Chemetall officially opened its new Aluminum Competence Center in Giussano, Italy. The state-of-the-art facility will support the development of new technologies — thus strengthening the company’s position as a global supplier of solutions for the surface treatment of aluminum substrates.
“The new global Aluminum Competence Center will allow us to bring new surface treatment solutions to the market faster,” said Frank Naber, senior vice president of Chemetall. “The centralization of our research and development activities for aluminum will result in pioneering technologies that solve the challenges of our global customers, provide solutions for their needs and most of all deliver long-lasting sustainable value.”
Chemetall is a global provider of surface treatment solutions for the aluminum industry, with a comprehensive product range of advanced pretreatment solutions like the chrome-free thin-film Oxsilan® AL0510 and anodizing technologies like nickel-free medium temperature sealing Gardoseal® 1999. In Italy, more than 70 Chemetall employees, including 15 technology experts, contribute to providing surface treatment solutions for a broad range of industries to the market.
The Coatings division of BASF, operating under the Chemetall brand, is a global expert in the development and production of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings, decorative paints, and applied surface treatments for metal and other substrates in a wide range of industries. The portfolio is completed by the “Innovation Beyond Paint” program which aims at developing new markets and businesses.
The Aluminum Competence Center was established to bundle Chemetall’s comprehensive competences in the area of surface treatment of aluminum in one place. After the intensive analyses of existing capacities, development priorities, and customer and market requirements, the existing Chemetall site Giussano was identified as the best option for the new center.
“We are very proud to play a key role in the research and development for our global aluminum business in Giussano,” explained Daniela Polzot, Managing Director of Chemetall Italy. “Our team has great expertise in development and application technologies and has achieved remarkable success in areas such as neutral cleaners and plastic recycling. In close collaboration with our global technology teams and through partnerships with universities and research communities we will provide new, innovative technologies for the aluminum market.”
With the centralization of research and development activities for aluminum, Chemetall is positioned to develop technologies faster and more efficiently. This is expected to result in transformative innovations in the field of anodizing and pretreatment of this special substrate. In addition, the Aluminum Competence Center meets the strict quality requirements QUALICOAT, GSB and QUALANOD of the aluminum finishing industry.
“As a lightweight metal with high availability, aluminum plays an important role in architectural, aerospace, and automotive construction,” noted Arjan Termaten, director and head of Global Technology at Chemetall. “Aluminum is normally used in alloys because pure aluminum has different mechanical properties compared to materials like steel. Depending on the specific alloy, not only do the mechanical properties change, but also the chemical and corrosion characteristics of aluminum. This presents chemical challenges for pretreatment solutions. Our new technology center will enable us to better manage the complexity of this material and empower our team to set new standards in the industry.”