The Shapemakers by The Aluminum Extruders Council

With  many auto builders  turning their focus to producing battery electric vehicles (BEVs), Andrew  Halonen  of Mayflower Consulting shares his insights on the use of aluminum extrusions in battery enclosures. The role of aluminum extrusions in this growing market, what is driving the trend toward extrusions, how other aluminum material processes fit into the mix and what he is seeing down the ro...

Jeff Henderson, AEC President, and Robert DeFrancesco, AEC's lead trade attorney, discuss the Department of Commerce's recent decision in the important Reflections Window & Wall scope challenge.   They will review the outcome and next steps.

In this podcast Jeff Henderson, AEC President, will have a discussion with the AEC's Lead Attorney in its Ongoing Trade Case against China about circumvention, transshipment, and the difference between the two. To most of us, circumvention is the catchall for all illegal maneuvering to avoid paying duties. However, the law sees them differently. This discussion will define those differences and wh...

Jeff Henderson, AEC President, and Robert DeFrancesco, AEC's lead attorney discuss the ongoing Trade Case against China and the Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA) program. The AEC has participated in this program since its inception in 2015. Learn more about the program and how the AEC and its members can use it to defend the extrusion industry against violations of the anti-dumping and countervailing...

Many aluminum extruders (as well as manufacturers in general) are challenged to hire talent with the critical skills needed in today's manufacturing environment to operate and maintain equipment that is becoming increasingly higher tech. Duncan Crowdis, AEC Academic Engagement Leader, Chuck Stout of Pennex Aluminum, and Jessica Borza of the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition discuss the colla...

Tom Culp, PhD, AEC's consultant on building and energy codes, discusses his work with various code and ratings groups. Tom is privy to the next round of ever more stringent energy codes, such as ASHRAE 90.1 and 189.1, International Building Code, National Fenestration Ratings Council, and Canada's National Energy Code for Buildings—and he is on the frontline defending aluminum's place in the build...

Studies have shown that students and parents start to make curriculum choices that will guide potential career paths as early as middle school. This podcast focuses on the hands-on, interactive work that is being done by a company in the Richmond, Virginia area to engage and start to educate middle and high school students, their parents and school guidance counsellors on the attractive career opp...

In this second episode in our series covering the various components of a trade case, we'll discuss Administrative Reviews. The Department of Commerce conducts a full review of our trade case each year.  Through this process, Commerce establishes our duties for the previous year.  As a result of the AEC's strategic play in these reviews we have seen our combined tariffs against Chinese extruders c...

In this podcast, AEC's lead trade attorney, Robert Defrancesco of Wiley Law, discusses a key victory in our trade case.  Kingtom, with an operation in the Dominican Republic, was found guilty of comingling Chinese and local extrusions for export into the United States.  Find out what this means to our industry and what happens next.

Join us for a conversation with Andrew Halonen, President of Mayflower Consulting, and a lightweighting expert.  Andrew discusses with host Lynn Brown, AEC Industry Promotion consultant, the trends he sees in aluminum use in autos – both battery powered and internal combustion -- and identifies specific applications where (and why) extrusions are playing an important role.   He also shares his tho...

The AEC Student Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition is a yearly scholarship opportunity for university, technical college and high school students. It provides an opportunity for students to earn money for school while also learning about a manufacturing process that is universal yet widely under-represented in school curriculum. Duncan Crowdis, AEC's Academic Engagement Team Chair, interviews c...

As students and parents look at choices for desirable career paths, this podcast focuses on the changes in the work environment and attractive career opportunities within today's aluminum extrusion manufacturing industry. This includes broad opportunities that come from the adoption of advanced technologies, a variety of educational qualification levels required for different positions within the...

In this first in a series of podcasts that cover the various components of a  trade  case, we will explore Scope Challenges.  Since our case was won in 2011, the AEC has had over 125 scope challenges.  Each challenge has the potential to exclude large portions of our customer base from the protection afforded to us by the duties.  We will discuss the process by which one will file a case, how it i...

In this episode we will discuss the latest developments in the Reflections Scope Challenge to our case.  Reflections has introduced a hybrid window wall/curtain wall product that is high disputed as being subject merchandise by the AEC.  Many AEC members participate in this market and several of them have come forward to assist us in winning this case.  Get the latest update from our lead attorney...

In 2021 and 2022 the AEC and its members will be filing for another 5-year extension of its historic Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duty cases.  In this episode, Robert DeFrancesco, Partner at Wiley Law and lead attorney of our case, will discuss the process, timeline, and expectations for this important task.    

In this introductory episode of The Shapemakers, AEC President Jeff Henderson joins Guy Charpentier of Bonnell Aluminum and AEC Industry Promotion Steering Committee Chair, and Jason Weber of Taber Extrusions and AEC's Marketing Team Chair, to discuss what this new podcast from the Aluminum Extruders Council will cover. The episodes will strive to generate more awareness about the aluminum extrusi...