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F.
A. Q. s
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| What's included
in the Auto & Light Truck segment? |
| How big
is the market for castings for autos and light truck? |
| What metals
are used in castings for autos & light trucks? |
| What processes
are used in castings for autos & light trucks? |
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F.
A. Q. Text
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What's
included in the Auto & Light Truck segment?
This segment consists of parts supplied
to the big automakers, such as GM, Ford, Daimler-Chrysler, Toyota,
Honda, Nissan, Fiat, Volkswagen, etc. This segment is characterized
by high volume production by a small number of global auto assemblers,
and supply of parts to them through several tiers of sub-assemblers
and module suppliers.
How does this compare with the other three categories into which
we divide the market for cast metal parts? |
How big
is the market for castings for autos & light trucks?
Autos and light trucks account for
roughly 35% of world casting shipments (by weight). |
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What metals are used
in castings for autos & light trucks?
In the automotive industry, there
has been an aggressive move to reduce the weight of cars,
in large part in order to meet improved fuel efficiency targets.
Therefore, cars now contain more and more aluminum each year
(now average over 250 pounds/car, compared to 125 pounds/car
10 years ago) and less and less iron and steel. In addition,
magnesium is gaining popularity, because it is even lighter
and stronger than aluminum.
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What processes are
used in castings for autos & light trucks?
All major casting processes are
used in the course of producing automotive parts. However,
diecasting plays a particularly important role because of
its ability to cost-effectively produce large runs, as are
required in the auto industry. In addition, diecasting is
particuarly well-suited to aluminum, which is used in growing
quantities in the auto industry.
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