Feb 15 2010
Novelis Inc. announced today that approximately 80 professional positions will be moving to Atlanta as the company relocates its North American headquarters from Cleveland to its world headquarters here. This consolidation, when combined with other expected staff additions, will bring Novelis' Atlanta staff to approximately 220 people by the end of 2010.
Novelis, a $10.2 billion global leader in aluminum rolled products and aluminum can recycling, currently has about 12,000 employees in 11 countries spanning four continents. Novelis selected Atlanta as its world headquarters in 2005 when it was spun off from Canadian aluminum producer Alcan.
"The move of our North American headquarters to Atlanta will not only streamline our processes, but will also better align the North American business group with the global corporate center and vice versa," said Philip Martens, president and chief operating officer of Novelis. "North America is one of our biggest markets, and it just makes good business sense to consolidate these operations at our Atlanta-based corporate headquarters."
The move is the latest in a series of steps taken by the company over the past year designed to realign its global operations, consolidate corporate functions, enhance organizational effectiveness, increase efficiencies and reduce costs. Recent initiatives have included the realigning of manufacturing capacity to optimize its global footprint, tightening control of inventory levels, maximizing credit and risk management, standardizing procurement protocols and reducing energy costs.
"This step will help Novelis become more nimble as a company and better prepare us for future growth," said Jean-Marc Germain, president of Novelis North America. "The synergies and other benefits this consolidation brings will make for better decision-making and foster a stronger working team."
"Novelis' consolidation of North American operations at its Atlanta headquarters provides additional evidence that multi-national corporations thrive in our city," said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. "Atlanta is a global center of international commerce with a vibrant corporate community. I am delighted to welcome the North American headquarters staff of Novelis to our great city."
"We're excited about expanding our presence in Atlanta," added Martens, "and I want to thank the Atlanta Development Authority and the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce for their assistance with this move."