ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks GmbH, a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Stahl, recently inaugurated a new tailored blank production facility in Changchun, northern China. The new company – TKAS (Changchun) Tailored Blanks Ltd. – is a joint venture between ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks GmbH and Angang New Steel Co. Ltd.

TKAS has been producing tailored blanks for the auto industry since early 2005. The facility currently has 20 employees and one laser welding line. A service center is to be added before the end of this year which will start operations in 2006, featuring a blanking line, a slitting line, a cut-to-length line and storage capacities.

“We are pleased to have received long-term supply contracts from local auto manufacturer FAWVW, under which we will be supplying tailored blanks for the Golf, Audi C6 and Audi A4 models over the next eight years,” says Rudolf Helldobler, Managing Director of ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks. “Brilliance in Shenyang is another key customer – they produce the Chevrolet Blazer and S-10 with General Motors and the 3 and 5 series with BMW.”

TKAS currently produces around 70,000 tailored blanks per year; from the end of 2006, annual output is planned to rise to approximately 820,000 blanks.

ThyssenKrupp Stahl pioneered the development of tailored blanks and through its subsidiary is a world market leader for this product. ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks operates production facilities in Germany, Italy, Sweden, Mexico and China.