Alcan Engineered Products showcases lightweight materials and recycling solutions for key industry eco-challenges at ALUMINIUM 2008 fair in Essen, Germany

MONTREAL, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ - Alcan Engineered Products - a business unit of Rio Tinto Alcan and an international leader in engineered aluminium, lightweight materials and technology - presents its broad portfolio of innovative multi-material products and sustainability solutions at the ALUMINIUM 2008 fair in Essen, Germany from 23 to 25 September 2008. "Alcan Engineered Products bases its success on consistently offering innovative materials and solutions to help our customers address their business challenges and environmental issues in a cost-efficient way," said Christel Bories, president and chief executive officer of Alcan Engineered Products. "Because we leverage our decades of expertise through applied R&D, and draw upon our very close relationships with leading industry players in all sectors, our products and technologies are now reputed as benchmarks for superior features and value." Alcan Engineered Products is committed to helping major industry and renewable energy sectors meet their environmental challenges by offering eco-friendly, energy-efficient and sustainable products. It has also developed unmatched end-to-end recycling capabilities in Europe so that its customers can fully benefit from the unique, infinitely recyclable properties of aluminium. The Alcan Engineered Products booth at ALUMINIUM 2008, located in Hall 3 (booth 1/20), showcases how outstanding R&D capabilities and applications continue to broaden the role of aluminium and composites as the materials of choice for major industries such as aerospace, transportation, automotive, can stock, construction and renewable energy. Alcan Engineered Products' highlights at the fair include: Lightweight materials: - Automotive parts to lower CO2 emissions from mass-produced vehicles - Cutting-edge functional surface products, including new ALUCOBOND(R) finishes, to enhance the environmental performance of buildings - Coating systems for decorative aluminium automotive parts, increasing their resistance to external influences - Large extrusions for aircraft fuselage frames Renewable energies - Composite material applications for wind turbines, including a combination of AIREX(R) foam and BALTEK(R) balsawood in the same sandwich structure - A range of Solar Surface(R) products specifically developed for outdoor use Recycling: - Closed-loop recycling for used beverage cans About Alcan Engineered Products Alcan Engineered Products manufactures and markets engineered materials and solutions for a wide range of industrial sectors, including aerospace, automotive, mass transportation, building and energy. With 15,000 employees located in 34 countries and a commercial presence in 65 markets across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region, Alcan Engineered Products is organised around seven businesses dedicated to performance materials in the areas of aluminium rolled products, aluminium extrusions, aluminium cable, composite products, automotive components and international trade. Alcan Engineered Products is headquartered in Paris, France. About Rio Tinto Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa. SOURCE:RIO TINTO ALCAN