World of Concrete—a firm foundation for the entire concrete and masonry industries and the first and most important annual international event of the year. It’s everything you need and nothing you don’t. Put in four high-efficiency, low-cost, smart-work days at WOC 2017 and you’ll see your bang/buck ratio go through the roof.
2017 WOC Exhibit Hall Hours
Tuesday, January 17-Thursday, January 19
9:30 am -5:00 pm
NEW! Friday 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Key Themes for Homebuilding and Construction in 2017:
Housing recovery and overall construction spending growth curve more like a walk up versus a steep climb – requires supply-side players to optimize target marketing strategy
As housing construction accelerates and repair/remodel continues – building product manufacturer success will hinge more on channel optimization than product differentiation alone
Recent large-scale acquisitions (i.e., Boral/Headwaters) signal the next big cycle of large-scale industry consolidation in building products. Are you ready?
The aging labor force and shortage of construction labor not just causing delays – but driving new changes in field construction and building product innovations
As marketplaces emerge and grow stakeholders in the construction equipment market and intermediaries of the value chain should be aware of how their business model could be impacted:
First, for equipment rental companies and dealers – accessing the market through these platforms creates the risk of losing direct contact with the end client; an important share of the customer experience could now happen through the online platform. Indeed, the information gathering, the booking, the payment, and even the transport and service of the machine are or could be offered via the online platform. This means that as a rental company or dealer you have less direct access to your customer base, as well as fewer personal interactions. Under these conditions, how will you continue to build the customer relationship, which you rely on so much today?
In DuckerFrontier’s white paper: The Sharing Economy and B2B – Construction Industry, you’ll learn:
The amount of aluminium used in cars is expected to see a significant increase by 2025, according to a study recently published by consulting and research firm DuckerFrontier. The study, commissioned by European Aluminium, predicts that the aluminium content of cars produced in Europe could reach nearly 200 kg per vehicle by 2025, up from 150 kg today.
“We expect the aluminium content in cars to continue its growth trajectory by as much as 30% in the next ten years,” stated Wouter Vogelaar from DuckerFrontier. “Although we find total content growth in all forming processes, rolled and extruded products have been particularly identified as replacing steel in many instances for products used in body closures and body structures. For example, we expect the use of Auto Body Sheet to double over the next decade.”
Carmakers’ preference for aluminium is largely linked to its lightweight nature, contributing to CO2 reduction. Due to its inherent strength and its excellent ability to absorb crash energy, well-engineered aluminium car parts can be both safer than steel and up to 50% lighter. Lighter cars substantially contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and improving fuel efficiency. In fact, using 200 kg of aluminium in a car could reduce CO2 emissions by up to 16 grams per kilometre travelled. With the 2014 average at 123g/km, increasing the aluminium content in cars could play a significant role in enabling the EU to achieve its target of 95g/km by 2021.
“Without lightweight cars there can be no energy efficient mobility. Aluminium is therefore an integral part of the EU’s transition to a low carbon society,” said Dieter Höll, Chairman of the Automotive & Transport Board at European Aluminium. “We hope the European Commission’s strategy to decarbonise transport will stress the benefits of lightweight materials such as aluminium.”
DuckerFrontier also found that the share of rolled products grew significantly in the last four years due to the increased penetration rate for body closures and body structures. The share of forgings and extrusions in the total aluminium consumption remained relatively stable.
The study includes data from automotive companies and suppliers, European Aluminium member companies and past DuckerFrontier data. It is based on a detailed analysis of the use of aluminium castings, extrusions, forgings and sheets for 33 component groups across a sample of 93 car models, subsequently extrapolated to the entire 2016 production forecast in EU 28.
The full report (140 pages) is available to members of European Aluminium’s Automotive and Transport Market Group. For more information please contact Patrik Ragnarsson (ragnarsson@european-aluminium.eu).
In its 6 th edition, the conference will bring together expert keynotes, case studies and panel discussion. It will have attendees from various industry verticals segments, public transportation, automotive, logistics, mobility, telematics, and consumer electronics. Telematics India will address topics such as; Connected Cars, In-car Infotainment, Fuel Management, Commercial Fleet Telematics, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), UBI, Driver Behavior Management, Vehicle Tracking & On-board navigation and more.
With over 450 participants, the webinar addressed how automakers and suppliers go about selecting advanced materials for their programs, which materials hold the most promise, as well as the challenges and opportunities posed by multimaterial vehicles.
Here’s what participants said about the webinar:
The recorded webinar is now available on-demand until May 4, 2017.
“It is essential to work on this from now,” Vallino said of the third option.
Even if this method wasn’t quite ready for use on vehicles, “we will have no choice.”
“Without any doubt, the use of composite materials in mass production will be a real revolution for automotive industry,” Vallino said.
Pulling such lightweighting off will require a collaboration of OEMs, academics, software engineers — modeling will be key, he said — and suppliers, according to Vallino.
Abraham said DuckerFrontier’s research was more bearish, finding carbon-fiber too cost-prohibitive in the near term compared to aluminum and steel. However, he noted that depending on how close an OEM sits to that 54.5 mpg-by-2025 CAFE standard, “the willingness may shift accordingly.”
The audience seemed to agree with Vallino. An informal poll of the webinar (unfortunately, the number of participants wasn’t disclosed, so treat the data accordingly) found strong support for carbon-fiber making a dent — and quickly.
M. Scott Ulnick – Chairman & Managing Principal, DuckerFrontier has been confirmed as a speaker at the 44th FARO Club Meeting, Maranello (Italy).
Mr. Ulnick routinely consults leading industry and investment concerns on strategic improvement, growth initiatives and buy side transactions. In this advisory role, he participates in up to 100 projects a year, ranging from OEM to supplier to material issues, and covering functional topics from investment & acquisition, commercial diligence, product development, marketing strategy and competitive analysis. Industries of particular expertise include automotive, commercial vehicles, construction products/materials, aerospace, materials & materials forming, consumer durables, and industrial products.
The 44th FARO Club meeting will bring together stakeholders to look at the state of competition between Aluminum, Steel, Magnesium, Carbon and other solutions in the European Market.
To register for this event, click here.
Post Event Publication: Faro Club 2016.pdf
Carbon-fiber composites also are showing up in some vehicles, but auto makers are reluctant to commit to the expensive material. BASFAG ’s new carbon fiber oil pan is 40% lighter than steel or aluminum versions, for instance, but the company is still looking for a buyer.
Chrysler’s Pacifica, which has aluminum sliding doors, could be a pioneer when it comes to wider use of magnesium. Used on cars since 1920, the average light vehicle has about 10 pounds worth of the material in its composition, that number is poised to triple by 2025, according to a forecast by DuckerFrontier, a Troy, Mich., consulting and research firm.
“Magnesium has always been an interesting product for engineers since it provides a lot of weight savings but still provides strength,” said Abey Abraham, a project director at DuckerFrontier. The average light vehicle has about 10 pounds worth of the material in parts such as instrument panels and seat frames, and its use is poised to triple by 2025, it estimates.
“As the new emissions guidelines get closer, magnesium is starting to appear in more vehicles and in bigger parts,” Mr. Abraham said. Ford Motor Co. ’s Lincoln MKT luxury crossover was the last vehicle to use magnesium for the lift gate, but its volumes were slight compared with expected demand for the Pacifica.
