Recently, COR Wheels was able to sit down with Terry Seibert, Director of the Forged Wheels Division at Aluminum Precision Products. Based in Santa Ana, California, Aluminum Precision Products is one of the premier international forging suppliers, and provides COR Wheels with the most advanced forgings in the industry.

What are some of APP’s core values?
Our mission statement is that “Aluminum Precision Products is committed to steady, long term improvement of all our products and processes through defect prevention rather than detection.” Our goal is to be the world class quality supplier of choice in the forging industry.

How long has APP been in business?
We were established in 1965.

What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen or experienced in the forging industry during the past ten years?
More exotic light weight alloys are being developed and tested. Multi-piece or segmented precision die designs are also becoming more prevalent. APP is one of the premiere forge houses in this part of the industry.

Where do you see the future of the forging industry in ten years?
Expansion of forgings used in aerospace will continue to increase. Plus, the automobile industry will grow exponentially as cars are mandated for higher and higher CAFÉ numbers; vehicles will need to be light weight in all areas large and small such as suspensions, pistons, con-rods, engine components, structural components, and of course, wheels. We have a very positive outlook for considerable growth in the future.

What are some future plans for APP?
APP will continue as outlined in our mission statement, as well as expand in currently supplied aerospace, automotive, military/defense, medical, scuba, and commercial industries by expansion of sales and further acquisitions of cohesive like-manufacturing facilities.

What differentiates your forgings from others?
Our expertise garnered from engineering design, the calculation of grain flow appropriate to the part to be forged, and use of appropriate tonnage from one of 58 forge presses for a specific forged part. With our in-house die shop capabilities, we also ensure the customer is getting the best forgings.

What automakers use your forgings as Original Equipment (OE)?
Automakers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz AMG, Pagani, Ducati, Artega, Koenigsegg, Alfa Romeo, and Audi use our forgings as Original Equipment.

Where are your forgings developed?
All engineering design, forge die production, forging processes, and spinning are performed in Santa Ana, California USA.

Differentiate Rotary VS Conventional Forgings?
APP is now, and always has been, a proponent of conventional forgings versus rotary forging for a general reason; that being the fact that APP does not forge only “round” parts. Our process includes precision forging of a variety of shapes and complicated designs. Specifically, APP believes the correct grain flow and direction of the grain flow for strength is obtained via conventional hydraulic forging versus pushing metal in a circular motion to obtain a round shape.