive industry. The company has recently been integrated with its sister company Hydro Aluminium Hycot a.s in Løgumkloster, it has in total almost 400 employees, and it is one of the leading industrial companies in southwest Denmark.

Over the past few years, Heat Transfer Tønder a.s has developed into a key supplier to the European automotive industry with a yearly growth rate of 10-to-15 percent. In fact, today, there is a Heat Transfer/Hycot® tube in almost all modern European cars. The positive development is expected to continue, and together with the development of new products, this will demand a great increase of press capacity in Tønder.

The company presently has two extrusion presses of 2,500 and 3,500 tons, and the new investment will use the same base technology as the existing large press with a press capacity of 3,500 tons. The new press will be marked for high-volume products of the type micro MPE profiles. By doubling the production capacity, the company can cover the entire European market of this product type, where the company already has a market share of over 60 percent.

In addition to Europe, Heat Transfer Tønder a.s supplies tubes for heat exchangers to overseas markets including India, China, remaining South East Asia, Australia, South Africa and South America.