Local aluminum plant receives $4.5 million investment

Staff report

WARREN

Novelis Inc., a leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, announced Tuesday a $4.5 million manufacturing investment at its facility in Warren.

The investment in state-of-the-art technology provides greater versatility for pre-treatments, improves operational efficiency and reduces costs over time, sustaining the plant for many years, the company said.

Novelis’ Warren facility has 75 employees who apply coating to rolled aluminum sheets. The sheets are then used for production of lids for the tops of aluminum beverage cans, producing enough for more than 1 billion beverage-can lids each month.

“We are thrilled to announce this local investment,” said Paul Nelson, plant manager, in a statement. “Due to a steady U.S. can market and Novelis’ strong financial performance across the globe, we are making the investments necessary to sustain our operation here in Warren for many years to come.”

Novelis Inc. is a global leader in aluminum rolled products and the world’s largest recycler of aluminum. The company operates in 10 countries, has about 11,000 employees and had $10 billion in revenue for its 2017 fiscal year. Novelis supplies premium aluminum- sheet and foil products to transportation, packaging, construction, industrial and consumer-electronic markets.

Novelis supplies industry-leading beverage-can materials to some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Coca-Cola, AB InBev and PepsiCo.

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican from the Cincinnati area, Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Cleveland, and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, all applauded the investment.

“Novelis is proof that innovative manufacturing technologies are growing right here in the Mahoning Valley and that our region is a great place to do business,” Ryan said in a statement.