The Evolution of the Aluminum Profile Department into the Automotive Industry’s Manufacturer of Choice

The Aluminum Profile Business provides aluminum as bar profiles for customers’ applications. In the casting process for bar profiles, a certain amount of metals such as magnesium and silicon are mixed in with aluminum ingots, which serve as raw materials, and are melted in a melting furnace to cast "billets," which are cylindrical ingots. Next, in the extrusion process, the billets are cut to a certain length, heated at high temperature, and loaded into the extruder. YKK AP mainly sells aluminum bar profiles, which is extruded successively under high pressure, heat treated for strength, and colored in the surface treatment process. The aluminum bar profiles is then cut and processed at the customer’s end, but if the customer is unable to do this, we can also cut and process it in-house before sale.

The aluminum profile industry has been undergoing change in recent years. In the domestic market, demand in the construction sector has been shrinking year by year, due in part to the declining population. On the other hand, the transportation sector, including the automotive field, is growing, and there is an increasing demand for more versatile and sophisticated end products made of aluminum. For example, by modifying the cross-sectional shape of a member, it can function to absorb impact in the event of a collision, rather than simply serving as a structural element. In addition, cost competition is becoming increasingly intense due to the rise of overseas manufacturers. The Aluminum Profile Department, while focusing on the construction sector, which has always been its core area, has also made aggressive inroads into fields other than architectural products, such as transportation, electrical machinery, and machinery. We asked Takeshi Teraki, Vice President and Head of the Aluminum Profile Department, about the company’s initiatives in Auto parts, which have been a major focus in recent years.

The Japanese government has declared its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. As part of this initiative, comprehensive measures will be taken to increase the percentage of new passenger car sales accounted for by electrically-powered vehicles (*3) to 100% by 2035.
For this reason, a major challenge for the automotive industry is the switch from gasoline-powered to electrically-powered vehicles and decarbonization (reduction of CO₂ emissions) as a way to achieve carbon neutrality. YKK AP’s business is still dominated by gasoline-powered vehicles, so there is a need to shift to hybrid vehicles, which we currently work on, as well as other electrically powered vehicles, particularly full EVs. In fact, we are receiving an increasing number of inquiries from automotive manufacturers with whom we do business about aluminum reinforcement materials for use around the battery cases of EVs. However, meeting the demands of such customers often requires rather advanced aluminum extrusion technology, and as such, we are currently actively researching and developing new technologies, including the development of elemental technologies for multi-void(*4) profiles. The issues we are tackling have changed dramatically from the past, and there is a sense of urgency in terms of the need for advanced aluminum extrusion and processing technologies, without which we will not be able to contribute at all to the future of the automotive industry and the realization of carbon neutrality. To further advance our efforts, we established a dedicated contact point for the Aluminum Profile Business at manufacturing plants (manufacturing and technology divisions) and changed the structure to allow for close collaboration between the manufacturing/technology divisions and sales divisions. Our manufacturing, technology, and sales divisions are now working more closely together than ever before, and we are currently working on numerous prototypes.

As the world shifts toward a more sustainable society, it is expected that demand for lighter aluminum products and recycled aluminum will increase. In the transportation field, we will firmly capture the demand for lightweight products, especially for EVs, and use aluminum profile components to realize a sustainable society. At present, EV battery cases are very heavy, but since it is difficult to reduce the weight of the battery part right now, we are developing technologies with a focus on how to make the surrounding reinforcement materials and other components lighter. Subsequently, perhaps, driving automation will progress and reinforcement materials will no longer be needed, so we also need to consider what kind of components will be needed at that time.
In addition, because recycled aluminum is a material that can greatly contribute to the reduction of CO₂ emissions, we would like to first ensure that it can be used in the areas where we are currently doing business. Eventually, we hope to develop and meet a wide range of demand without limiting ourselves to certain fields.
Realizing these goals also requires organizational development of the Aluminum Profile Department. In order to further strengthen collaboration between the manufacturing/technology and sales divisions, we intend to promote greater personnel exchanges between the various divisions than ever before. As part of these efforts we will, for example, transfer personnel between departments to strengthen collaboration by developing human resources with a deeper understanding of various departments.
In terms of human resource development, we have established a project team of young employees to develop new demand and conduct analysis of the current situation. Then, to ensure that their recommendations are reflected in our business strategy, we hold regular report meetings for our manufacturing plants. In addition, we are conscious of the need for a "broad perspective" that allows us to adapt quickly to the ever-changing trends in the world. To this end we will focus on recruitment activities and increase the number of new graduates, both men and women.
Through these efforts, we hope to strengthen our business, expand existing areas and take on the challenge of new areas, and imprint the YKK AP name firmly in a variety of fields.