Glossary
ShareA
ALmitas+ SMART mass balance
The environmentally considerate product brand "ALmitas+ SMART" for aluminum products that reduce environmental impact compared to conventional products; products of this brand come with a mass balance method assurance certificate attached.
Amount of recycled aluminum
The input amount of aluminum reused as raw material for recycled aluminum; specifically, this refers to the recycled ingot produced by remelting used products, process scrap, etc.
ASI certification
Certification by the international aluminum initiative "Aluminium Stewardship Initiative" (ASI); this enables declaration that the operating entity meets ESG-related standards set by ASI internationally and that the company's production management is trustworthy.
C
Can to Can
Horizontal recycling of aluminum cans, regenerating from aluminum cans to the same category of product such as aluminum cans
Circular economy
This is a concept that spread globally when the EU announced a policy package in December 2015, called the "circular economy." This is an economy that preserves and maintains the value of products, materials, and resources for as long as possible, minimizes waste generation, and reduces environmental impact from resource use.
Closed loop
This is the basic concept of the circular economy, meaning a "circulation-type economy." It is called this because consumed products are regarded as new resources, and the flow of generating products again appears like a "closed loop."
G
General investment
This refers to investments in the UACJ Group for maintenance and management of existing facilities, including safety, and renewal due to deterioration. The Fourth Medium-term Management Plan calls for 78 billion yen.
“Green” bullion
This refers to aluminum ingots manufactured using renewable energy that emits no CO2, such as hydropower, wind power, solar power, and geothermal, with lower environmental impact compared to conventional aluminum ingots.
H
Horizontal recycling
Recycling aluminum cans into products within the same category, such as aluminum cans
M
Mass balance method
This is one of the management methods defined in the GHG Protocol or ISO 22095 standards. When raw materials with different characteristics are mixed, this is a method to allocate the characteristic to part of the product produced in proportion to the input amount of the raw material having that characteristic.
Materials +α
Initiatives add new value to materials (through plastic working, recycling, modules, services, etc.) and enhance earning power. UACJ leverages its technological superiority and business foundation to deliver added value—such as innovative processing, big data utilization in production processes, and environmental value creation through recycling—and expands sales along with its customer base.
P
PCR
Post-consumer recycled: Collecting used products from the market and converting them into recycled resources
PIR
Post-industrial recycled: Reutilization of waste or surplus materials generated in the product production stage
S
Shredder processing line
Equipment that finely crushes the target object; in the case of aluminum recycling, it refers to the series of processes where collected aluminum cans are finely crushed in the shredder crushing process and where mixed iron, non-ferrous metals, and other impurities are removed.
Sidewell melting furnace
This is a melting furnace that dissolves aluminum ingots and scrap by circulating molten metal in the heating chamber.
Strategic investment
Within the UACJ Group, this refers to investments such as for new businesses or expansion in existing businesses, leading to expansion of business scale and revenue growth, including equipment investments. The Fourth Medium-term Management Plan calls for 72 billion yen.
Structural reform
This refers to the modification of all elements constituting the organization, not limited to organizational structure reform through corporate integration or M&A, or employee awareness reform for quality improvement. UACJ implemented this from FY2019 to FY2022. Due to decreased demand due to U.S.-China trade frictions and Chinese economic slowdown, and overlapping investment timing at overseas sites, the management environment changed drastically. UACJ aimed to overcome reduced profitability and weakened financial structure to achieve early V-shaped recovery.
T
TAA
Tri-Arrows Aluminum, Inc. (TAA): UACJ Group's overseas main base; Logan Aluminum is jointly operated by TAA and Novelis. The main products are can stock (for aluminum cans), with annual production volume of about 450,000 tons.
The UACJ Way
This means a set of action guidelines served as the compass for each and every employee working toward realizing the UACJ Group Philosophy. With "safety and compliance" as the behavioral principle, they express acting in accordance with the three values of "mutual understanding and respect," "integrity and future-oriented thinking," and "curiosity and a spirit of challenge." They are the action guidelines that all Group employees must hold in common so that the UACJ Group perpetually remains a company that supports society and people's lives.
U
UATH
UACJ (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (UATH): A 100% wholly owned subsidiary of UACJ and a major overseas base of the UACJ Group; in 2020 it built an annual production capacity of 320,000 tons. Principal products include can stock, heat-exchanger materials, fin stock for air-conditioning heat exchangers, and others.
UBC processing line
"UBC" refers to "used beverage can" and denotes a used aluminum beverage can; it also refers to the processing line that collects these UBCs and regenerates them as recycled raw material.
U-KI activity
Abbreviation for "UACJ Knowledge Intensive Staff Innovation": Aimed at "creating a vibrant team that continues to achieve better results while simultaneously realizing the growth of people and the organization," it uses frank communication as the entry point to cultivate an "all on field" workplace culture in which everyone pools wisdom and strength.
UWH
UACJ Automotive Whitehall Industries, Inc. (UWH): A major overseas base of the UACJ Group: Whitehall Industries, Inc. was established in 1974, joined the UACJ Group in 2016, and changed name to UACJ Automotive Whitehall Industries, Inc. Principal products are extruded components for automobiles.
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