Norsk Hydro ASA Business Report FY2010

Business Highlights

Recent Years
Heat Exchanger
-The Company's rolling mills produce a wide variety of strip and sheet used in the manufacture of heat exchangers for passenger and commercial vehicles as well as other product applications. The Company is the largest supplier in Europe, working with key customers such as Behr, Denso and Modine, to develop specially adapted alloys and optimized production techniques to fit their manufacturing processes.

Aluminium Sheet and Coil
-The Company is the second-largest supplier of aluminium sheet and coil to the European automotive market for interior and exterior vehicle body parts, chassis and component applications. Key customers include BMW and Daimler. Production is focused within their Grevenbroich and Hamburg plants.

Restructuring

-In March 2010, the Company closed the doors at its aluminium tubing plant in Adrian, Michigan, USA. In March 2009, the Company announced its decision to close the plant and consolidate its aluminium tubing operations in North America as result of the challenging market situation, particularly in the automotive industry. The operations at the Adrian plant were transferred to its two other sites in Florida, USA and in Mexico. (From a press release on March 1, 2010)

-In Dec. 2010, the Company decided to phase out its extrusion plant at Karmoy in 2012 as part of its work to restructure the production of aluminum profiles in Norway. In connection with the phasing out of Karmoy, the entire production will be transferred to Magnor and Raufoss, Norway. The restructuring will affect 94 employees at Karmoy. Overall, Hydro's Norwegian extrusion business has 380 employees. (From a press release on December 8, 2010)

R&D

R&D Facilities

R&D network -Norway: Oslo, Raufoss, Sunndalsora, Karmoy, Porsgrunn, Ardal
-Denmark: Logumkloster
-Germany: Bonn, Ulm, Neuss
-US: Holland (MI)