The race to lightweighting is well underway with the introduction of the aluminum body Ford F150. Raj Reddy, vice president of strategy for global rolled products at Alcoa, one of the biggest aluminum manufacturers in the world, knows, however, that the competition in the aluminum market will get stiffer with the introduction of more stringent CAFE standards. The company could look to newer bonding technologies and customization of services for its prized clients like Ford to diversify or invest in R&D to increase the ductility and strength of its core products. Students are asked to find strategies to define and boost Alcoa’s value proposition.
Alcoa: The Race to Light-weighting (Spanish)
by: Andrew Hoffman, Jordan Siegel
Publication Date: August 27, 2015
Length: 24 pages
Product ID#: 1-430-461
Core Disciplines: International Business, Strategy & Management, Sustainability
Partner Collection:
Available Documents
Click on any button below to view the available document.
Don't see the document you need?
Don't See the Document You Need?
Make sure you are registered and/or logged in to our site to view product documents. Once registered & approved, faculty, staff, & course aggregators will have access to full inspection copies and teaching notes for any of our materials.
Make sure you are registered and/or logged in to our site to view product documents. Once registered & approved, faculty, staff, & course aggregators will have access to full inspection copies and teaching notes for any of our materials.
$3.95
Need to make copies?
If you need to make copies, you MUST purchase the corresponding number of permissions, and you must own a single copy of the product.
Electronic Downloads are available immediately after purchase. "Quantity" reflects the number of copies you intend to use. Unauthorized distribution of these files is prohibited pursuant to term of use of this website.
Teaching Note
This product has a teaching note available. Available only to Registered Educators. Please login to view it.
Description
Teaching Objectives
After reading and discussing the material, students should:
- Define Alcoa’s distinct value proposition and competitive advantage.
- Consider Alcoa’s product portfolio and the advantages and disadvantages of being strongly tied to one industry.
- Decide how Alcoa should respond to increased competition and defend its position in the industry.
- Consider how Alcoa should respond to aluminum manufacturing in China.
- Analyze both vertical and horizontal product differentiation strategies to explain how aluminum businesses can compete with one another in a commoditized industry as well as indirectly with those in different industries, such as steel and carbon fiber.