Extrusion company hopes to revive plant

New owners intend to
regain lost customers.

By DON SHILLING

VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR

WARREN — A new company taking over Alcoa’s Excel Extrusions plant hopes to reinvigorate operations.

Golden Aluminum Extrusions has reached a deal to acquire Alcoa plants in Warren and Plant City, Fla. The companies didn’t release terms but said the transaction is expected to close next month.

Allen Cain, president of Golden Aluminum Extrusions, said the Warren plant has lost customers. Employees have been working only 32 hours a week because of low production volumes.

The University Street plant employs 130. The Plant City operation, which employs 200, also has been operating at less than capacity.

Cain said he thinks he can regain customers at both plants by focusing on delivery times, product quality and pricing.

He said the owners of Golden Aluminum Extrusions hired him because of his experience in installing lean manufacturing techniques. He has worked in management at a variety of manufacturing plants.

Alcoa told employees last November the plant was being put up for sale.

Golden Aluminum Extrusions was created to buy the Alcoa plants by Golden Metals of Fort Lupton, Colo. The parent company has another operating subsidiary, Golden Aluminum, which produces coils of aluminum.

Opportunity to expand

Cain said Golden Metals executives saw the opportunity to expand into extrusions. The Warren plant produces extrusions mainly for doors and windows, although it does some work for the transportation industry.

Cain said he thinks the housing market will rebound nationally, which will help sales from the plant.

He added that China continues to be a threat to domestic aluminum extruders, but he believes his company can compete by delivering product quickly. Orders from China take six weeks to deliver, so order problems can’t be rectified in a timely manner, he said.

The sale follows Alcoa’s decision in June to move nearly all its extrusion business into a joint venture with Sapa Group, which is based in Sweden.

Left out of that deal were the plants in Warren, Plant City and Tifton, Ga. Alcoa said it will close the Tifton plant in October. It said it was unable to find a suitable buyer for the plant, which employs 200.

shilling@vindy.com