Chinalco Southwest Aluminum Co., Ltd., headquartered in Chongqing Xipeng, China, placed an order a new 1+4 aluminum hot strip mill from SMS group. This is part of the company’s plan to expand its product portfolio to serve the packaging, automotive, and aviation markets with superior-quality aluminum casting and strip products.
“The order for a new aluminum hot strip mill marks the next level of our partnership with SMS group,” said Li Yong, chairman of Southwest Aluminum. “Building on successful deliveries and mutual trust, we are confident that SMS group’s advanced technology and proven expertise will enable us to expand our product portfolio and meet the exacting demands of our customers. This investment underscores our commitment to world class production standards and to a long-term collaboration with a reliable partner to drive sustainable growth and innovation.”
Southwest Aluminum is one of the leading manufacturers of flat-rolled aluminum products within the Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco), China’s largest aluminum producer. The new 1+4 aluminum hot strip mill will be a key processing line in a new plant being constructed near the company’s existing site in Xipeng. The new plant will be a high-end facility to further elevate its position in the global metals industry.
The scope of supply from SMS includes a robust roughing mill with an edger mill and a four-stand finishing mill featuring CVC® plus (continuously variable crown) technology for superior strip quality. This is complemented by one heavy and one light crop shear, a coiling section, coil transportation equipment, and fluid systems. The rolling mill is designed to handle 39-ton ingots.
The powerful, high-performance hot rolling mill will be designed to produce 770,000 tons of high-quality aluminum hot strip, enabling Southwest Aluminum to deliver a broad portfolio of state-of-the-art products tailored to the packaging, automotive, and aviation markets. The new mill is expected to begin production in 2028.