Alcoa expands

Alcoa announced today that it will invest more than $6m to expand core manufacturing capabilities at its Howmet Product and Services’ Morristown, Tennessee plant. Construction for the 16,000 square-foot addition to the plant began this month.

According to Matt Kilgore, manufacturing manager at the Alcoa Howmet facility, the addition will be completed mid-2007 and become fully operational by the end of the year.

‘We are installing a high-temperature tunnel kiln that will exceed the capacity of our existing kiln by approximately 10 percent. The expansion will also include a full complement of new prebake ovens, computerised numerical control (CNC) machines and Tempcraft presses,’ said Kilgore

He added: ‘Aerospace customers are placing unprecedented demands on our capacity; relieving that constraint on our current kiln is the most effective way to support customers’ growth opportunities.’

Expanding the facility’s capability to produce alumina core bodies will enable the organisation to respond to current and estimated future demand.’