Hydro officially opened the new HyForge casting line at its aluminum recycling plant in Rackwitz, Germany. The €40 million investment responds to the automotive industry’s drive to decarbonize by significantly increasing the use of recycled, post-consumer aluminum scrap.
Held on September 14, 2023, the opening ceremony marked the end of a 14 month construction process and the introduction of Hydro’s innovative HyForge forge stock segment at the Rackwitz plant. The technology allows for the production of smaller diameter aluminum billets with a superior surface quality that can be forged directly into high quality automotive components and other products, such as wheel suspension parts, skipping further process steps such as extrusion or homogenization. HyForge is delivered with a certified low-carbon footprint according to the Hydro REDUXA 4.0 certificate. The increased production of HyForge billet will support automaker’s ability to lightweight their vehicles with aluminum, which is one of the most effective ways to improve the energy efficiency of vehicles without compromising safety.
“With HyForge, Hydro is literally forging the future of automotive, responding to the industry’s increasing demand for low-carbon, lightweight aluminum components,” said Eivind Kallevik, executive vice president for Hydro Aluminium Metal. “The expansion enables us to further develop our strategic partnership with automotive customers, while meeting both their high quality standards and increasing focus on sustainability.”
Producing Low-Carbon Aluminum
Founded in 1925, the Hydro Rackwitz casthouse has decades of experience in the recycling of aluminum and handles around 85,000 tonnes of scrap per year, including 20,000 tonnes of post-consumer scrap. Following the expansion, the casthouse has a capacity of 95,000 tonnes of extrusion ingot and 25,000 of HyForge forge stock per year. The expansion has generated 20 new jobs, bringing the number of employees at the plant up to 90.
Recycled aluminum is produced using only 5% of the energy required for primary aluminum production, without compromising quality. The use of recycled scrap means that Hydro Rackwitz is able to offer high quality aluminum products with a very low CO2 footprint. The products from the new HyForge line will have a certified CO2 footprint of less than a quarter of the worldwide industry average for aluminum production.
The Rackwitz expansion is an important step towards fulfilling Hydro’s ambitions to double the use of post-consumer aluminum scrap by 2025. It is also delivering on the ambition to recycle more locally sourced scrap to ensure market leading sustainability performance.
“Our plant in Rackwitz is ideally located to serve the region’s automotive industry hub as more customers pursue their aim to decarbonize,” said Thomas Stürzebecher, managing director at Hydro Aluminium Gießerei Rackwitz GmbH. “It also provides easy access to sources of post-consumer aluminum scrap, giving significant customer value, and contributing to the circular economy and Germany’s green transition.”
Hydro has been working to decarbonize its operations since the 1990s. The company has committed to a 30% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, and aims to achieve net-zero by 2050, convinced that “nothing” is possible.
Recycling of post-consumer scrap such as beverage cans, window frames, car parts, and other items that have lived a past life, is one of the pathways in Hydro’s roadmap to cut emissions and the fastest way to deliver zero-carbon aluminum. The Rackwitz expansion is one of several investments in best-in-class recycling technology to serve growing demand and regulatory push for low-carbon aluminum.