Novelis Inc., an aluminum rolling and recycling company, disclosed plans to build an approximately $300 million automotive aluminum sheet manufacturing facility in Guthrie, Kentucky.
The greenfield facility, with an annual nameplate capacity of 200,000 metric tons, will include heat treatment and pre-treatment lines, which prepare aluminum for use in vehicle parts such as body-in-white, hoods, doors, lift gates and fenders. The company expects to break ground in early spring and create approximately 125 jobs at the new facility, which is slated to open in 2020.
This investment is the latest addition to Novelis’ extensive network of automotive finishing lines. Demand for automotive aluminum is expected to rise according to the 2017 Ducker Worldwide survey projection that aluminum content in North American passenger vehicles, particularly light trucks and SUVs, will increase 42 percent from its 2015 level by the year 2028.
“Aluminum is a growing material of choice for the automotive industry worldwide as auto manufacturers continue to demand more and more aluminum to produce lighter, safer and stronger cars, trucks and SUVs,” said Steve Fisher, president and chief executive officer, Novelis, Inc. “Novelis will continue to innovate alongside our automotive customers to lightweight the vehicles of today while looking ahead to meet the mobility needs of the fleet-based economies of tomorrow.”
The new facility will be in close proximity to Logan Aluminum Inc., a Novelis joint venture in Russellville, Kentucky, and several nearby automotive manufacturing plants.
More than 200 different vehicle models on the road today feature Novelis aluminum. Many of the world’s premier brands including FCA, Ford, GM, Jaguar Land Rover and Toyota have called on Novelis to help design the safest, strongest and most durable cars and trucks.
Published in the April 2018 Edition