Novelis Inc. will invest approximately $130 million to upgrade its operations in Oswego, NY, to meet growing customer demand for sustainable, aluminum flat rolled products. The project enables Novelis to increase hot mill capacity by 124,000 tonnes at the plant, which serves the can, automotive, and specialty products markets, as well as enhance finishing capabilities for automotive sheet.
The new investment includes upgrades to the plant’s hot reversing mill motors and drive train and hot finishing mill coolant systems, as well as an enhancement of batch annealing capabilities. In line with Novelis’ sustainability goal to reduce energy use by 10% by 2026, the project will also enhance energy-efficiency at the plant. This investment further strengthens the plant’s position for additional recycled aluminum inputs and increased recycled content across its product lines in the future.
“By investing in modern, energy-efficient upgrades in Oswego, we aim to sustain and grow important partnerships with our valued customers,” said Tom Boney, EVP and president, Novelis North America. “These upgrades also strengthen Novelis’ ability to thrive in Oswego as a great place to work and a partner to the community.”
The investment follows the successful expansion of significant automotive finishing capabilities and recycling capacity at the Oswego plant over the last decade. These investments included the addition of more than 300,000 tonnes of state-of-the-art automotive finishing capacity and the expansion of the recycling center (which processes roughly 25 million pounds of automotive aluminum scrap per month). Using recycled aluminum requires significantly less energy and water and avoids 95% of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with primary aluminum production.
Novelis is a leading global provider of aluminum automotive sheet used for making structural components and exterior body panels that can be found in more than 225 vehicle models produced by leading automakers around the globe. The company’s aluminum is designed to support safe, sustainable, and cost-effective ways to lightweight vehicles and commercial trucks that result in better performance and agility, increased fuel economy, and reduced carbon emissions.
These investment projects will begin in spring 2022 and are expected to be completed in 2024.