Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest aluminium producer, has appointed Luca Zipponi as the CEO of Rolled Products. In this position, Zipponi will be responsible for managing growth and operations related to the product group, which has applications in various sectors including automotive, insulations, power projects, electrical, and packaging.
Zipponi brings over 30 years of experience to the role, having previously held leadership positions across Europe and Asia, including serving as the Group Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director UK at Reflexallen Group.
Vedanta Aluminium’s Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) unit in Korba, Chhattisgarh has a rolled products facility with a capacity of 0.72 lakh tonnes per annum. The facility includes casting stations, continuous caster, hot rolled mills, and cold rolled mills.
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, produces more than half of India’s aluminium, manufacturing 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. The company is recognized for its sustainable development practices, ranking first in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry.
Rolled aluminum sheets and coils are used extensively for body panels, including hoods, doors, fenders, and trunk lids. These components benefit from aluminum’s excellent formability, allowing for complex shapes and designs to be achieved during the stamping process. Additionally, aluminum’s corrosion resistance helps extend the lifespan of these parts, particularly in harsh environmental conditions.
The automotive industry also leverages rolled aluminum for heat exchangers, such as radiators and air conditioning condensers. Aluminum’s superior thermal conductivity makes it an ideal material for these components, enhancing overall vehicle cooling efficiency.
Despite its advantages, the use of rolled aluminum products in the automotive industry faces challenges such as higher material costs compared to steel and the need for specialized joining techniques. However, ongoing advancements in aluminum alloy development and manufacturing processes continue to address these issues, further solidifying aluminum’s role in the future of automotive design and production.