Aleris announced commissioning of its aluminium automotive body sheet production facility in Lewisport, Kentucky. The project with an investment of $400 million is designed by Aleris to meet growing North American automotive demand. Automotive industry is slowly shifting to aluminium from steel for lightweighting and fuel efficiency along with improved performance driving aluminium product makers to invest more in the automotive sector. The company has already begun shipping automotive products from Lewisport facility from this month.
Commenting on the opening Aleris Chairman and CEO Sean Stack said, "The opening of our new automotive facility in Kentucky marks the completion of a significant piece of our strategic realignment, which includes expanding our capacity and capabilities to serve the automotive industry and other high value end uses."
"As an experienced supplier to automotive manufacturers in Europe, we look forward to partnering with customers more closely now in North America to bring them the most advanced auto body sheet products in the industry."
Aleris announced the Lewisport project in 2014 and the facility will be their first North American site with aluminium auto body sheet finishing capabilities. Within these years, they have added heat treatment and finishing capabilities in the plant, including a new wide cold mill, two continuous annealing lines and an automotive innovation center. It also includes a state-of-the-art research and development center in Detroit.
Andreas Gondorf, vice president, Aleris Global Automotive is equally enthusiastic about the North American automotive expansion.
A recent research from Ducker Worldwide commissioned by Aluminum Association projected significant growth in demand for aluminium auto body sheet over the next ten years. Over the next decade, the report says automakers will continue to boost the use of high-strength, light-weight aluminium in new car and truck construction at a never before pace. Aluminium’s formability, recyclability, and high strength-to-weight ratio make it an excellent material for automotive manufacturers.
Aleris currently has 9 rolled aluminium products facilities in North America, the majority of which serve building & construction, truck-trailer, and metal distribution sectors.
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