Aluminum
The growing emphasis on greater fuel efficiency has sparked an increasing demand for lighter materials in the automotive industry. The application of aluminum as an alternative to heavy materials such as steel has increased the need for quality aluminum.
HTA and its suppliers in North America procure 100 percent of the aluminum that is used in Honda's North American production facilities, and HTA supports Honda suppliers with their aluminum requirements in the form of ingot, molten and sheet aluminum. Sixty (60) percent of the aluminum HTA procures is used by suppliers to create parts for Honda products, while 40 percent is used in-house at Honda facilities.
HTA is able to minimize the impact of price volatility of aluminum for Honda and its suppliers by establishing methods to help stabilize prices.
Examples of Aluminum Applications:
- Brackets
- Pistons
- Engine block
- Cylinder head
- Transmission case
How it works:
- Honda Trading determines how much aluminum will be needed by its customers - including both
Honda Manufacturing and Honda's aluminum parts suppliers.
- HTA consolidates the orders based on the various stringent requirements for quality Honda
products and then works with Honda-approved smelters, who produce the appropriate materials for use by HTA's customers.
- HTA then performs quality assurance checks and processes the orders, guaranteeing just-in-time delivery for its customers.