August 28, 2008

Novelis completes expansion of aluminum rolling mill in Korea

Novelis Korea Limited announced the completion of a USD 30 million expansion of its aluminum rolling mill at Yeongju in South Korea. The expansion, which required two years to complete, included the addition of a fourth stand on the plant's continuous hot rolling mill along with enhancements to the plant's cold rolling mill, coating line and associated finishing equipment.

Ms Martha Brooks president and COO of Novelis Inc said that "The Yeongju expansion increases our ability to serve our customers in Asia with superior aluminum sheet products. The investment is a key step in executing our business strategy to enhance our high value product portfolio in one of the fastest growing regions in the world."

Mr Jacquie Bartlett vice president sales and marketing for Novelis Korea said that "The Yeongju investment allows us to further expand our capability in sheet for high-value applications such as beverage cans, electronics and transportation markets. These products have the highest quality requirements in the business. Our market leadership is a tribute to the high performance of our people, our assets and our technology."

Novelis is the leading supplier of aluminum sheet in South Korea, China and Southeast Asia. The company's subsidiaries in the region shipped a combined total of 515 kilotonnes of aluminum products in 2007. Novelis expects the Yeongju expansion to further increase its aluminum rolling capacity by approximately 100 kilotonnes annually.