Austrian aluminum company Salzburger Aluminium Group (SAG) is setting up two new sales offices in Toronto and Charlotte, North Carolina as it expands into the North American lightweight auto components market.
SAG noted that it has already received orders worth $20mn for air reservoirs and other lightweight aluminum parts from manufacturers like General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford, apart from OEMs in the region. The new order pertains to electric and hybrid vehicle platforms.
The company operates two production sites in Mexico, which caters to this market. The exact annual volume is unknown, but SAG disclosed that sales from the Mexican subsidiaries in 2016 amounted to €35mn. ($42.7mn) As the demand for hydrogen-powered and electric vehicles grows, SAG expects to utilize its rheocasting process to gain further market share.
In Slovakia, the producer recently announced a €1.5mn investment in expanding production capacity across its range of products like air tanks and window frames.