U.S. Aluminum Drives Modern Manufacturing with $10+ Billion Invested
Over the past decade, the aluminum industry has invested more than $10 billion in U.S. manufacturing to support growing demand for the metal.
Expanding Markets, Strong Trade Enforcement Driving Investment
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Over the past decade, the aluminum industry has invested more than $10 billion in U.S. manufacturing to support growing demand for the metal. Demand for more sustainable transportation will help drive an increase in market share for aluminum content by nearly 100 net pounds per vehicle (PPV) from 2020 to 2030. Aluminum demand is also increasing in the packaging and building markets.
Robust trade enforcement efforts by the government and industry have also driven investments in recent years.
A Decade of Growing American Aluminum Manufacturing
The U.S. aluminum industry has invested billions of dollars to support thousands of new American manufacturing jobs over the past decade:
- In September 2024, Kentucky Aluminum Processors—a joint venture between Tri-Arrows Aluminum and Tennessee Aluminum Processors—broke ground on a $40 million recycling facility in Russellville, KY.
- In May 2024, Hydro announced an $85 million investment in a new casting line to strengthen its aluminum recycling plant in Henderson, Kentucky.
- In March 2024, Vista Metals announced a $60 million facility in Bowling Green, KY to serve the aerospace industry with specialty aluminum products.
- In March 2024 Owl's Head Alloys announced a $29 million secondary aluminum processor in Clay County, MS.
- In January 2024, Schupan opened a new $20 million “green aluminum” recycling facility near Kalamazoo, MI.
- In May 2023, Spectro Alloys announced a $77 million investment to expand its aluminum recycling facility in Rosemount, MN.
- In April 2023, MetalX announced a $200 million investment to build a greenfield aluminum rolling slab facility in the Midwest. The plant is expected to become fully operational in the first half of 2026 and will employ approximately 100 people.
- In August 2022, Hydro announced a $50 million investment in its extrusion plant in Cressona, Pennsylvania. The investment will expand the site’s recycling capabilities, which include remelt and extrusion billet casting, producing low-carbon aluminum products.
- In July 2022, Aluminum Dynamics - owned by Steel Dynamics - announced a $2.2 billion investment to build a low-carbon, recycled aluminum flat rolled mill, with two supporting satellite recycled aluminum slab centers in Columbus, MS.
- In July 2022, Hydro announced a $15 million investment into its Henderson, KY facility to deliver certified recycled aluminum products to the automotive industry and further reduce the environmental impact from production.
- In May 2022, Novelis announced a $4.1 billion investment to build a fully integrated aluminum manufacturing facility including recycling/casting, hot rolling and finishing for beverage can and automotive markets in Bay Minette, AL. The facility will be powered by renewable energy, use recycled water and operate as a zero-waste facility.
- In April 2022, Granges announced a $52 million investment to expand recycling and casting operations at its plant in Huntingdon, TN. The investment will enable a market launch of "near-zero carbon aluminum solutions" by 2024.
- In March 2022, Kaiser Aluminum broke ground on a $150 million expansion at its facility in Warrick, IN. The expansion includes a new coating line that will massively expand the operation and allow for larger output.
- In January 2022, Novelis announced a $365 million investment to build a highly advanced recycling center for automotive in North America near its automotive finishing plant in Guthrie, Kentucky. The project is expected to be completed by 2024.
- In December 2021, Commonwealth Rolled Products announced a $167 million investment to expand and improve its rolling mill in Lewisport, KY. The project is expected to be completed by 2024.
- In November 2021, Hydro announced plans for a new $140 million greenfield recycling facility in Cassopolis, MI.
- In November 2021, Arconic announced a $75 million investment to upgrade its hot mill in Lancaster, PA to support growth in industrial and automotive markets. A casting pit expansion in Davenport, IA will increase casting and recycling capacity in the automotive, industrial and aerospace markets
- In October 2021, Novelis announced a $130 million investment to enhance operations at its plant in Oswego, NY to meet growing customer demand for sustainable, aluminum flat rolled products.
