Aluminum Blanking Company is the Host Sponsor of SAA's 2017 Lightweighting Summit held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Detroit Branch on September 25th.

Posted on October 5, 2017

PONTIAC, MI. - Laura Anderson, President and CEO of Aluminum Blanking Company provided welcoming remarks and “set the stage” of the conference to a room full of industry professionals, representing the automakers, aluminum and steel mills, material distributors and parts suppliers.

Laura Anderson – President & CEO, Aluminum Blanking Company

“As the original toll processor of aluminum and other surface sensitive material; a family owned company and WBE started 38 years ago, we are continuously looking toward innovations that improve our capabilities, capacity, and service to our customers – always with the mind to remain the leader in our respective area and the first name that comes to mind with our customers when they are looking for a solution, Anderson added.

“The speakers clearly pointed out the importance of lightweighting as a well as the numerous and interconnected paths the manufactures and suppliers are taking to achieve their goals,” said SAA President Tom Libby.

“The outlook is bright, particularly for suppliers, in all areas of light-weighting as we witness the growth in the number of passenger vehicles produced, additional programs applying light-weighting solutions to those vehicles, and the further advancements in technologies, material solutions, and the ways we find to optimize the full supply chain,” Anderson said.

For more key event takeaways, please click here

Grace Centers of Hope – Aluminum Blanking Company’s Community Outreach Day

Pontiac, MI – March 2017 – On Tuesday, March 7th, 2017 Aluminum Blanking Company kicked off its 2017 Community Outreach Day. Employees across several functional areas came together to support Grace Centers of Hope, by assisting kitchen staff in preparing and serving lunch for the residents.

Danielle Carroll, Sales and Marketing Associate with Aluminum Blanking Co., participated in the Outreach Day and commented: “…the people there were very welcoming and appreciated having us. For me, it feels good to give back to the community.”

“We have hired some great employees who went through Grace’s Life Skills Program over the years. This is just another small way that signals our commitment to their important cause and to help the surrounding community,” said Chad Elliott, Operations Manager at Aluminum Blanking Co.

What is Aluminum Blanking Company’s Pontiac Outreach Program?

ABCO employees participate in various community service projects throughout the year to connect with and support the citizens of the city of Pontiac. The objective of each event is to join employees from various departments who often do not have the opportunity to work together in our business environment.

“These events help to promote a collaborative culture within our organization, while actively serving the surrounding neighborhoods through community service,” according to Chris Brower, Director at ABCO.

To get involved or to learn more, please contact the program’s leader, Danielle Carroll Dcarroll@albl.com.

About Great Centers of Hope:

Grace Centers of Hope was established in 1942. It has since grown and evolved into the largest and oldest faith-based outreach to homeless and disadvantaged individuals and families. Grace Centers of Hope (GCH) provides a full recovery and rehabilitation campus for homeless men, women and children who have been abused or addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.

Change begins when we, as a community, extend helping hands. We do not believe homelessness and substance abuse addictions can be solved simply by throwing dollars at the problem. We believe that change occurs from the inside out. Consequently our faith-based organization is dedicated to recovery through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and supported through our challenging life skills programs.

To find out more about Grace Centers of Hope or learn about ways you can give, please visit: http://gracecentersofhope.org/about-us

Michigan Business Network – Spotlight on Aluminum Blanking Company

Radio Interview with Mike Rogers, with the Small Business Association of Michigan

Link to Radio Interview: http://www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/blog/profile-of-the-leader-of-a-37-year-old-family-business

Business Spotlight Release:

Michael Rogers, communications officer with the Small Business Association of Michigan, interviews Laura Anderson president & CEO Aluminum Blanking Company (ABCO).

Laura leads a 37-year-old family owned business, which is recognized for its deep heritage as the first dedicated processor of aluminum sheet in North America. Twenty-seven years ago, Laura first joined ABCO after years of leading aerospace engineering initiatives at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. In 2004, Laura left ABCO, after serving as Vice President of Systems, Quality and Engineering. She then filled a succession of leadership positions at tier-one automotive suppliers in the areas of six-sigma process improvement, logistics, and large-scale SAP implementation in supply chain planning and manufacturing.

