Gränges to expand aluminum casting capacity in Tennessee

Aluminum producer Gränges says it will invest $33 million to expand casting capacity at its Huntingdon, Tennessee, facility. The Sweden-based company, in an article posted to its online newsroom four years ago, said at that time it intended to melt some 3,000 tons of obsolete aluminum scrap monthly at the plant.

The company’s new investment will entail expanding its aluminum casting operations in Huntingdon and “follows the previous and successful investments in new rolling capacity at the sites in Huntingdon and Newport, Arkansas.” Gränges acquired the two United States plants from the former Noranda Aluminum in 2016.

“This investment is the third major U.S. investment we [have made] since 2017,” says Patrick Lawlor, president of Gränges Americas. “It underscores our commitment to growing our business with our customers and the markets we serve and strengthens our platform for continued profitable growth. It also supports our high sustainability ambitions by improving both energy and carbon intensity. We take pride in being a trusted partner to our customers for continued growth and innovation.”

The expansion includes investing in buildings and a new casting line. When completed, the casting capacity in Huntingdon will increase by about 25,000 metric tons per year and will enable higher capacity utilization in downstream rolling and slitting operations, says the firm.

Gränges says the project will take less than two years to complete, and the company will finance the expansion with existing cash and internally generated cash flows.

On its website, the global producer of rolled aluminum lists as among its sustainability goals to have its “share of recycled aluminum increase to 22.5 percent of total sourced metal inputs.” The company lists its current share at 19.8 percent.