Airbus signs aluminium contract with China

[flysebi]

Airbus and its parent company EADS have signed a procurement frame contract with Southwest Aluminium (Group) Co., Ltd. (SWA), one of the largest aluminium product producers in China, for the manufacture and supply of aluminium plate. EADS’ sourcing strategy aims to develop a truly global supply chain that will enable the Group to create a more competitive cost base and provide natural hedging while gaining access to strategic markets in Asia. To drive this business transformation, EADS’ Global Sourcing Network supports Airbus to identify new potential partners around the world that can meet its quality standards and optimize its existing industrial assets.


Today, aluminium is of utmost importance in the production of airplanes as it is used in many different parts of an aircraft such as fuselage panels and frames, floor beams, and wing spars/ribs. SWA’s aluminium products will initially supply both Airbus’ single-aisle and long-range families, and the contract could be extended to other programmes in the future.


More about this at: Airbus signs aluminium contract with China - Pilot Magazin (http://pilotmagazin.ro/2011/03/airbus-signs-aluminium-contract-with-china/)

[411A]

I wish them well, however...China does not have exactly a sterling reputation of producing to spec...so, good luck.:}
So far as I know, Airboos does not use alclad skins, unlike others (including Boeing).
Might make a difference.
Or...not.

[unmanned transport]

Humphrey Davy (an Englishman) invented the name "aluminum" (note spelling) for the metal.
However, in common usage the name evolved into "aluminium" to match the naming convention of other elements.
In 1925 the United States decided to switch back to the original spelling and pronunciation of the word, at which point we dominated the aluminum industry.
We'd also like to point out that the process of actually producing aluminum was developed by an American and a Frenchman (not an Englishman).

Heck fellas, it's less keystrokes and time. Let's move away from the dark ages and go modern. Color, favor, program etc. The modern way of spelling is the best. Change is difficult for some folk but change can be good, as a spelling change in this minor rant.

[KBPsen]

at which point we dominated the aluminum industry.
Who's we?.........................

[18-Wheeler]

Change is difficult for some folk but change can be good, as a spelling change in this minor rant.

Well, wrong.
This is a UK-based forum and hence aluminium with an 'i' is correct, as it is in the vast majority of the world. Devolution of the language is a bad thing.


China does not have exactly a sterling reputation of producing to spec...so, good luck

That is indeed the legend and it does also have a lot of basis in fact. But these days if you specify such-and-such a grade of metal for a negotiated price you will get it. What happens for things like cheap machines, toys, etc, is you negotiate a price & standard and the Chinese company will deliver them to that spec & price, but you come back later and ask them can they make it cheaper and they say yes. What they don't tell you, because you didn't ask, is that they make it out of cheaper materials.
You get what you pay for.

[Morrisman1]

I heard (yes heard, no proof) that Airbus uses aluminum from Tiwai point smelter here in Invercargill, NZ. Id be interested in whether SWA is replacing any existing suppliers or complimenting.

[unmanned transport]

18-wheeler, fear not, it's just a modernized version of some words and they will not lose their meaning. I notice some of you folk are dropping 'me' from the end of the word program. Makes sense. As I noted, change is difficult to accept and it will happen as the English language is evolving as time passes.
Human nature likes to make life easy.

Sorry for the creepy thread, now back to Chinese aluminum.

[18-Wheeler]

It's not 'modernised' by any stretch of the imagination, it's a different sub-dialect. It's also certainly not evolution, rather a digression from real English.

[unmanned transport]

Come on 18-wheeler, the Yanks have modernized the ole mamma tongue.

They also had the gumption to dump all that archaic monarchy cult that a lot of you folks worship. Man, some of you are like Iranians paying homage to the Ayatollah Khomeni. You are buried too much in old crap.

I mean, who in their cotton pikin right mind would bow and scrape to this old dude. Same with the old monarchy.

Ruhollah Khomeini - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayatollah_Khomeni)

Just because the world's population are being taught to spell the old english way does not mean that it is right as you previously noted. There is no right or wrong way to spell some words, just a better way.

Why waste time adding 'me' to the end of program.
Get with the program old son.

[unmanned transport]

CHALCO (http://www.chalco.com.cn/zl/web/chalco_en.jsp)

CHALCO is the world’s second-largest alumina producer and third-largest primary aluminum producer in China.

18-wheeler, notice how the Chinese spell aluminum the modern way.

[18-Wheeler]

They also had the gumption to dump all that archaic monarchy cult that a lot of you folks worship.

A typical assumption and yet again you are wrong. I have zero interest in the monarchy.
US English is not a 'modernisation' of English it is a different sub-dialect. It's that simple. The reason it's unfortunately creeping across the world is because it's the default setting in the vast majority of word processors and the like. UK & Aussie English is slowly being polluted because people are lazy and sheep-like. :(

[unmanned transport]

18-wheeler, please just accept change as it is good. As I previously noted, human nature likes to take the easy route by improving the spelling of some words which makes them shorter to spell, yet does not change the meaning. So let's just leave it at that.

[GarageYears]

Time for this thread to migrate to somewhere else methinks...

However, "unmanned transport" I have to disagree. Just because some portion of the population misspells a word doesn't make it right. I presume you would find "how r u" incorrect? However the vast majority of teenagers wouldn't think twice.

The destruction of language as we know it, due to plain laziness, is not progress. I do not disagree with the assertion that language 'evolves' over time (try reading some Shakespear...) but there is a difference between evolution and ignorance. US English is called "US English" because it has known and accepted differences, but that does not make it the defacto standard - quite the opposite. It is a derivative or version of the original, in the exact same way that Spanish from Mexico (pick your country...) is a derivative of Spanish from Spain.

c u l8ur.... :eek:

- GY

[mixture]

18-Wheeler,

This is a UK-based forum

Actually, it's US based.

Danny Fyne sold PPRuNe to Internet Brands Inc sometime around 2007.

The site is hosted on US soil, somewhere in deepest darkest LAX.

[Willit Run]

This thread was hijacked on the 3rd post. Might be a new record!

chinese alumineeeeeum! I just think of the toothpaste, the baby formula, the milk powder, the drywall. I'm sure i missed a few. Makes me quiver at the possibilities.

[Ex Cargo Clown]

It is 100% aluminium.

Just as it is sulfur, and caesium.

If it is good enough for IUPAC, it's good enough for me (and the rest of my fellow chemists)

[grounded27]

Who in the hell cares how you spell it, the airbus is known to be glued together anyways, I think this is fine business strategy to lower the life of the aircraft and the people onboard on said aircraft's final flight. Airbus thinks they will just sell another jet sooner.

[flysebi]

@grounded27.

I think you're wright...If they do durable planes...or cars...or everything...the services of maintanance and reparations will die....

[sevenstrokeroll]

boeing made a mistake with a global supply chain.

and heck...I thought the 'bus was made out of plastic.

darn glad the US didn't buy the A330 variant as our tanker...

[bubbers44]

Sort of like buying a fleet of Migs to replace our F14's. Maybe they were just trying to beat Boeing down on the tanker price.