Alcoa receives contract from Austal to produce aluminum tie downs

Alcoa announced that it has been awarded a subcontract from Austal USA to produce aluminum tie downs for the Joint High Speed Vessel. The 10 JHSV ships, slated for completion by 2015 will be the US military’s first aluminum catamaran fleet.

Mr David Dobson president of Alcoa Defense said that “We are excited to be working with Austal on this groundbreaking fleet. Through our design and engineering expertise, we are helping to expedite the manufacturing process for the fleet while simultaneously making aluminum shipbuilding more affordable.”

Designed to secure cargo, equipment and vehicles in the JHSV’s mission bay, the all aluminum tie downs are 50% lighter than conventional steel tie downs. The tie downs will be manufactured from high-strength aluminum by Alcoa’s facility in Auburn, Ind. By providing the finished tie downs, Alcoa Defense helps Austal streamline the supply chain and achieve its lean manufacturing goals.

Mr Scott R Kerns VP & GM of Alcoa Transportation Products said that “We are now applying decades of experience in creating subassemblies for a variety of industries to build innovative, high quality marine structures. Alcoa makes it easier and more affordable for shipyards to integrate aluminum structures in their vessels.”

Collaboratively developed by Alcoa and Austal USA, the all aluminum tie downs were designed to replace traditional steel tie downs, which require a more expensive, complex, labor intensive process for joining and installation. The aluminum tie downs offer the same structural strength and performance as steel at a fraction of the weight and installed cost. Additionally, the aluminum tie downs enhance the long-term durability and structural integrity of the JHSV because unlike steel they will not produce galvanic corrosion when attached to the JHSV’s aluminum deck.