Hydro wins bumper contract with Holden
(Aug. 19, 2004) Hydro Aluminium has won its first bumper beam order with the Australian carmaker Holden Ltd. Hydro will produce and deliver the crash management components from its plant in Holland, Michigan.
The Holland plant will produce both front and rear bumper beams for Holden beginning in 2006. The order calls for the delivery of approximately 360,000 parts per year. Holden, a subsidiary of General Motors, will pick up the components at Hydro's docks and be responsible for exporting.
"We're excited about having a new customer and hope to build upon this for future bumper beam business in North America," says Dieter J. Braun, president of Hydro Aluminium’s Automotive business sector.
Hydro Aluminium is the largest producer of aluminium bumper beams in the world, with annual deliveries of around 8 million bumpers per year. In addition to the Michigan-based plant, the company manufactures structural crash management components in Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Its customer list includes Audi, BMW, Ford, GM, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota.
Hydro Automotive Structures in Holland, Michigan, is a leading supplier of extruded aluminium components to automotive customers in the United States. In addition to bumper beams, the company delivers windshield frames and engines cradles.
 WINNER: Holden has been producing the Commodore for some 25 years. (Photo: Holden Ltd.) |
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Holden, with its head office in Melbourne, is the largest manufacturer of automobiles in Australia and holds a special place in the country's history as manufacturer of the first all-Australian passenger car, in 1948. Today, the company markets a range of locally built and imported products in Australia, and holds a domestic market share of nearly 20 percent.
Hydro developed contact with Holden through its existing contacts with General Motors, which is the Holland plant's largest single customer.
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