Beginning in 2011, Laura founded a consulting firm that specialized in providing world-class Quality, Information Technology, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Planning, SAP Implementation, and JIT System Roll-Out Project Management and Advisory services. Laura rejoined ABCO in 2014 as Executive Vice President of Operations, and was later promoted to President, CEO. She is very proud of the team at ABCO and the legacy they have built on quality processing of aluminum blanks serving both commercial and automotive markets.

For more knowledge, news, and insights visit:

www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com

Aluminum Blanking Company Supports Grace Centers of Hope to Help Support Families in Need

Pontiac, MI – May 2016 – On May 18, 2016, Aluminum Blanking Company participated in the Grace Centers of Hope ribbon cutting celebration of the new William A. Davis Women and Children's Center to answer the ever-growing need of women and children who are homeless in Southeast Michigan.

“Last year we turned away over 8,500 women and children due to lack of shelter space. This represents over 23 calls each day from women who want help but unfortunately are put on a waiting list. For a woman escaping violence or a mom with her children at her side, this scenario is both tragic and life threatening,” said Dr. Pam Clark, Director of Grace Centers of Hope.

The new Women and Children's Center will allow the organization to serve an estimated 805 women and children annually - representing a capacity increase of 200%. To date, the organization has raised over $4.8 million needed for the construction of the new center, but they still need $1 million to support the operating costs for the first two years.

Grace Centers of Hope receives no government funding - they rely on partners within the community to come along side us to help restore the lives of homeless men, women and children in Southeast Michigan.

“We hope that through donations collected in this campaign, even more people can receive the support that they need. We began working directly with GCOH a little over a year ago and have had the privilege of adding four residents to the ABCO staff. These employees have become an integral part of the Aluminum Blanking team and we are proud to welcome them and see them do well. We encourage others to find ways to donate their time and resources to help others in whatever ways they can; contributing to the Women and Children’s Center would be a great start,” says Laura Anderson, CEO of Aluminum Blanking Company.

Grace Centers of Hope in the News:

"Grace Centers of Hope opens new center for women and children"

http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/142537249-story

"Grace Centers of Hope opens new homeless shelter in Pontiac"

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20160518/grace-centers-of-hope-opens-new-homeless-shelter-in-pontiac

"Grace Centers opens facility for homeless women, kids"

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2016/05/18/grace-centers-opens-facility-homeless-women-kids/84554056/

About Great Centers of Hope:

Grace Centers of Hope was established in 1942. It has since grown and evolved into the largest and oldest faith-based outreach to homeless and disadvantaged individuals and families. Grace Centers of Hope (GCH) provides a full recovery and rehabilitation campus for homeless men, women and children who have been abused or addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.

Change begins when we, as a community, extend helping hands. We do not believe homelessness and substance abuse addictions can be solved simply by throwing dollars at the problem. We believe that change occurs from the inside out. Consequently our faith-based organization is dedicated to recovery through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and supported through our challenging life skills programs.

To find out more about Grace Centers of Hope or learn about ways you can give, please visit: http://gracecentersofhope.org/about-us

The Evolution of Aluminium Processing

Highlights of comments presented by Laura Anderson, president and CEO, Aluminum Blanking Company for the Society of Automotive Analysts

In April, members of the Society of Automotive Analysts (SAA) were presented with an in-depth presentation entitled “The Evolution of Aluminium Processing in North America” by Laura Anderson, President & CEO, Aluminum Blanking Company (ABCO), a company, which has served the automotive and commercial sector for nearly 40 years.

Anderson has held leadership positions in automotive and aerospace, with dozens of years of experience in engineering, supply chain and manufacturing. The growth of ABCO, she says, has a lot to do with leveraging her cross-functional team of aluminum experts and the company’s deep heritage as the first dedicated processor of aluminum in North America.

Anderson’s presentation analysed the following topics:

What’s at stake?

CAFE driven factors are contributing to unprecedented growth in aluminium sourcing, with some industry analysts pointing to over 70% of all NA light vehicles having at least one major stamped aluminum component (by 2020),” a proposition that Anderson acknowledges “opens up numerous

sourcing opportunities for ABCO.” According to Anderson, “This dynamic is threatening steel capacity investments, placing millions of pounds of material up for grabs.”

To read the full article click here.

