Brazilian Firm Selected By Ford To Supply Graphite Iron Cylinder Block.(Brief Article)

Tupy Fundicoes of Brazil, one of the world's leading iron foundries, said it has been awarded by Ford Motor, and the high-tech Swedish company SinterCast, the production contract for the compacted graphite iron (CGI) cylinder block of its new V6 diesel engine.

The state-of-the-art 2.7 liter V6 engine will be the first ever volume engine produced with a compacted graphite iron cylinder block, Tupy said. The use of compacted graphite iron has allowed Ford to achieve aggressive targets for engine performance, size, weight and cost that could not simultaneously be met by traditional engine materials, such as aluminum or alloyed grey cast iron, the company said.

Scheduled for production start during 2003, the new V6 engine will become the range-topping powerplant in the combined Ford-PSA (Peugeot- Citroen Group) global diesel engine strategy. With target applications including Jaguar, PSA, Land Rover and Ford vehicles, high volumes will be achieved during the first full production year, 2004, Tupy said.

The selection of Tupy, SinterCast and compacted graphite iron for this flagship program is particularly significant in the light of Ford's stated ambition, together with PSA, to become the largest diesel engine manufacturer in the world.

Mario Egerland, President and C.E.O. of Tupy said, "The Ford decision is of great significance for Tupy. It confirms our belief in compacted graphite iron as a key engine construction material for the future and acknowledges and rewards our strategy to become the CGI foundry for the worldwide automotive industry. With this production program leading the way, we anticipate considerable growth both within the Ford-PSA alliance and with other car and truck manufacturers in Europe, America and Asia. Tupy Fundicoes is committed to leading this trend toward CGI".

Bertil Hagman, President & CEO of SinterCast said, "Following years of technical achievements, and successful low-volume production, this first volume production order signals the beginning of a new era for SinterCast, compacted graphite iron, and the world foundry and automotive industries. . . This important decision from Ford verifies that the entire CGI manufacturing process, including machining, satisfies mass production requirements and economics."

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