Dépêches

President Obama’s Visit Showcases Alcoa’s Advanced Manufacturing Capabilities

Dépèche transmise le 28 juin 2011 par Business Wire

President Obama’s Visit Showcases Alcoa’s Advanced Manufacturing Capabilities

BETTENDORF, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alcoa showcased the advanced manufacturing capabilities of its Davenport, Iowa, plant today, during a tour by U.S. President Barack Obama. President Obama also announced that Alcoa was joining the President’s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership.

“The idea is to create jobs now and to make sure America stays on the cutting edge of manufacturing for years to come”

Davenport is the manufacturing hub of Alcoa’s $3 billion aerospace business and the world’s premier aerospace supply plant, producing high-tech products for all major aircraft, including Airbus' A380, the world’s largest passenger plane, and Boeing's 747-8 and 777.

“Alcoa is showing us the future we can build here in eastern Iowa and across the country,” said President Obama in remarks at the plant today.

“At companies like Alcoa reinvention is a way of life…that spirit is at the heart of our American story.”

President Obama, accompanied by Alcoa Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld and Davenport Works Vice President and General Manager Malcolm Murphy, met with Alcoa employees and saw how Davenport’s products make ground and air transportation lighter, stronger and safer.

“Alcoa has been at the center of the aerospace industry since the very beginning,” Kleinfeld said. “Nothing would fly without aluminum. Today’s visit recognizes the teamwork and passion that keeps Alcoa at the forefront of innovation and advanced manufacturing in the U.S. and abroad.”

After touring the Davenport facility, the President spoke to about 400 Alcoa employees and members of the community, highlighting his newly announced Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), a national effort bringing together industry, universities, and the federal government to invest in emerging technologies to create high quality manufacturing jobs and enhance competitiveness. Obama announced that Alcoa was joining the partnership effort, which was launched last week in Pittsburgh.

“The idea is to create jobs now and to make sure America stays on the cutting edge of manufacturing for years to come,” President Obama said.

“They have a saying at Alcoa, nobody is perfect, but a team can be.

“As a team, America can perfect itself, but we have to start working as a team.”

Alcoa’s Davenport Works employs 2,200 people and more than 25 percent of its revenue comes from global exports.

More information about the President’s visit is available at www.alcoa.com/obama.

About Alcoa Davenport

Opened in 1948, Alcoa Davenport is situated on the Mississippi River, about seven miles from downtown Davenport, Iowa. The plant employs 2,200 people in high-tech aluminum sheet and plate manufacturing for the aerospace, defense, automotive and building and construction markets. Alcoa has invested more than $200 million over the past decade to maintain Davenport’s position as the world’s premier aerospace supply plant. Davenport remains the only facility that can manufacture airplane wings as a monolithic structure, delivering enhanced structural integrity and lighter weight aircraft, and today produces wings for almost all planes made by Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer. The plant also produces unique armor products for the U.S. military, including the Humvee and MRAP, and delivers automotive solutions that are enabling lighter, more fuel efficient automotive vehicles. Alcoa Davenport is at the forefront of sustainability leadership, and recently became home to a pair of American Bald Eagles and their baby – Freedom – whose progress has been followed by hundreds of thousands via live webcam - www.alcoa.com/eaglecam. For more information visit www.alcoa.com/davenport.

About Alcoa

Alcoa (NYSE:AA) is the world’s leading producer of primary and fabricated aluminum, as well as the world’s largest miner of bauxite and refiner of alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum industry, Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the past 120 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa® wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral part of Alcoa’s operating practices and the product design and engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for nine consecutive years and approximately 75 percent of all of the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 59,000 people in 31 countries across the world. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.