Aluminum billet production at Matalco's year-old aluminum remelt and casting plant in Lordstown, Ohio, is expected to approach 200 million lb in 2017, more than double 2016's output of 90 million lb, as the ramp-up continues, an official with the Canadian company said Wednesday.
"The market is very strong," the official, who asked not to be identified, said. "We have several customers saying their order books were full."
The $100 million, 225,000-square-foot facility in northeast Ohio, which the company said represented its largest investment, produced its first billet in March 2016.
The plant produces 6000 series extrusion-grade aluminum billet, primarily for the automotive, building and construction markets. However, "we're also producing some billet for the forging market," the official said.
Matalco is based in Brampton, Ontario, and is a subsidiary of the Giampaolo Group.
According to the official, the billet production escalation at Lordstown is scheduled to last for three years. By the end of 2018, the plant is scheduled to produce roughly 1 million lb/day or about 350 million lb/year.
Once that figure is reached, Matalco's annual production of secondary billet should exceed 700 million lb, including the company's other facilities in Brampton and Canton, Ohio. The 250 million lb/year plant in Brampton became fully operational in 2006. Canton is a smaller facility.
"Actually, in the industry, we're off to a good start," the official said. "Everything we're selling right now is being sold in the North American market." The source said the market softened a bit in February, but since has rebounded.
