Fábio Martins is the CEO of Billets at Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest aluminium producer and a key player in the global metals sector. With over 25 years of experience in operations, sales, and strategic management across the aluminium value chain, Fábio brings deep industry expertise and a proven track record of operational excellence, business turnaround, and stakeholder engagement.

Prior to joining Vedanta Aluminium, Fábio held several senior leadership roles at Alcoa, where he was most recently Operations Director for the Poços de Caldas site in Brazil. He was instrumental in leading transformative projects, including a $60 million transition to dry residue management and a $100 million impoundment de-characterisation initiative, both of which were delivered in close coordination with environmental regulators. He also played a key role in achieving a financial turnaround at the refinery through value-added product strategy and margin-focused production modelling.

At Vedanta Aluminium, Fábio leads the billets business with a sharp focus on performance, productivity, and sustainability. His mandate includes enhancing operational efficiency, scaling value-added aluminium production, and aligning with global benchmarks in ESG performance. His leadership style blends hands-on execution with long-term strategic thinking.

AL Circle: Vedanta Aluminium is India’s largest producer of aluminium billets. Could you provide specific data on your annual production capacity Vs yearly production (2024-25) and market share in India, and how this compares to global billet producers?

Fabio Martins: With a casting capacity of 580 kilotonnes per annum, Vedanta is the largest producer and exporter of high-quality aluminium billets in India. The billets product group is of strategic importance to the company. Our overall market share in India stands at 47%, while our share of the primary billets market stands at 40%. In FY25, Vedanta entered the list of the top 4 largest billet producers in the world (excluding China), advancing two positions in the rankings compared with the previous year. This comes as a reiteration of our focus on continued growth and strategic execution.

AL Circle: What is your billet offerings range? (from xxx-to-xxx series). What percentage of your production is dedicated to value-added alloys, and how has demand for specific alloys evolved across construction, automotive, and electrical industries?

Fabio Martins: At Vedanta Aluminium, we offer an extensive range of aluminium billets across the 1xxx, 3xxx, and 6xxx series, catering to industries such as construction, automotive, electrical, and renewable energy. Our High-speed Billets, engineered with cutting-edge technologies like the Wagstaff Hot-Top Air Slip Casting System and Hertwich Continuous and Batch Homogenising Furnace, enhance extrusion speeds by at least 25% without compromising either strength or quality. These billets are designed for precision and efficiency, ensuring superior metallurgical properties and improved process recovery for our customers. As part of our expansion efforts, we are adding Hycast casting technology to our portfolio along with short and long length billets.

A significant portion of our production focuses on value-added alloys to support high-growth sectors. In construction, lightweight, corrosion-resistant alloys drive sustainable infrastructure. Our High-Speed Billet offers higher extrusion speeds and superior properties, improving die life and recovery for high-efficiency applications. The High Strength 6063 billet, designed for architectural use, can withstand high wind loads and fatigue, with 5% better corrosion resistance and 7% more strength, while maintaining sleek aesthetics.