NVL Novelis Inc

CLEVELAND, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novelis Inc. (NYSE:NVL) (TSX: NVL) opened the doors in January to a purpose-built facility at its Cleveland, Ohio, office dedicated to creativity, discovery and solutions development. The Novelis Solution Center, the first of its kind for the global aluminum rolling company, emphasizes collaboration and innovation to inspire new processes and products. "The facility allows us to bring together cross-collaborative teams in an environment of energy and imagination, arm them with tools and techniques, and stimulate a process of design-led, creative thinking," said Roy Stever, Vice President, Strategic Marketing for Novelis. "This approach, the Novelis Solutions system, will help to set Novelis apart in our industry." Kevin Greenawalt, President of Novelis North America, said, "The Solution Center will enable us to work hand-in-hand -- or creative mind to creative mind -- with our customers and other partners to solve their challenges and find new solutions. At the same time, it will accelerate our delivery of differentiated products and services." Novelis expects the Solution Center to aid in the pursuit of a new generation of high-performance aluminum products, with particular emphasis on the Company's Novelis Fusion(TM) aluminum sheet. Launched last summer, Novelis Fusion is a breakthrough technology for the production of multi- layered sheet products that combine the best qualities of selected aluminum alloys. Novelis is currently working with customers to explore and develop potential new markets. "With the opening of its Solution Center, Novelis joins a growing group of companies who are getting out in front of a movement to put 'design thinking' at the center of management," said Fred Collopy, co-editor of Managing as Designing, published by Stanford University Press, and a department chair at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. "Design thinking complements the analytic, decision-oriented approaches of management by expanding the set of available alternatives -- often with unexpected benefits. This is most impressive when undertaken in a traditional manufacturing business. Novelis' efforts to expand how it thinks about such things as new beverage can concepts, combining aluminum alloys in unique ways, and expanding the use of recycled aluminum are promising and exciting." Although located in Cleveland, the Solution Center will provide a hub for networking and the sharing of best practices throughout Novelis' businesses worldwide. "From the start of our company two years ago, innovation has been a core driver for Novelis," said Greenawalt. "We strive to deliver superior value to our customers in the form of high-end products. Inventions such as our Novelis Fusion technology and investments such as the Solution Center demonstrate our commitment to driving innovation throughout our business and delivering on our promise to our customers." Novelis is the global leader in aluminum rolled products and aluminum can recycling. The Company operates in 11 countries, has approximately 12,500 employees, and reported $8.4 billion in 2005 revenue. Novelis has the unrivaled capability to provide its customers with a regional supply of technologically sophisticated rolled aluminum products throughout Asia, Europe, North America and South America. Through its advanced production capabilities, the Company supplies aluminum sheet and foil to the automotive and transportation, beverage and food packaging, construction and industrial, and printing markets. Visit http://www.novelis.com/. Statements made in this news release which describe Novelis' intentions, expectations or predictions may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of securities laws. Examples of forward-looking statements in this news release include, among other things, Novelis' expectation that the Solution Center will stimulate creative thinking, solve customers' challenges and yield solutions, and lead to new Novelis Fusion(TM) products and applications. Novelis cautions that, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty. We do not intend, and we disclaim any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Important risk factors which could impact the success of the Novelis Solution Center are included under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, as filed with the SEC, and are specifically incorporated by reference into this news release. DATASOURCE: Novelis Inc. CONTACT: North America, Pat Persico, +1-440-423-6522, or , or Corporate, Charles Belbin, +1-404-814-4260, or , or Investors, Eric Harris, +1-404-814-4304, or , all of Novelis Inc. Web site: http://www.novelis.com/

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