- In July 2021, Novelis announced a $7 million investment at its manufacturing facility in Terre Haute, IN to restart several pieces of idled equipment that produce aluminum foil for household applications. Novelis credits successful trade enforcement in the aluminum foil market for increasing interest in domestic foil production.
- In March 2021, Matalco announced a $53.5 million investment in a new facility in Franklin, KY to produce recycled billet and slab.
- In October 2019, Novelis broke ground on a $36 million investment to to expand and upgrade recycling capacity at its Greensboro, GA facility.
- In February 2019, Arconic announced a $100 million investment to expand manufacturing capabilities for industrial and automotive aluminum products in its Tennessee Operations facility near Knoxville, TN. The investment will increase production of common alloy aluminum sheet, which was the subject of a successful targeted association-driven trade enforcement effort.
- In October 2018, Hydro announced a $100 million investment to its manufacturing facility in Cressona, PA. The project will fund a new 96,000 square foot structure that will house equipment dedicated to producing aluminum for the automotive market.
- In October 2018, Paramount, CA-based Weber Metals unveiled a $180 million investment in a 60,000 ton forging press -- the world's largest private investment in aerospace metal forging.
- In June of 2018, JW Aluminum announced a $255 million expansion of its Goose Creek, SC campus. This followed a $33 million investment to optimize aluminum foil production equipment, a market helped by a successful antidumping and countervailing duty case.
- In May 2018, Novelis broke ground on a $300 million automotive aluminum sheet manufacturing facility in Guthrie, KY. The greenfield facility will make aluminum for use in vehicle parts such as body-in-white, hoods, doors, lift gates and fenders.
- In May 2018, Granges announced a $26 million investment to restart production of light gauge aluminum foil at its facility in Newport, AR. The announcement followed the successful resolution of an anti-dumping and countervailing duty case in the aluminum foil market.
- In November 2017, Aleris (now Commonwealth Rolled Products) opened a $400 million automotive sheet production facility in Lewisport, KY to meet increasing demand for automotive aluminum in North America.
- In October 2017, Tri-Arrows Aluminum opened a $175 million expansion of its cold rolling and ingot casting facilities at the Logan Aluminum plant in Russellville, KY. At the same time, the firm broke ground on a new $240 million project to produce aluminum sheet for the automotive industry.
- In September 2017, Granges announced a $110 million investment to expand aluminum foil production at its facility in Huntingdon, TN following trade enforcement action in that market.
- In May 2017, Constellium opened a new plant in White, GA, dedicated to the production of advanced aluminum automotive structural components and crash management systems.
- In April 2017, Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products announced a $53 million expansion of a facility in Bowling Green, KY to meet the rising domestic demand for aluminum forged suspension products.
- In September 2016, Constellium opened a new plant in Bowling Green, KY as part of a $150 million joint venture.
- In August 2016, Kobelco Aluminum Products & Extrusions Inc. broke ground on $47 million aluminum extrusion facility to support the automotive market.
- In September 2015, Alcoa (now Arconic) completed a $300 million expansion of its facility in Alcoa, TN.
- In April 2015, Constellium completed a $40 million expansion of its automotive structures plant in Van Buren, MI. The expansion more than doubled manufacturing capacity at the facility.
- In January 2014, Alcoa (now Arconic) completed a $300 million expansion of its Davenport, IA facility. In November of 2014, the company announced an additional $190 million investment at the same facility to expand its product offerings in the aerospace and industrial markets.
- In the fall and winter of 2013, Novelis announced two separate investments totaling $320 million to expand its plant in Oswego, NY.
U.S. Aluminum's Economic Impact
The U.S. aluminum industry is a key element of the nation's manufacturing base. Strong, lightweight and recyclable, aluminum is a material uniquely suited to meet the needs and challenges of the 21st century. From increasing vehicle fuel efficiency to green building products to sustainable packaging, aluminum is well positioned in the U.S. and global markets.
For nearly a decade, the Aluminum Association has worked with research firm John Dunham & Associates to produce economic impact impact studies that capture U.S. aluminum jobs, wages, output and other information on an ongoing basis.