Owl’s Head to build plant in Mississippi

The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) reports that secondary aluminum producer Owl’s Head Alloys (OHA) intends to site a facility in Clay County, Mississippi. The project entails a $29.2 million investment that will create 68 new jobs.

The investment follows up on a December 2023 announcement by Bowling Green, Kentucky-based OHA that it had been awarded a long-term agreement to provide services to Aluminum Dynamics LLC (ADL), an aluminum production joint venture of Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI), Fort Wayne, Indiana.

At that time, OHA said its agreement was designed to support the $2.2 billion facility for rolling aluminum being constructed by SDI in Columbus, Mississippi.

“Aluminum Dynamics received numerous bids from the industry, but Owl’s Head Alloys stood out as the leader in the secondary aluminum processing industry due to its exceptional quality and customer service,” Bernardo Bulnes of ADL said last December.

OHA also had reached an agreement to increase its recycled-content aluminum capacity, with a first step being the purchase of property in West Point, Mississippi, near Columbus.

“Owl’s Head will be investing significantly over the next five years at the new site while hiring locally for production, maintenance and some management roles,” the company said at that time.

OHA says its “presence of strong leadership and customer service” was instrumental in SDI selecting Owl’s Head Alloys as a supplier. The company started in Kentucky in 2002 with a single furnace and a handful of employees.

“Now, it has grown to operate five furnaces, a shredder, a landfill and an ingot line with 150 dedicated employee-owners," the company says, noting it is 100 percent employee-owned.

“The opportunity to be involved with the newest rolling mill in North America in over 40 years is the result of hard work by a dedicated team that focuses on its customers’ needs at every turn,” Owl’s Head Alloys President Michael J. Boyle says.

“The growth we’ve experienced in 20 years speaks volumes of our potential, and we greatly look forward to our future," OHA Chair David Bradford adds.

Construction of the new facility is scheduled to begin by May, with completion expected within 18 months, according to the MDA.

That agency is assisting with building improvements, while the city of West Point and Clay County are providing local tax abatement assistance.

“On behalf of the Owl’s Head Alloys team, I would like to thank Gov. [Tate] Reeves, MDA Executive Director Bill Cork and the entire Golden Triangle Development team for the professionalism and urgency that has been provided at every step in the process of locating the new OHA facility in West Point, Mississippi,” Boyle says of OHA. “The ‘pro-business’ approach extended to OHA is a model for the country. We have been greeted with open arms and enthusiasm at every step since day one.”

“This is a great win for Clay County and Mississippi,” Reeves says. “As a supplier for local manufacturers, including Aluminum Dynamics, Owl’s Head Alloys is a perfect example of how each new economic development project can attract more businesses and jobs to our state. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this project will have on Clay County and Mississippi.”