Sortera Alloys to shift operations to a new 200,000 sq. ft. processing facility in Markle, hoping to scale up alloy scrap recycling

On Wednesday, September 7, Sortera Alloys, Inc., an Indiana-based producer of low-cost, high-quality aluminium alloys, announced its expansion plan on a new 200,000 sq. ft. processing facility in Markle. As per the report, formal groundbreaking of the new site will take place in the fourth quarter of 2022 and the construction in the first quarter of 2023.

The announcement of new facility followed Sortera’s fund raising of $10 million to advance end of life recycling for automotive metals.

Michael Siemer, CEO of Sortera Alloys, said: “The new facility represents a significant milestone for Sortera as we look to scale our operations and capture a large chunk of the 4 billion lbs. of scrap alloy that is currently sent overseas. This will allow us to fill the increased demand for high-quality recycled alloys in the domestic market, specifically with automotive customers.”

He added, “We are immensely grateful to the town of Markle and The Zacher Company for helping us to bring this vision to reality with the new facility, and we look forward to being a contributor to the local economy and community.”

The new facility, which has a provision to be extended to 400,000 sq. ft., will be Sortera’s new operation site. Once fully operational, the facility will have 110 workers.

Ben Pope, VP of Commercialization at Sortera Alloys, said: “Sortera’s low-cost, scalable sorting process enables aluminium manufactures to use roughly 5% of the energy required to manufacture aluminium from virgin material, enabling customers to reduce their CO₂ footprint and pursue sustainability and circular production goals. Our new facility is a perfect fit for our first mass production location. We are excited that Markle has the right workforce and is a special place that is proactively looking for partners to enhance their community.”

Nick Lund, VP and Matt Doss, President of Markle Council, said: “On behalf of the Town of Markle we are extremely excited to have Sortera choose and invest in our local community. Their impact on our community will be very significant with little impact on our local environment. The Town would also like to thank the participating parties, RTT Real Estate Holdings LLC, The Zacher Company, Huntington County Economic Development, Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and Day Warpup Farms LLC for the vision, investment, preparation, and development of the land to allow Sortera the opportunity to succeed.”