NEW YORK — Novelis Inc. encountered a "little increase" in aluminum used beverage can (UBC) prices immediately following its withdrawal from Evermore Recycling LLC, but it is "very pleased" with the transition to its own UBC purchasing team.

Derek Prichett, vice president of global recycling at Atlanta-based Novelis, told AMM that the company has had no issues with supply since withdrawing from Evermore, a joint venture it established with Alcoa Inc. dedicated to the procurement of UBCs.

"We did see a little increase in the market for can scrap when the separation (from Evermore) happened, but we’ve been seeing the opposite trend over the last couple of months," Prichett said. "We’ve had no issues getting enough supply, and we’re buying at levels consistent with what we bought as part of Evermore."

Novelis announced its withdrawal from Evermore in May, with Prichett later citing "more flexibility to execute our strategic plans" as the primary driver behind the exit (amm.com, July 16).

Pittsburgh-based Alcoa took over Evermore Recycling Aug. 31.