The ever-increasing trend towards lightweight construction in the automotive industry is fuelling the demand for aluminium components “made by SAG”. Especially in the case of electric vehicles, the weight reduction of up to 60 percent that can be achieved with aluminum compared to steel plays an important role. Accordingly, the aluminium tanks, compressed air tanks, lightweight components and special products produced by SAG are in query from major OEMs in the truck, automotive and special vehicle industries. Thanks to its international orientation with a total of nine locations in Europe, Mexico and the USA, SAG is a requested producer and solution provider for many vehicle manufacturers and contributes to green mobility with technical developments such as the first truck-mounted cryogenic tank system for liquid hydrogen. The Austrian family-owned company generated sales of EUR 211 million in 2023 and employs over 1100 people across the Group.
Green mobility goes hand in hand with the increased use of lightweight aluminum components in vehicle production. A trend that makes SAG an important international partner for OEMs such as BMW, Fiat, Chrysler, Stellantis, Maserati, DAF, IVECO, Daimler Truck, etc. In addition to classic aluminium tanks for heavy commercial vehicles, there is an increasing demand for lightweight components, air accumulators, compressed air tanks and aluminium body parts made of rheocasting (special casting processes), which ensure less weight and thus more range, especially in the field of electromobility. The tailor-made aluminium components are designed and made ready for series production in SAG’s development laboratory in Lend/Salzburg, where a team of more than 30 experts is working on new products and technologies.
Aluminium as a game changer
“We have always strived to think ahead and offer our customers advantages with new ideas, services or methods. This, together with our extensive experience in aluminium processing and series production, makes us a valued partner of OEMs. Above all, the huge market in North America, which we supply from our two production facilities in Mexico, currently offers enormous potential, as the topic of climate protection has now also become widely accepted in the USA. With our products, we can offer vehicle manufacturers a big step towards CO2 reduction. The next few months will therefore be dedicated to further expansion and internationalization – not only in North America,” says Dr. Karin Exner-Wöhrer, CEO of the Salzburger Aluminium Group.
The future starts now
SAG part of EU hydrogen aviation project LH2 cryogenic tank systems will soon also be available for aviation What was considered technically impossible not so long ago, namely to make liquid hydrogen (LH2) usable as fuel with cryogenic tank technology, has recently been achieved by SAG’s engineers. With their LH2 cryogenic tank system, they have earned the title of technology leader and are well on their way to bringing it, which has already been successfully tested by Daimler Truck on several long-distance trips across Europe, to series production.
This expertise is now being brought to bear as part of an EU-wide project for liquid hydrogen-powered aviation. SAG has been appointed to a high-profile consortium and will develop an LH2 tank system for commercial aircrafts over the next two years. The ALRIGH2T project “Airport-level demonstration of ground refueling of liquid hydrogen for aviation” aims to develop innovative refuelling technologies and processes that help reduce the environmental impact of the aviation sector, which is responsible for 2.5-3% of total greenhouse gas emissions.
SAG: Global player with a local footprint in seven countries and nine locations
The Salzburger Aluminium Group is an Austrian family-owned company with 1100 employees worldwide at nine locations in Europe, Mexico and the USA. The headquarters of the company, which dates back to Salzburger Aluminium, which was founded in 1898, is in Lend/Salzburg. Other SAG locations in Austria are Schwarzach/Pongau and Vienna. SAG has subsidiaries in the Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Mexico, the USA and Canada. As a market leader in aluminum tanks for heavy trucks, SAG is a global supplier to many well-known OEMs. Other products include lightweight components, air accumulators, compressed air tanks and special components for the commercial vehicle, rail and special vehicle industries.
The company is a technology leader in cryogenic tank systems for LNG & LH2 (liquefied natural gas & liquid hydrogen) and a pioneer in rheocasting (special casting processes for aluminum components). The export quota is over 90 percent. In 2023, the turnover of the SAG group amounted to around EUR 211 million.
As part of the GreenTech Award 2022/23 ceremony, SAG was awarded a special prize as “Leading Innovator” for the second time. The reason for this is the company’s numerous patents for innovations that make a significant contribution to climate protection.