Alcoa announced on Oct.30, that it has opened a new automotive assembly plant in Modena, Italy to supply aluminum spaceframes for Ferrari. The new facility features state-of-the-art manufacturing technology according to a company statement. Alcoa is the sole supplier of aluminum spaceframes for the Ferrari F430, 612 Scaglietti and 599 GTB Fiorano.
Misha Riveros-Jacobson, president of Alcoa Auto and Truck Structures, the Alcoa business operating the Modena plant, said the plant features two, high-speed robotic machining centers, two robotic joining centers and 12 spaceframe assembly cells.
"Our employees are highly-skilled in manufacturing and assembly technologies," Riveros-Jacobson noted. "The quality, precision and performance of our products reflect their combined skills."
Alcoa CEO Alain Belda noted that its long-standing relationship with Ferrari has been mutually beneficial. "Alcoa spaceframes have proven themselves to be key enablers of Ferrari's long-term strategy of making all their cars in aluminum in order to guarantee continuous improvement in safety, comfort and dynamic performance."
"Our partnership is evidence of how two companies can come together, pull the best ideas from one another and translate them into new products and technologies. Today, Alcoa is for Ferrari a strategic partner and the experience in technical research and engineering of the two companies shows a strong future for both," said Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari's president.
Alcoca has six operating locations in Italy, including two smelters, a rolling mill and three extrusion plants. Its investment in Italy is almost $300 million.
"Alcoa sees Europe, in general, and Italy, in specific, as an excellent opportunity for growth of our most sophisticated products," said Belda.
