VALUE - Cross-Industry, Cross-Science Collaboration Strategies for Value Driven Aluminium Product Development

The knowledge building project VALUE, Cross-Industry, Cross-Science Collaboration Strategies for Value Driven Aluminium Product Development, aims at developing new insights, models and capabilities for accelerated, value-driven innovation of aluminium products, tested and verified in a research environment that enhances collaboration between academia and industry as well as industry sectors. Norway has a strong knowledge base related to aluminium, covering many steps of the value chain from metal production to manufacturing of structural components for the demanding automotive industry. However, we do believe there are untapped potentials in using aluminium and its features for different purposes and applications. This project will identify cases and demonstrators where aluminium can play a role in future products, and we will develop, test and verify new models and frameworks to bring such innovations to a technology readiness level of interest for industry. In addition to the Norwegian Research Council, the financing of this project will be provided by Hydro and Alcoa. The host institute at NTNU for this project will be Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, which is also home to NAPIC (NTNU Aluminium Product Innovation Center) which is an established collaboration between three faculties at the Norwegian University of science and Technology (NTNU). NAPIC aims at explore new product opportunities in aluminium by employing a research-driven innovation approach. The project aim establish new knowledge related to innovation processes spanning from team level to networks, and this knowledge is to be created by at least 4 PhDs, 50 MSc and scientific personnel in close collaboration with the industry. All 4 PhDs have now finalized, as well as two postdocs. 10-12 Industrial demoes are established and verified and close to 50 scientific articles are published. The remaining work in 2021 is directed towards summing up the industrial cases, generalize knowledge, and to finalize the two last PhDs. The VALUE idea will now continue within the Grønn Plattform project AluGreen.

VALUE har generert betydelige resultater knyttet til samutvikling av forskningsbaserte innovasjoner innen aluminiumsindustrien. Over en femårsperiode er 4 PhD utdannet, 2 PostDocs gjennomført, ca 50 MSc kandidater har utført sin masteroppgave i prosjektet, ca 50 vitenskapelige publikasjoner er publisert internasjonalt, 12 industrielle demoer er validert og internasjonalt samarbeid med spesielt Texas AM og DTU er utviklet og vokst i perioden. I perioden har aluminium som materiale blitt aktualisert gjennom økt fokus på bærekraft og løsninger med lavt CO2 avtrykk, dette gjør at flere og flere produktanvendelser vurderes med aluminium som grunnmateriale.

To sustain future economic growth, it is necessary to define impactful actions that will strengthen the competitiveness of the Norwegian industry. From this perspective, manufacturing companies must improve their ability to innovate and bring viable products steadily more dynamic market places. In the aluminium sector specifically, there is a large untapped potential for adding value to products potentially made by the large tonnage of aluminium produced in Norway. Hence, to increase competitiveness of the Norwegian-based aluminium industry, V-ALU-E aims to develop and create new knowledge, models and capabilities for 1) uncovering and developing new applications of aluminium, 2) collaborative co-creation and value-driven innovation, 3) agile product development and 4) innovative knowledge-based (lean) development and portfolio management.