New NRC $45M Aluminum Manufacturing Program
June 13th, 2013
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) has announced it will launch a new program to support the Canadian manufacturing and transportation industries to reduce the weight of cars, trucks, trailers, buses, and trains by developing innovative aluminum technology.
“Canada is a global leader in producing aluminum, and now has the opportunity to lead the world in the transformation of aluminum into parts for lighter weight vehicles,” said Michel Dumoulin, General Manager of the Automotive and Surface Transportation portfolio at the NRC. “This program will support Canadian manufacturers in developing lighter parts and structures that will make our vehicles more fuel efficient, safer, and environmentally friendly.”
The new $45-million Lightweighting of Ground Transportation Vehicles program will support the development, validation, and deployment of advanced technologies to form aluminum into parts that will make up the next-generation of fuel-saving vehicles. The NRC reports the program will enable industry to reduce overall vehicle weight by 10% within eight years.
The NRC has also announced a new R&D consortium of industry partners from all areas of the manufacturing supply chain to address issues in advanced aluminum shaping, aluminum durability, and parts assembly.
In Budget 2013, the federal government announced the NRC was being re-aligned as a more industry-oriented organization and key agency for achieving industrial R&D objectives. Its new objectives include providing businesses with technical services, support for applied R&D projects, access to sector-specialized laboratories and testing facilities, and connections to leading applied research organizations.
The government is investing $121 million over two years to support this new vision for NRC, which also administers the popular Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) and the Digital Technology Adoption Pilot Program (DTAPP).