More Range Rover business for Wednesfield
10 Feb 2005
Corus’ specialist large panel press blanking capability has resulted in the international metals company securing an additional contract to supply Land Rover with the rear door outer panels for the all new Range Rover Sport, being launched this summer.
Corus will supply shaped blanks for these panels direct to Land Rover’s Solihull plant. The contract follows a successful year which has also seen the company secure a long term contract to supply the bodyside panel blanks for the company’s highly acclaimed new Discovery 3 model. It was during the early development stages for the Discovery 3, that Land Rover first recognised how Corus’ press blanking capability could help the company meet its specific design requirements.
The rear door outer shaped blanks for the Range Rover Sport are being produced at Corus’ Automotive Service Centre in Wednesfield in the UK. The shaped blanks will be pressed on the company’s 600 tonne large-bed Fagor blanking line, which also produces the body side panels for the Discovery model. The line boasts specialist tooling, designed in association with Land Rover, including an extremely heavy 26 tonne die, required to produce the shaped blanks needed to meet the Range Rover Sport’s specific design requirements.
The Fagor blanking line also features an in-line oil wash facility that can clean the steel strip and then re-oil with specific oil levels, to meet specific customer requirements, ensuring a high quality product, with no contamination, helping to produce full-finish skin panel blanks ready for pressing at Land Rover’s Solihull press-shop.
Commenting on the new contract, Richard Down, Commercial Manager, Corus Automotive Service Centre said: “On-going investment in our downstream facilities at the Service Centre, has resulted in unique pressing and blanking capabilities that give Corus the flexibility to meet a broad range of design patterns and requirements. Securing the contract to supply the Range Rover Sport underlines this capability to produce specialist, full-finish panels, increasingly in demand from our customers.”
Adrian Davey, Purchasing Manager Land Rover added: “Corus has demonstrated through the supply of bodyside panel blanks for the Discovery 3 model that they have the required tooling, production facilities and material expertise to meet the design requirements of the Range Rover Sport and Discovery 3. Importantly, despite global uncertainty about the supply of steel, Corus has also demonstrated the ability to constantly meet our specific production schedules for the Discovery which has given us complete confidence that they will do the same for the Range Rover Sport.”
Note to editors:
Corus Automotive Service Centre
The Wednesfield Automotive Service Centre has recently combined with its specialist laser welding business, Autolaser Technologies, both businesses are based on Steelpark at Wednesfield, West Midlands.
Autolaser Technologies was the first facility in Europe to have the capability to manufacture production volumes of advanced, second-generation, non-linear Nd:YAG (Neodymium-Yttrium Aluminium Garnet) laser-welded blanks. These continue to be successfully used by BMW MINI and Jaguar.
At the heart of the Automotive Service Centre are several large-bed press blanking lines, including two 600 tonne presses and a 400 tonne press blanking line that can produce shaped blanks for a variety of parts, including complete body-sides.
Corus’ Automotive Service Centres have accreditation to the new ISO TS16949 quality approval standard. Aimed primarily at tier one suppliers TS 16949 is a technical specification developed and supported by vehicle manufacturers in Europe, America and Japan and will help define quality system requirements for the global automotive supply chain.
Corus
Corus Group Plc (LSE/AEX: CS; NYSE: CGA) is one of the world's largest metal producers with an annual turnover of £8 billion and major operating facilities in the U.K., the Netherlands, Germany, France, Norway and Belgium. Corus' four divisions comprising Strip Products, Long Products, Distribution & Building Systems and Aluminium provide innovative solutions to the construction, automotive, packaging, mechanical engineering and other markets worldwide. Corus has 48,500 employees in over 40 countries and sales offices and service centres worldwide. Combining international
expertise with local customer service, the Corus brand represents quality and strength.
Ends
Press release and pictures can be downloaded from websites: www.automotivepr.com and www.corusautomotive.com
Corus Automotive media enquiries:
Marco Ferrari +44 (0)207 494 8050 mferrari@automotivepr.com
Laurissa Mirabelli + 44 (0)207 494 8050 lmirabelli@automotivepr.com
Corus sales and marketing enquiries:
Lisa Benbow +44 1902 484 053 lisa.benbow@corusgroup.com
