Norway-based Sapa Extrusions, a global developer of aluminum products, today opened a technology center in Birmingham, its second facility in Michigan.
“We chose to locate our first automotive technical center in proximity to Detroit in order to best serve automotive OEM’s in the area,” says Matthias Kapp, automotive engineering manager with Sapa’s North American Technical Center. “This location allows us to work closely with our OEM customers to deliver high-quality, customized extruded aluminum solutions for automobiles.”
Kapp says the Birmingham research and development center, 380 North Old Woodward Ave., will offer design expertise for creating corrosion-resistant and cost-efficient aluminum profiles for the automotive industry. More than a dozen engineers will work in the space, and will provide custom alloy development for area OEMs. Sapa Extrusions’ current clients include Ford Motor Co., Chrysler, Tesla, and Honda.
The company’s second location in Michigan is a plant in Kalamazoo that offers ready-to-assemble finished components.
Besides Birmingham and Kalamazoo, Sapa Extrusions, with its North American headquarters in Chicago, also has facilities in Baltimore, and Toronto, among other cities. The company has about 23,000 employees in more than 40 countries.
