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Industry Overview
The
market for laser-welded blanks (LWBs) has grown rapidly over the past
decade. More automakers have realized the many benefits of laser-welded
blanks and are incorporating them into the design of their new vehicles.
LWBs offer several advantages over traditional vehicle construction,
including:
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lower vehicle and part
weight
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reduced steel usage
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improved safety
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eliminates reinforcement parts
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eliminates assembly steps in automaker plant
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reduces capital spending for stamping and spot-welding equipment
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reduces inventory costs
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improves dimensional integrity, fit and finish
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better noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) performance
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higher customer-perceived quality
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increased vehicle strength and rigidity
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lower total costs
Noble
leads the industry in designing more applications for laser welded blanks
into new vehicles. Noble’s market share of the value-added market (by
revenue) is about 36%, making us the largest provider of value-added laser
welding services. Noble engineers work with automakers to design laser
welded blanks into new vehicles, driving the expansion of the LWB market.
The
LWB market has grown dramatically over the past decade, with Noble’s
production of LWBs increasing from approximately 1.2 million in 1994 to
about 17 million in 2004, with the total market in 2004 estimated to exceed
55 million LWBs. Independent studies of the LWB market have concluded that
there are 18 or more potential applications per vehicle, providing
substantial room for further growth in the automotive market. Further
information on these studies may be found at
www.ulsab.org.
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The Noble Advantage
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Noble is North America’s largest laser welder. We have delivered
approximately 90 million LWBs for more than 50 vehicle platforms since
1992.
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Engineers at our Technical Center develop new LWB applications in
cooperation with automakers, giving us an advantage in expanding our
market presence. We also maintain a technological edge, allowing us to
pursue the most attractive opportunities. The Ford F-150 bodyside shown
below is the first combined exposed and unexposed surface in a production
blank, an example of Noble’s technical leadership in the laser welding
industry.
- We
build our own laser welding equipment, allowing us to customize our
production equipment to fit our production processes. This maximizes our
output and minimizes capital requirements.
- We
have three production facilities in North America and opened our first
overseas facility in Geelong, Australia in January 2004. We are currently
relocating our Australian operations to a new, permanent facility in
Adelaide, with production for a second customer scheduled to begin in the
third quarter of 2005. In January 2005, we acquired a production facility
in Silao, Mexico. Locating our facilities close to our customers reduces
transportation costs and maximizes our flexibility to respond to their
needs.
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