Ardagh Metal Packaging to expand La Ciotat French unit for aluminium recycling & innovation

Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP), a beverage can group from New York, is now receiving supply-demand from a varied base of customers, both new and old, for a long term partnership in the Southwestern parts of Europe and Middle East Africa (MEA). The company has decided to expand its La Ciotat facility in France, eyeing this emerging demand for its products. This investment will strengthen the company’s position in those terrains.

This ‘significant investment’ in the facility is being upheld, by Bpifrance and Sud Attractivité, two French investment banking organisations.

Since its inception in 1991, AMP’s La Ciotat facility has been one of the largest providers of employment in the region, so this extension will not attract a new workforce but also create additional 80 new positions at the unit.

 “The facility also continuously works to limit the consumption of prime aluminium by recycling at all stages of the manufacturing process – and through innovation, producing the lightest possible aluminium can to minimise the use of materials,” says the company.

La Ciotat will have high-end equipment to control electricity and gas consumption. Moreover, increased productivity in the facility will curb imports and reduce other issues like CO2 emissions. The company proposes to move towards sustainability with more stress on aluminium recycling.

AMP claims: “The move to increase production capacity at La Ciotat reflects the strength of AMP’s confidence in French technical and industrial know-how.”

The company expansion will finish in 2023, and commercial production is estimated to start in the first half of 2023. Ardagh Metal Packaging has an expansion plan aiming to grow Capex investments to more than $ 2 billion, and the above investment is just a part of the big ploy.