Matalco Inc., part of Giampaolo Group, is adding aluminum slab casting capabilities at its Canton, Ohio, facility. This $15-20 million investment will enable to Matalco to grow beyond its existing extrusion billet business into the flat rolled products market for automotive and other applications.
“While opportunities for light weighting and innovation in the auto supply chain will never cease, simply having product availability does not ensure business success,” said Robert Roscetti, vice president Business Development, Sales and Marketing, Matalco. “As new technologies will speed up the vehicle redesign cycle our market strategy cannot take a ‘build it and they will come’ approach. Exacting product quality features for chemistry composition, dimension, surface, formability, and shape all at a low cost must withstand future technology disruptions in order to earn and retain customer business through responsive customer service.”
Roscetti added, “Matalco is in dialogue with an array of potential customers at different Tiers of the automotive supply chain on Product Development and Production Part Approval Processes (PPAP’s) that will dovetail into our timeline for completion of construction and major equipment commissioning December 2017/January 2018.”
The Giampaolo Group of Companies Board has approved the capital expenditure for the expansion project. In addition to installation of slab casting capabilities, the investment will support a major restorative maintenance program to ensure production reliability.
“The billet market will continue to be satisfied by a much more flexible and productive Canton facility along with the still growing 350 million lb facility in Lordstown, Ohio, which started up in 2016 and the established 250 million pound facility in Brampton Ontario, which is on track to once again shatter production records, said Roscetti. “Backup supply options that Matalco provides are more important as OEMs and the Tier 1 suppliers undertake supply chain stress tests to ensure assurance of supply.” (Note: Light Metal Age interviewed Robert Convery about the status of Matalco’s aluminum billet business in May 2017.)
In addition, Armand Sanguigni, president of Matalco, noted, “All Matalco sites provide proximity to customers/suppliers, access to transportation and utility infrastructure, and a quality labor pool. In conjunction with our sister company, Triple M Metal LP – one of North America’s largest recyclers and processors of ferrous and non-ferrous metals — Matalco assures our customers a stable and ready supply of aluminum billet and slabs by way of a continuous source of high-quality aluminum scrap.”
Commissioning of the new slab casting capacity is scheduled for Q4 2017.