New Wheels Leapfrog Competitive
Offerings; Reduce Costs and Enhance Appearance
PITTSBURGH–Alcoa (NYSE: AA) today announced that its Commercial Vehicle Wheels
business has launched an innovative new line of forged wheels using a
new proprietary process that results in the industry’s lightest forged
aluminum wheel but with even greater strength, and a superior finish on
both sides that is six times brighter than any wheel in its class. The
new line builds on Alcoa’s 60-year heritage of delivering value through
innovation by increasing fuel economy and payload for trucking customers
battling the constraints of the economic downturn.
Alcoa’s new line of truck wheels for fleets, owner/operators and
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) reduce individual truck weight
from 600 to 1300 pounds versus steel options and up to 50 pounds
compared with current aluminum wheel options. As a result, the new
forged wheel line – which will be called Alcoa LvL ONE™
wheels – can directly reduce operating costs through lower fuel costs
and increased payload. Because the wheels are finished on both sides,
they can also reduce inventory costs for customers who would need to
stock fewer types of wheels.
“Our strategy in this downturn is to invest in technologies and
innovations that benefit our customers,” said Alcoa Wheels and
Transportation Products President, Kevin Kramer. “Built on the
foundation of our 60-years of innovation heritage in this market, our
new LvL ONE wheels are truly break-through.
“The term innovation is sometimes thrown around a lot, but in this
instance it results in real benefits for the customer – lighter weight,
less fuel and lower inventory costs; high strength, the brightest
finish, and lead times that are half of what they were previously,” said
Kramer.
“We see customers who are using steel wheels saving immediately because
of Alcoa LvL ONE wheels,” added Kramer. “Their savings begin on day one.”
As part of the introduction, Alcoa Commercial Vehicle Wheels is
introducing new proprietary cost analysis software that demonstrates how
the LvL ONE forged aluminum wheel improves performance and reduces
costs. The new interactive tool – the Alcoa Wheel Products CalcuLighter™
– allows fleets, OEMs and owner/operators to determine exactly how much
they will save through fuel savings, increased payload, tire life
savings, trade-in/scrap value, warranty/maintenance costs, and potential
carbon credits. The new CalcuLighter™ tool can be found on the new Alcoa
LvL ONE website at www.alcoawheels.com.
About Alcoa Wheels and Transportation Products
Alcoa Commercial Vehicle Wheels is part of Alcoa Wheel and
Transportation Products, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. It serves the
commercial vehicle, automotive, and defense markets with products used
in a range of applications including cast and forged aluminum wheels,
aluminum space frames, specialized vacuum die cast products, niche
products such as Dura-Bright® and Dura-Flange® wheels and M-Series™
medium truck wheels, as well as a variety of other aluminum components
for these markets. AWTP is composed of three divisions: Transportation
Products, Commercial Vehicle Wheels, and Automotive Wheels. It employs
2,800 people at 30 locations worldwide.