Aluminum Blanking Company Receives WBENC Certification

Pontiac, MI – May 2016 – Aluminum Blanking Company (ABCO), an industry leader in processing of surface sensitive materials, including Stainless Steel, Aluminum and Galvanneal, received national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

“The Great Lakes WBC is a terrific organization and we are honored to be officially certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise. The strong support from our industry partners, the community and customers continues to enhance our reputation as a great place to work and company to partner with. As we provide our customers more value and expand our business, we will continue to embrace the WBENC certification,” said Laura Anderson, President and CEO of ABCO.

WBENC’s national standard of certification implemented by the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women.

“The Great Lakes Women’s Business Council is proud to have Aluminum Blanking Company as one of our newly certified women owned businesses.  They are already a highly accomplished and successful woman owned business.  We are excited to see them soar even higher”, says Michelle Richards, President, Great Lakes WBC.

By including women-owned businesses among their vendors, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier/vendor diversity programs.

About Aluminum Blanking Company

Aluminum Blanking Company (ABCO) is the original toll processor of aluminum, stainless steel and other surface-sensitive coiled materials with +1B pounds of automotive aluminum processed since its start-up in 1979. ABCO is a family-owned and operated business recognized for its deep heritage as the first dedicated toll processor of aluminum sheet in North America. Operating seven blanking lines in their 176,000 square feet facility, ABCO offers unsurpassed blanking and cut-to-length capabilities. ABCO is also a certified women’s business enterprise by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the United States. Please visit our website www.albl.com for more information about ABCO.

About Great Lakes Women’s Business Council

The Great Lakes Women’s Business Council is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization which advances business owners by certifying more than 1,000 women business owners, training 15,000 business owners and lending more than $6 million resulting in the creation of more than 1,800 jobs and over $11.6 billion in revenue generated. Find more information about how the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council is accelerating business growth at www.greatlakeswbc.org

Aluminum Blanking Company Showcased at the 2016 SAA Lightweighting Conference, in Southfield, MI.

Posted April 2016

PONTIAC, MI. - Aluminum Blanking Company, is an industry leader in processing of all surface sensitive materials, including Stainless Steel, Aluminum and Galvanneal. Aluminum Blanking joined with industry titans General Motors and Ford Motor Company at the Society of Automotive Analysts (SAA) Lightweighting conference to discuss critical issues of importance to the industry.

SAA is the premier association for industry executives, analysts and thought leaders representing the purchasing, engineering, sales & marketing, and finance divisions from leading manufacturers and service providers. Over 100 automotive professionals were in attendance to explore ways to achieve aggressive fuel efficiency targets, which the speakers stated is a priority that extends to every automaker and supplier.

Executive level speakers were also in attendance from IHS Automotive, KPMG and Frost & Sullivan presenting their perspectives and in-depth outlooks for future growth.

Vishwas Shankar, a featured speaker at the event and Program Executive at Frost & Sullivan expressed his enthusiasm for SAA’s lightweighting event, saying “I attend about 10 lightweighting conferences per year and SAA’s organizing team was fantastic. The overall logistics were excellent.”

Vince Pavlak, the event moderator and Partner in KPMG’s Global Advisory practice, added “Never before has it been as critical to be proactive in understanding the impact of lightweighting on your business strategy as it is now.  I think the diversity of speakers, discussions and information sharing made for a truly enlightening event.  The SAA team did an exceptional job in setting up and coordinating from start to finish and it was exciting to see such a great turnout!”

With the booming growth in lightweight materials, industry analysts suggest that greater than 2/3rds of new vehicles will have at least one major stamped aluminum component by 2020, a proposition that Laura Anderson, President & CEO of Aluminum Blanking Company acknowledges “opens up numerous sourcing opportunities for ABCO.” According to Anderson, “This dynamic is threatening steel capacity investments, placing millions of pounds of material up for grabs.”

To see Laura’s presentation, please click here. To see the other presentations, visit SAA’s website: www.saaautoleaders.org.

Aluminum Blanking Company President & CEO, Laura Anderson, Featured in Metal Center News Article.

Posted February 2016

PONTIAC, MI. - “Aluminum Blanking is a long-established player in the automotive supply chain in Michigan, and is naturally growing as aluminum continues to gain market share,” says Laura Anderson, president and CEO of the Pontiac, Michigan company.