RAVENSWOOD, W.Va. — The Constellium aluminum plant in Jackson County already supplies metal for Boeing and Airbus. Workers proudly say more than 20 percent of the aluminum on any plane is made there.
Now Constellium can add tanks to its list.
The plant has been awarded a contract to produce KEIKOR 2139 plates for the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center — which, because the military loves acronyms, goes by TARDEC.
TARDEC, located in Michigan, is the Army’s research and development center for advanced military automotive technology.
The plates made by Constellium are to be used for armor applique on side armor and underbelly protection for ground combat vehicles. TARDEC refers to the end product as a Combat Vehicle Prototype, its next generation prototype fighting vehicle.
“What they’re trying to do is develop the next generation of fighting vehicles,” said Buddy Stemple, chief executive officer of Constellium in Ravenswood. “They selected our material to do this development.”
Constellium says landing the contract demonstrates the company’s leadership in innovative and high-quality aluminum products. The contract also demonstrates the expertise of Constellium in the defense market and confirms its growing position as a leading partner for aluminum armored vehicle solutions, company leaders said.
“Thanks to a tireless focus on research and innovation, and a strong investment program over the past five years, we have developed the broadest global offering of specialized aluminium alloys for armor applications,” stated David Meacham, vice president of sales transportation, industry and defense at Constellium’s corporate headquarters.
TARDEC praised Constellium for being both innovative and efficient.
“What’s more, once we selected the material, we were able to work with Constellium closely to begin the alloy processing quickly, and they were able to cut the originally-quoted delivery time by more than half,” stated Erik Polsen, TARDEC’s chief engineer for Combat Vehicle Prototype survivability.
No upgrades to the plant are necessary, and it’s unclear if any other type of expansion will occur.
“Being a prototype vehicle, we cannot anticipate on production and jobs,” Constellium said in a statement released by Hill+Knowlton Strategies, its corporate advisor.
Not all aluminum is alike, and what’s made for TARDEC will be specially suited to its needs.
“It just has a special set of characteristics that you control with alloying elements and the manufacturing process,” Stemple said. “That allows us to meet the requirements of the military.”
Constellium started the process of landing the contract a couple of years ago. Stemple said there’s a significant amount of testing required.
“We’ll take it out and shoot it,” he said. “If it’s going to be for a tank, we might shoot it with a tank.”
Stemple said Constellium’s workers are proud that their products are used in a practical way to help America’s military.
“Our stuff is protecting our soldiers,” he said. “We take great pride in that.”