ALUMINIUM TWO THOUSAND

More than 80 highly qualified “aluspecialist” speakers from companies, universities and associations all over the world are coming together (as they have been doing every two years since 1990) to introduce the most innovative technologies and applications in the aluminium field to a specialised, international public.

Aluminium Two Thousand has become an irreplaceable networking occasion for all operators of the aluminium business (be it extrusion, foundry, melting, finishing or exhausted water treatment). But how did it come to be?

We asked its creator, Walter Dalla Barba, CEO of Italtecno Srl (Fiorano Modenese), president of Interall and of the Aluminium Two Thousand World Congress.

In the 80’s I used to attend international congresses about surface treatment and extrusion techniques, and I wondered why aluminium was only treated as one among many, despite it being the third most common element after oxygen and silicon and the most used metal (right after iron) to manufacture millions of products. Fast forward to the end of 1988: having just come back from Paris Interfinish congress, I was talking with a long-term collaborator of Italtecno, journalist Velello Muratori, and another business partner of mine and we decided to organize ourselves a congress that would give due credit to this noble metal. We set the date of the first edition, March 1990, and the title, Aluminium Two Thousand, because of the nearing Y2K. We had no way of knowing whether ten or a hundred people would have come to the Raffaello Hotel in Modena, and yet more than two hundred came, despite the odd Arab refusing to attend due to a lack of five stars hotels in the city.
Still, this made me realise we had attracted a high-end public and that our congress had to meet those expectations. We called in managers and businessmen from the most important businesses in the field, both from Italy and other manufacturing countries. And we were successful – not just with the scientific part, but also with the side activities we had planned: to get to north-west Sardinia, where we would spend the following two days and nights, we had booked an entire Meridiana flight, but it was so full we had to leave some people out. Ever since 1990, all the activities we’ve offered – from gala dinners to sightseeing tours, from activities for those just accompanying to cooking classes (which Americans seem to really enjoy) – have gained more and more following.

Who are the congress speakers?

According to topic, we have called in technicians from extrusion, anodizing, coating and melting companies, but also economists, like professor Cesare Garzia from Bocconi university, who are going to present their analysis of the trends and outlook of the aluminium business as well as the overlap with general economy.

We’ll talk about the different fields of application for extruded aluminium, about the issues with implementing various alloys and about applying aluminium to architecture, automotives, transportation, costume jewellery and furniture. We have indeed seen at the Salone del Mobile (Milan furniture expo) that aluminium is trending for home and office interior design. We’ll leave a lot of space to innovative technologies and scholarly research.

About that, you have managed to have business and university meet through the synergy with the International Conference on Extrusion and Benchmark (ICEB), the biggest event in Europe for the newest development of extrusion technology and its analysis through FEM simulation. When did the collaboration with ICEB first start?

It all began in 2003, when researchers from the Engineering Department of the University of Bologna came to our congress, which was in Rome that year. Now, ever since the 6th edition, we also host the International Conference on Extrusion and Benchmark, an event attended by researchers from all over the world which previously used to alternate between Bologna and Berlin. This is why I’m proud of my contribution, not just for enabling the highly desirable exchange between universities and manufacturers in a constructive, friendly setting, but also for bringing to Bologna the excellence of aluminium studies.

What’s this year’s program?

For three whole days we’ll hold three parallel sessions to delve into the details of all topics. Each paper has been examined by the congress scientific committee in order to only select the most innovative studies and researches, the most recent manufacturing applications and the most interesting case studies.

At the same time, to ensure the best possible stay in Bologna, we’ll have entertaining side events every night: a gala dinner, an exclusive concert, a tour for accompanying people, a technical tour and a final, beautiful social tour through the charming historical cities surrounding Bologna, including Ravenna, capital of the Roman Empire from 408 to 476.