While at the ALUMINUM USA trade show in Detroit, Michigan, in November 2015, Light Metal Age had the opportunity to interview a number of notable members of the aluminum industry.
This fifth interview in the series conducted by Ann Marie Fellom, publisher, presents Alessandro Guerrini, sales manager for Turla s.r.l. in Brescia, Italy. Located in a very important center for aluminum extrusion in northern Italy, Turla has been in Brescia since 1967. In introducing Turla, Alessandro describes his company as making all the equipment necessary to produce profiles from billets — including all extrusion systems before, during, and after the press, as well as revamping presses and making new presses since 2007.
Alessandro recounts some of the presses the company has built and shipped to regions such as South America and New Zealand. For such orders, TURLA pre-assembles the system in-house, tests it, and then packs the equipment in modules for shipping to the customer site. A unique feature of TURLA’s extrusion press design is the use of inner gear pumps versus using traditional piston pumps. He explains that inner gear pumps are very reliable, permit better control, and deliver more power.
Turla has been a reliable partner for aluminum equipment for many years to many customers all over the world including Sapa, Alcan, Hydro, and other major aluminum producers. The company delivered handling and log heating equipment to Bonnell Aluminum Extrusion Company in Georgia in 2014 and has been working lately to organize itself for selling to the U.S. market.
Updated on October 13, 2016: This post was edited to correct an erroneous statement that Turla had delivered a press to Bonnell Aluminum. The correct supplier of the 3,600 ton press to Bonnell was Presezzi Extrusion.