Jul 19 2004
Hydro will upgrade its aluminium rolling mill in Slim, Italy, to meet customer demand for high quality products. The investment will strengthen Hydro Aluminium in Southern Europe and the company’s position as the leading supplier of aluminium rolled products in Europe.
The investments will expand Hydro Aluminium Slim´s capacity by roughly 10 per cent to approximately 90,000 tonnes per year, and strengthen its capabilities to supply value added products for the heat exchanger, packaging and construction markets, where Hydro has competitive advantages.
A new cold rolling mill will be replacing an existing, old mill and at the same time the existing hot mill will be revamped and logistics will be improved. Total investments are estimated to EUR 49 million (NOK 410 million). The project will be completed during third quarter of 2006. The revamp of the hot mill will be carried out during the summer shut downs to minimise loss of production.
Other parts of the plant in Slim, notably the casthouse, the foil mills and finishing equipment have been modernised in the past few years. This new investment completes the modernisation of the entire value chain in Slim. HA Slim today has some 550 employees.
"Hydro has a leadership position in the European market," states Svein Richard Brandtzæg, president of Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products. "Slim forms a significant part of our strategy to improve product mix and maintaining a major share of the Italian market, the second largest in Europe".
"This investment will foster Slim’s current market position and at the same time allow us to participate in future market growth," says Brandtzæg.
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