ATLANTA and SAO PAULO, July 30,
2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Novelis, the world leader in rolled
aluminum and recycling, today announced the opening of its expanded
aluminum rolling operations in Pindamonhangaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The expansion
increases production capacity at the plant by more than 50 percent
to greater than 600,000 metric tons of aluminum sheet per year.
The US$340 million investment
represents the largest capital expansion by Novelis in South America in the past decade,
strengthening the company's commitment to the region. The
expansion positions Novelis to meet growing market demand with
state-of-the-art technologies designed to deliver the highest
quality product to customers.
"This investment reflects the ability of Novelis to respond to
our customers' needs, develop new products and surpass market
expectations," said Phil Martens,
President and CEO of Novelis. "Brazil is one of the most rapidly-growing
regions where Novelis operates around the world. With the expansion
of our plant in Pindamonhangaba, we expect to meet the growing
demand for aluminum flat rolled products in South America for the next decade."
The expansion included the installation of a third cold rolling
mill, designed with advanced technology to deliver improved product
quality and productivity. In addition, the investment included a
new ingot casting center as well as a new pusher furnace for the
hot rolling mill.
"The investment strengthens the company's leadership position in
key markets including beverage cans and aluminum packaging," said
Tadeu Nardocci, President of Novelis
South America. "Looking ahead, it will also allow Novelis to
explore new opportunities in South
America in markets such as automotive. The new Brazilian
automotive regulation, Inovar-Auto, set reduction targets for
CO2 emissions that will require automakers to produce
lighter, more fuel efficient vehicles in the future."
The Novelis plant in Pindamonhangaba also houses the largest
aluminum recycling center in South
America.
"We are expanding our recycling operations, increasing the use
of post-consumer aluminum scrap and accelerating the development of
new alloys that contain a greater percentage of recycled content,"
said Nardocci. "These changes are aligned with our
sustainable business strategy including our aggressive global
target to reach 80 percent recycled content in our products by
2020."
Novelis is the leading producer of flat rolled aluminum products
in South America and the only
company in the region with the ability to produce aluminum can
sheet. Other markets served by the company in South America include transportation,
electrical appliances, foil and packaging and the automotive
industry. Currently, Novelis South America employs
approximately 1,800 people.
About
Novelis
Novelis Inc. is the global leader in aluminum rolled products and
the world's largest recycler of aluminum. The company
operates in nine countries, has approximately 11,000 employees and
reported revenue of $9.8 billion for
its 2013 fiscal year. Novelis supplies premium aluminum sheet and
foil products to transportation, packaging, construction,
industrial and consumer electronics markets throughout North America, Europe, Asia
and South America. Novelis is a subsidiary of Hindalco
Industries Limited (BSE: HINDALCO), one of Asia's largest integrated producers of
aluminum and a leading copper producer. Hindalco is a
flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, a multinational
conglomerate based in Mumbai,
India. For more information, visit www.novelis.com and
follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/Novelis.
SOURCE Novelis Inc.