Boston, MA 09/11/2014 (wallstreetpr) – Constellium NV (NYSE:CSTM) said it joined a consortium that seeks to improve the design of auto structural components. The consortium is known as Industrial Fracture Consortium. The collaboration will engage in research works with the main aim of addressing and even meeting the demand for lightweight automotive structural materials.
The Industrial Fracture Consortium was established by Professor Tomasz Wierzbicki of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The research works will comprise efforts to develop and even improve simulation software to predict the behavior of structural materials during forming and crash. Those are cited as the most important automotive components performance evaluation.
Commenting on the efforts of the consortium, Bruno Chenal, the director of research and development at Constellium Research & Technology, said the collaboration will support the modeling and testing of materials as well as skills and technical work. The consortium seeks innovation into lightweight aluminum for automotive body.
Value-add aluminum
A number of automakers have expressed interest in adopting value-add aluminum in their vehicle bodies in efforts to comply with fuel efficiency requirements. However, the Industrial Fracture Consortium seeks to look more into achieving the desired automotive weight while making the whole system safe. That is why in the research works the consortium hopes to gain insight into the possible failure of the structural components at an early stage and provide insight on strengthening the same.
Constellium NV (NYSE:CSTM) said the consortium already has secured funding through 2016. The members of Industrial Fracture Consortium include players in the aerospace, automotive, energy production and steel industries.
Positive sentiments
Constellium is a $2.8 billion company that is mostly engaged in the manufacturing of aluminum products and solutions. The company reported revenue of $920 million in the most recent quarter, which compared with the estimate of $946.45 million. The company earned $0.46 a share in the quarter, ahead of the estimate of $0.43. The majority of analysts covering Constellium NV (NYSE:CSTM) are bullish about its prospects, and that gives the company a consensus “buy” rating.
