Alcoa said a team from its Alcoa Auto and Truck Structures business in Hungary delivered custom lightweight aluminum truck bodies in three months to a company in Belgium. These new truck bodies, made from aluminum extrusions,

castings and plate from Alcoa Kofem, will save weight while increasing payload for Sip-Well of Belgium, a water cooler company that delivers water coolers and water to the home and office market segment.
Besides the fast turnaround time, Sip-Well requested special features for its two new water delivery trucks. Specifications included double wide rack roll-up doors covering two bays each, a compartment for water coolers and specially designed thin walls between the bays to make maximum use of the body length.
"Alcoa Auto and Truck Structures works closely with Sip-Well from concept to design and product," said Dr. Holger Haddenhorst, director of business and applications development commercial vehicle for Alcoa Auto and Truck Structures. "For these new truck bodies, we also incorporated a new safety feature. Foldable steps also function as a warning system with sounds and lights in case the driver forgets to close any of the six side steps before departing. This required creating and then adding a well thought-out safety system for early warning in case the side steps accidentally would open during driving," he added. This additional safety system is now available to other customers with similar demand.
"With the weight savings the aluminum provides, we were able to increase payload productivity, plus add a special safety feature," said Jorgen De Pelsmaeker, director of logistics for Sip-Well.
Alcoa Auto and Truck Structures supplies truck bodies to customers worldwide. For more information, visit www.alcoa.com.