- Ultra ONE™ Wheel is 47 Percent Lighter than Steel Wheel of Same Size
- Can Help Save Up To 1,400 Pounds Per Rig
- Alcoa’s New MagnaForce™ Alloy Behind the Breakthrough Innovation
- One of Largest US Flatbed Carriers, TMC Transportation, Converting to New Wheel
Alcoa (NYSE: AA) has rolled out the world’s lightest heavy-duty truck
wheel. This latest Alcoa innovation, the Ultra ONE™, will help trucks
shed pounds for increased payload and fuel efficiency.
Unveiled at the Mid-America Trucking show in Louisville, Kentucky,
Alcoa’s new 40-pound wheel is 47 percent lighter than steel wheels of
the same size. The Ultra ONE can help save up to 1,400 pounds per rig,
enabling fleets to carry more goods while meeting stringent federal
emissions regulations. Underscoring the importance of lightweighting to
the industry, one of America’s largest flatbed carriers, TMC
Transportation, is converting its fleet to the Ultra ONE starting in
2014.
“Alcoa continues to reinvent the wheel. Our new innovation is heavy-duty
without the ‘heavy,’ and it looks great, too,” said Tim Myers,
President, Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products. “Alcoa’s unique mix
of manufacturing, technology and lightweight metals expertise enabled
this breakthrough. Major fleets, such as TMC Transportation, are already
lining up to take advantage of it.”
Fleets have increasingly converted to aluminum wheels that offset the
weight of necessary pollution-control equipment used to meet federal
emissions regulations. Lighter wheels also improve fuel economy, making
up for rising fuel prices and helping move goods in a cleaner way. And
if trucks burn less fuel, they emit fewer greenhouse gases. Replacing
steel wheels with aluminum wheels on an 18-wheeler offsets the annual
carbon footprint of an average family of four in America. In addition,
Alcoa’s aluminum wheels are six times brighter than competitors’ wheels,
giving them strong aesthetic appeal, and because they are corrosion
resistant and do not require stripping and repainting, lower operators’
maintenance and operating costs.
“As the largest privately owned flatbed trucking company in the United
States, TMC Transportation trucks haul heavy loads across America every
day, and each pound we can reduce helps us lower costs and move more
goods,” said Harrold W. Annett, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
TMC transportation. “The Ultra ONE wheel is part of our total commitment
to quality, through which we reduce waste and ensure customer
satisfaction.”
To take out five pounds out of its lightest heavy-duty truck wheel,
Alcoa’s experts at the Alcoa Technical Center—the world’s largest light
metals research center—invented a new alloy, the patent-pending MagnaForce™
alloy. It is on average 17 percent stronger than the industry standard,
Alcoa’s 6061 alloy, in similar applications.
Alcoa’s wheels business has been launching a progression of innovations
since inventing the forged aluminum wheel in 1948, widening the
Company’s lead over competitors. Alcoa’s wheels business has grown at a
22 percent compounded annual growth rate from 2009 to 2013—with 67
percent of sales driven by proprietary technologies—making it one of
Alcoa’s fastest growing businesses. The company is expanding its wheels
presence in Europe and into China and Brazil to capture growing global
demand for its wheels.
About the Ultra ONE Wheel
The Ultra ONE Wheel with MagnaForce™
alloy is available in the industry standard 22.5” x 8.25” size for
heavy-duty, commercial transportation, and is being readied in all OEM
customer data books. Truck manufacturers can specify Ultra ONE using the
product code ULTRAx. Ultra ONE wheels are available in all popular Alcoa
finish options. For more information on Alcoa’s Ultra ONE with
MagnaForce™ alloy, to contact a distributor and/or additional
information on Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products, visit www.alcoawheels.com.
About Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products
Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products, headquartered in Cleveland,
Ohio, serves the commercial vehicle, automotive, and defense markets
with products used in a range of applications including forged aluminum
wheels, premium products such as Dura-Bright®, Dura-Flange®,
LvL ONE® and M-Series® medium truck wheels, as
well as a variety of other aluminum components for these markets. Follow
@AlcoaWheels on Twitter at twitter.com/AlcoaWheels.
Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products is part of Alcoa’s value-add
businesses, comprising Engineered Products and Solutions and Global
Rolled Products. In 2013, Alcoa’s value-add businesses accounted for 57
percent of the Company’s total revenues and 80 percent of segment
after-tax operating income.
About Alcoa
A global leader in lightweight metals engineering and manufacturing,
Alcoa innovates multi-material solutions that advance our world. Our
technologies enhance transportation, from automotive and commercial
transport to air and space travel, and improve industrial and consumer
electronics products. We enable smart buildings, sustainable food and
beverage packaging, high-performance defense vehicles across air, land
and sea, deeper oil and gas drilling and more efficient power
generation. We pioneered the aluminum industry over 125 years ago, and
today, our 60,000 people in 30 countries deliver value-add products made
of titanium, nickel and aluminum, and produce best-in-class bauxite,
alumina and primary aluminum products. For more information, visit www.alcoa.com,
follow @Alcoa on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Alcoa
and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Alcoa.
About TMC Transportation
TMC Transportation is the nation’s largest employee-owned flatbed
transportation company. TMC provides expert transportation services and
supply-chain management solutions throughout the 48 contiguous states.
Founded in 1972, TMC is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, and is known
for its integrity, innovation, superior safety record and dedication to
quality and customer service. The company’s claim-free, on-time delivery
record is the best in the business and is consistently recognized by its
customers. Visit TMC online – www.tmctrans.com.
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Alcoa
Investor Contact:
Kelly Pasterick, 212-836-2674
Kelly.Pasterick@alcoa.com
or
Media Contacts:
Christa Bowers, 212-836-2605
Christa.Bowers@alcoa.com
or
Alcoa Wheels
Brian E. Thomas, 216-978-3203
Brian.Thomas@alcoa.com