ZURICH, Feb. 4, 2009 -- The Novelis Technology and Innovation Centre in Göttingen, Germany, has received a further boost to its research and development activities in the form of grant funding.  The funding will support Novelis’ work to develop a new aluminium sheet product that will enable customers in the lithographic printing industry to reduce their energy usage. 

As part of their overall R&D programme, Novelis scientists are working on a radically different product that will be much quicker and easier for lithographic plate producers to prepare for use, thus saving significant electrical energy and shortening process times.  This “win-win” formula would help reduce environmental impact and lower costs for lithographic plate producers.

“Not surprisingly, customer interest is high,” says Frank Rill, lithographic sheet sales and marketing director for Novelis.

The grant from the Lower Saxony Economic Development Fund and the European Fund for Regional Development will help Novelis to transform its successful R&D work into a market-ready product.

The news comes just over a year following the official opening of the Technology and Innovation Centre, which is located at the Novelis aluminium sheet rolling plant in Göttingen. 

“Our vision for the Technology and Innovation Centre is to bring relevant, value-creating projects to our customers -- and to do so quickly,” says Rill.  “We are delighted to have been awarded this grant as it gives a significant boost to a very exciting project for us.”

About Novelis
Novelis Inc. is the global leader in aluminium rolled products and aluminium can recycling. The company operates in 11 countries, employs approximately 12,700 people and reported annual revenues of $11.2 billion in its 2008 fiscal year.  Novelis supplies premium aluminium sheet and foil products to automotive, transportation, packaging, construction, industrial and printing markets throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia.  Novelis is a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited, Asia’s largest integrated producer of aluminium and a leading copper producer.  Hindalco is the flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India.  For more information on Novelis, visit www.novelis.com.

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Media Contact:
John Gardner
Novelis Europe
+41 44 386 2155
john.gardner@novelis.com