Resources

The design flexibility of automotive aluminum is unparalleled, allowing automakers to engineer optimum shape and performance for each specific application. Primary and secondary weight savings from a well-designed aluminum body structure provide designers the opportunity to build lighter cars and trucks while maintaining optimum automotive safety, increased vehicle performance and better gas mileage.

Efficient manufacturing methods have been developed by experts from the automotive and aluminum industries to handle, form, assemble, join, machine and finish aluminum in all its product categories. In most cases, aluminum also benefits from the same high-productivity manufacturing infrastructure that has evolved to serve the automotive industry with today's conventional materials.

The “Resources” section of the Web site is designed to provide deeper knowledge through the glossary of key auto aluminum terms, in addition to information on repair techniques, research and whitepapers – all of which pertain to automotive aluminum.

Meet the Technical Committee

The ATG’s technical committee serves as the momentum and chief counsel to all research initiatives.

Michael Bull – Director of Technology-Automotive, Novelis

Mr. Bull sits at the company’s interface between the customer, the production facilities and the R&D group while maintaining a role as chairman of the technical committee for the Aluminum Transportation Group (ATG). In the last 20 years, Mr. Bull has worked on many automotive projects, including many of the well-known aluminum intensive vehicles and numerous closure and structure programs in Europe, North America and Japan. Mr. Bull's formal background is in material development and deformation behavior where he has led the development of a number of sheet alloys currently widely used in automotive applications.

Todd Summe – Manager, Product Design and Development, Alcoa

Mr. Summe is the manager of the product design and development division of Alcoa’s Technology and Quality organization.  He leads the organization in the development of new products and business opportunities with advanced technologies across a range of markets that include ground transportation, aerospace, alternative energy and defense. Mr. Summe is an engineering and management professional with 20 years of experience developing advanced engineered systems.  The majority of his career has been dedicated to ground transportation structures development with special emphasis on crash energy management, durability and overall structural optimization. Mr. Summe has been instrumental in the development of a number of world class automobiles including the Corvette Z06, Jaguar XJ, Ferrari 360 Modena and 612 Scaglietti, and his background includes rocket and gas turbine engine design with Pratt & Whitney and advanced helicopter design with Bell Helicopter.  He has been awarded four U.S. and international patents for vehicle structures.  Mr. Summe received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 1987.

Doug Richman – Vice President of Engineering and Technology, Kaiser Aluminum

Mr. Richman joined the organization in 1996 as general manager of the company’s automotive castings operations and was appointed to his current position in 2001. Before joining Kaiser, he had been vice president of automotive castings for Alcan Inc. His background also includes almost 20 years of experience in development and design management at General Motors. Richman holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance and Operations Research from the University of Detroit and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the General Motors Institute. He is a registered professional engineer in Michigan.

Kenneth Martchek – Global Life Cycle and Environmental Sustainability Manager, Alcoa

Mr. Martchek joined Alcoa in 1979, then becoming a member the environmental engineering staff in 1983 where he directed a number of commercial project installations in water and waste treatment. In 1992, he received Alcoa's Davis Award for the R&D, design and successful startup of a biological treatment facility associated with a new, high-speed electrocoating operation. He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and American Society for Quality. Mr. Martchek has a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, a Masters of Science in chemical and biochemical engineering from Rutgers University and is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Pennsylvania. Mr. Martchek is also one of four Alcoa employees a United Nations' panel on climate change recognized as playing a role in the organization winning the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on global warming.