Pittsburgh-based Alcoa Corporation announced Friday that it will begin construction on a project in Canada aimed at increasing the company’s casting capabilities.
The new casting equipment at the company’s Deschambault smelter will be constructed in an existing building and is estimated to be completed in the first quarter of 2023. The output from the project will complement the site’s two existing vertical casting pits, which exclusively cast T-bar ingots. Alcoa estimates the project will cost $8 million.
“We are working directly with a customer to bring this production capacity online to meet specific needs in the North American market,” said Kelly Thomas, Alcoa executive vice president and chief commercial officer. “Providing this increased capability at Deschambault is a direct result of collaboration with our location and our customers, and we are proud to see this work get underway.”
Adding standard ingot-casting to the site’s capabilities will give the company greater flexibility for alloying in smaller batches to meet customer needs, the company said. Each standard ingot weighs approximately 10.5 kilograms.
The Deschambault smelter celebrated its 30th anniversary this year and recently completed the installation of additional electrical infrastructure that will allow it to continue to creep its production. The smelter’s aluminum production capacity is 287,000 metric tons per year.
Alcoa is the world’s eighth-largest aluminum producer, with operations in 10 countries and employing more than 12,200 employees. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, the company is a major producer of aluminum, fabricated aluminum, and alumina combined, through its participation in all aspects of the industry, from mining and recycling to refining, smelting, and fabrication.