FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2004
Contact: Lonita McLean
Francis Marketing
(616) 235-1122

Aisin Light Metals Chooses Granco Clark

Belding, Michigan — Aisin Light Metals has supplied aluminum extrusions to the Japanese automotive industry for many years. It is now entering the U.S. market with the development of a new facility in Marion, Illinois. The production plant will house one 4000-ton Ube extrusion press, and Belding, Michigan-based Granco Clark has been chosen to provide the billet heating and extrusion handling equipment.

The billet heating equipment includes the patented Granco Clark “Taper Quench,” which adds an important level of control to the extrusion process. Automotive industry standards will be met by the belt-style handling equipment, which includes a puller, stacker, and finish saw. The system length is currently 120 ft., but provision has been made to expand to 164 ft., and an additional profile stacker may also be added at a later date.

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Founded in 1947, Granco Clark began manufacturing billet furnaces and has evolved into a global, single-source supplier and leading equipment manufacturer to the aluminum extrusion industry. Quality is a key component in every extrusion system the ISO-9001 certified company fabricates — from billet log furnaces and log shears to age ovens and stacking equipment.

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