MBC clients benefit from the wide range of aluminum designs and applications Russ Long has developed over his 35 years in the aluminum industry, with specialized applications in the automotive industry. After developing a deep understanding of the customers' needs, pain points, weight and cost targets, Russ is comfortable overseeing the entire process from concepting and cost analysis to prototyping and manufacturing studies——all with a keen attention to ROI.

 

Russ’s work included projects designed to increase the use of aluminum in automotive body in white and closure applications within the North American, European and Japanese OEMs, spanning a variety of manufacturers, including Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Ford. Russ has also led government sponsored projects in the commercial and defense markets. He was the principal investigator of DOE-sponsored “Development of Low Cost High Strength Aluminum Sheet” (contract DE-EE0006847), which was completed in partnership with ORNL, Honda R&D Americas, Inc. and Cosma.
 

Russ also led a five-person team responsible for design and delivery of the prototype aluminum frame for the TARDEC Fuel Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator (FED). This frame included integral armor and was designed to meet strict military towing, helicopter lift and rugged off-road use requirements. Russ helped achieve a 40% weight savings through his design of an electric aluminum framed bus developed along with BYD Bus Company in Shenzhen, China. His vast professional experience in driving material changes including overcoming the manufacturing challenges to allow aluminum to compete with other materials has consistently provided performance improvement while maximizing ROI for his clients.
 

He possesses deep expertise in:

• Current aluminum automotive applications in the  US and Europe
• Future trends and enhancements in aluminum application
• Aluminum stamping, extrusion and casting design options
• Business planning
 

When he is not busy working for his clients, Russ enjoys golf, wood working, college football and traveling with his wife, Susan.