Officials from Atlanta based Novelis Inc the world’s largest producer of rolled aluminum, announced that it is spending USD 50 million on its South American operations to install a coating line to supplement the area’s growing demand for aluminum cans.

A spokesman also said the company has begun renovations on its Kennesaw facility and is still on schedule to open the research and development center sometime in the middle of next year.

Spokesman Mr Neil Hirsch said the company is spending USD 50 million for a single piece of equipment that will be used in product finishing at its operations facility in Pindamonhangaba, Brazil. The company is already in the midst of a $300 million expansion to the plant for its rolling mill and a $32 million expansion of its aluminum recycling capacity.

Mr Marco Palmieri senior vice president of Novelis Inc and president of Novelis South America said that “This investment will help round out our can sheet offering for our customers in the region and allow us to keep pace with the surging demand for our products. The new line will allow us to increase our capacity to meet customer demand while shortening delivery lead times.”

Mr Hirsch said Novelis executives are predicting that the demand for aluminum beverage cans in the South American region will grow by 7% a year until 2020, because of the area’s growing population. The plant is already fully operational, Hirsch said, but with the new additions, the Brazil plant will have the capacity to process 100,000 metric tons of aluminum sheet per year.

(Sourced from The Marietta Daily Journal)