Novelis, Atlanta, has opened a state-of-the-art aluminum automotive heat treatment line in Nachterstedt, Germany, to serve European and global automotive aluminum sheet customers. Located adjacent to its existing rolling mill and the world’s largest aluminum recycling center, the $85 million investment will increase production capacity by 120,000 metric tons of automotive sheet annually.
At full production, this line will increase Novelis’ European automotive sheet capacity to 350,000 metric tons per year and will provide global customers with high-quality automotive sheet, including the Novelis Advanz portfolio of alloys for lightweight vehicle structures and body panels. Since 2011, Novelis has invested more than $550 million globally to triple its automotive sheet capacity.
“Coupled with our recent automotive expansions in North America and Asia, the opening of the new production line in Europe strengthens our industry leadership in the automotive market and uniquely positions Novelis to serve our global customers,” said Steve Fisher, President and CEO of Novelis.
As a leading supplier of aluminum flat rolled products, Novelis partners with leading automakers such as Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, and Ford to supply the next generation of aluminum vehicles. Novelis aluminum can be found in more than 180 different vehicle models in production today. Together with its customers, Novelis is developing innovative aluminum alloy solutions that achieve high levels of strength, safety and performance.
The technology in the new Nachterstedt finishing line is identical to that of the lines recently commissioned in the United States and China, providing Novelis’ global customers with the highest level of quality and consistency regardless of location. With 56 newly created jobs and 1200 employees in total, the Nachterstedt complex is the biggest facility of the nine Novelis plants across Europe and one of the biggest employers in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
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