Novelis seeks increased aluminum production as Oswego Plant restarts operations
2026-06-17 11:26:44 [Print]
Novelis Incorporated, a subsidiary of the Aditya Birla Group, has announced the restart of production at its major aluminum-rolling facility serving the U.S. automotive sector. Concurrently, the company is calling for a ramp-up in aluminum production across both the United States and Europe, citing what it describes as an over-reliance on imports in these regions.
The Oswego, New York plant was forced to halt operations following a fire in September 2025, which disrupted the production of approximately 40% of the aluminum sheet used by U.S. automakers-with Ford among the hardest hit. The fire severely damaged the plant's hot mill, a critical piece of equipment used to roll and shape large blocks of solidified aluminum, known as ingots, into sheets for manufacturing bumpers, doors, and other vehicle components.
Novelis initially projected that the facility would resume operations in the first quarter of 2026. However, a second fire broke out during repair work in November, further delaying the reconstruction and restart of the hot mill, which has an annual production capacity of 560,000 tons of aluminum ingots. Although the facility has now been brought back online, production remains constrained until full service is restored.
During the shutdown period, Novelis mitigated output losses by increasing production at its plants in Europe, Brazil, and South Korea. Nevertheless, the heavy import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration added significant financial pressure to the company's balance sheets throughout the disruption.
The Oswego, New York plant was forced to halt operations following a fire in September 2025, which disrupted the production of approximately 40% of the aluminum sheet used by U.S. automakers-with Ford among the hardest hit. The fire severely damaged the plant's hot mill, a critical piece of equipment used to roll and shape large blocks of solidified aluminum, known as ingots, into sheets for manufacturing bumpers, doors, and other vehicle components.
Novelis initially projected that the facility would resume operations in the first quarter of 2026. However, a second fire broke out during repair work in November, further delaying the reconstruction and restart of the hot mill, which has an annual production capacity of 560,000 tons of aluminum ingots. Although the facility has now been brought back online, production remains constrained until full service is restored.
During the shutdown period, Novelis mitigated output losses by increasing production at its plants in Europe, Brazil, and South Korea. Nevertheless, the heavy import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration added significant financial pressure to the company's balance sheets throughout the disruption.
Aluminum Ingot 99.7%min IW Wuxi
Unit:RMB/mt
China primary aluminum producers' inventory to production ratio statistics by province by month
Unit: %
