Novelis to shut Aratu aluminum smelter in Brazil

Dec 06, 2010 | 01:24 PM |

Novelis Inc. will shut its 60,000-tonne-per-year, loss-making primary aluminum smelter in Aratu, Brazil, by Dec. 31 due to high operating costs and a lack of competitively priced energy supply.

The plant's small scale, outdated technology and logistical factors also impair its operating efficiency, Atlanta-based Novelis said.

"We made significant efforts to improve performance at the smelter, including restructuring the work force, installing new plant leadership and adjusting production levels," Alexandre Almeida, senior vice president and president of Novelis South America, said in a statement. "Unfortunately, we could not achieve profitability for the plant."

The smelter, located in the country's northeastern state of Bahia, supplies Novelis' Pindamonhangaba's hot mill in São Paulo state, according to Novelis' Web site.....





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