New Aluminum Extrusion Billet Plant Under Construction in Indiana

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Touting the line "Made in America," Alexin LLC (Bluffton, Indiana), a new aluminum extrusion billet manufacturer, is locating a new facility in Bluffton, Indiana. In November, if all goes according to plan, the plant will occupy 350,000 square feet of space. When all operations are running at full capacity, Alexin will be able to produce more than 210 million pounds of aluminum billet annually. The plant will use scrap metal as the main component; 80% or more of the final aluminum product will consist of recovered aluminum. An area of 250,000 square feet has been earmarked as the storage/scrapyard area, while approximately 150,000 square feet is dedicated to the actual production of the billets.

A significant factor that came into play in choosing the Bluffton site included the ability to distribute the products to customers in a timely and more cost-effective manner. Alexin will be able to convert scrap aluminum into billet for extruders throughout the Midwest.

Early in the conception stage of the project, Alexin brought on board Industrial Contractors Incorporated (Evansville, Indiana) to be part of their design-build team. With any project there are literally hundreds of components and steps, from the initial designing and engineering of the project to the hanging of the "Open for Business" sign. An immense team of contractors and vendors have been involved in all the stages to see this $56 million project completed on schedule by November 2008.

State-of-the-art equipment and technologies are expected to maximize the plant's production ability, furnishing a large diameter billet up to 16 inches in diameter, with finished lengths up to 290 inches. A reverberatory furnace, homogenizing process heaters, cooling vats and a water-cooled casting bed are only some of the equipment being installed to produce the aluminum billets.

The plant is expected to fill 50 full-time positions. Based on that number, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered the company as much as $745,000 in performance-based tax credits, as well as an additional $37,500 in training grants. This is Alexin LLC's first manufacturing facility.

Industrial Info Resources is currently tracking 70 aluminum extrusion and die casting plants in Illinois, Michigan and Indiana as part of its North American Industrial Database.

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