Focusing on developing new innovative solutions and value-added products for its customers, ELVAL places particular emphasis on Research and New Technology Development. That’s why it has established its own Research, Development & Technology Department, manned by skilled experts. Every year ELVAL implements major investments in equipment and know-how, so as to upgrade its production capabilities.
Ready Solutions: On a continuous effort to support automotive business with advanced material in terms of strength, long life and light weighting; ELVAL’s Technology team and the Research and Development Department, are collaborating closely with engineers of UACJ (United Aluminium Company of Japan), a strategic partner of ELVAL, to develop ready solutions to fulfil customers’ needs. As a result of this technical collaboration and knowhow exchange, in 2013, ELVAL developed a new brazing alloy that is suitable for high strength - long life tubes used for heat exchangers in the automotive business. The superior mechanical properties of this new alloy offer to the market a solution that meets the most demanding specifications and supports environmental sustainability. The mechanical properties of the new alloy reduce the heat exchanger’s weight and the overall weight of the vehicle respectively, therefore significantly improve the life-cycle of the engine and reduce air pollution.
New Production Methods: Once it examines a customer’s exact requirements, ELVAL’s Research and Development Department can then propose and develop new innovative products as high-tech solutions for the specific applications being requested, a process which involves close collaboration with the customer. The Department also registers any patents that might emerge. The Research and Development Department frequently makes well-documented proposals about how to improve ELVAL’s production procedures, to ensure the quality of end products and to increase the Company’s productivity. One of the Company’s most widely-known patents is the special aluminium tread plate, marketed as ELVAL Grain. Thanks to its special design, this product offers excellent non-slip properties and significantly reduces noise when cargoes are being moved across its surface.
Customised Solutions: One of the most important services ELVAL offers to its customers is complete support and advice about the development of customised solutions, tailored to the technical specifications and needs of each customer. ELVAL maintains close contact with customers and working with them, identifies their needs and suggests solutions to ensure excellent service and customer satisfaction. ELVAL doesn’t limit itself to existing, already developed products in its range but also examines innovative solutions. To develop new products, experiments are conducted, using prototypes and tailor-made products developed with alloys and combinations of materials designed to meet customers’ needs. It is also possible to develop products with specific features such as products with high tensile strength (e.g. against impact) or non-slip properties or even low noise products like ELVAL Grain, products which are deep drawn and extruded to a considerable degree, flat rolled with top quality lacquer coatings, and products made 100% from recycled aluminium. Customers are also given the chance to benefit from product improvement services for existing products by modifying their properties, checking product compatibility with other products from the same manufacturer, examining different technical characteristics, by checking tolerances, and so on. This enables products to be optimised to perfectly suit customer needs. Using product improvement capabilities, the environmental characteristics of a product can be improved such as a reduction in CO2 emissions per ton of product or a reduction in energy consumption, and so on.