Alcoa Corp. announced that the Aluminerie de Bécancour Inc. (ABI) smelter plans to restart curtailed smelting capacity after members of the United Steelworkers union in Quebec approved a six-year labor agreement. The smelter, which is owned by Alcoa (74.95%) and Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. (25.05%), has total capacity of 413,000 metric tons per year. The restart will begin on July 26 and is expected to be complete in the second quarter of 2020.

Central Motor Wheel of America Inc. (CMWA) will invest nearly $112 million to expand its aluminum wheel manufacturing facility in Paris, Ky. The project will create 145 full-time jobs and increase the company’s production by 50%. CMWA plans to expand onto an additional 40 acres and add 270,000 square feet onto its existing 330,000-square-foot plant. The 145 new jobs will include production, maintenance and engineering. Work on the expansion will this summer, and company executives expect production to begin in July 2021.

Andritz received an order from China’s Qinghai Zhuofeng New Material Co. Ltd. to supply two continuous annealing and processing lines, each with an annual capacity of 110,000 tons. Start-up is scheduled for the second quarter of 2021 (line 1) and the second quarter of 2022 (line 2). The lines will produce high-quality, flat aluminum product for the automotive industry. Andritz’s scope of supply also includes automation technology and commissioning.

Noodle.ai and SMS group announced a partnership to further optimize the world’s first learning steel mill for Arkansas-based Big River Steel. The joint solution was created by implementing Noodle.ai’s learning algorithms into SMS group’s X-Pact MES 4.0. Noodle.ai was able to leverage the existing integration of SMS group’s X-Pact MES 4.0 in the steel mill‘s IT environment and in their SaaS (Software as a Service) applications. The new end solutions digitize applications throughout every stage of the steelmaking process, from the liquid phase all the way to strip finishing.

Mercury Marine opened the 23,500-square-foot expansion to its die-casting facility in Fond du Lac, Wis. The $9 million investment provides space for capacity increases, allowing the company to make complex blocks, driveshafts and gear cases for Mercury outboards. The addition will be filled with large-tonnage die-casting equipment, including a 4,500-ton machine, that will drive higher quality and better throughput to keep up with increased engine demand.

The second precaution necessary when brazing aluminum to stainless is...

The Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA) heads to Cleveland, Ohio, for its 2019 Fall Seminars and Fall Business Conference. The event will be held at the Intercontinental Cleveland Sept. 24-26. The technical seminar series will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by the IHEA Fall Business Conference on Thursday.

Liberty Steel, part of the global GFG Alliance, acquired Johnstown Wire Technologies (JWT) of Johnstown, Pa., the largest producer of value-added carbon and alloy wire in North America. The acquisition gives Liberty valuable capacity to manufacture a range of high-value carbon and alloy wire products for multiple end markets, including the automotive industry. The 638,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility in Johnstown will complement Liberty’s melting and rolling operations in Georgetown, S.C., and Peoria, Ill.

Commercial Metals Company opened a 63,000-square-foot addition to its facility in Mesa, Ariz. The expansion will allow the company to produce hot-rolled, spooled steel rebar from mostly recycled scrap metal. The electric-arc furnace (EAF) micro-mill, which opened in 2009, uses a continuous technology and is the first of its type to be successfully operated in the U.S., according to CMC. More than 450,000 tons of scrap metal are recycled each year into steel bar products at CMC Steel Arizona for use in construction and fabrication. The facility produces straight and spooled rebar in a range of sizes and lengths. 

Alexandria Industries invested in a new aluminum extrusion press that will allow the company to increase its aluminum extrusion capabilities, extrude more complex product features and hold tighter tolerances while utilizing a variety of alloys. The company, which will gain an extra 30% in extrusion capacity, will add 19,000 square feet of space to its manufacturing facility in Alexandria, Minn., to accommodate the equipment. Construction is scheduled to begin soon.