Hydro, a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, announced that it would relocate its aluminium technology centre from Zeeland to Cassapolis in Michigan, giving it a bigger space and better infrastructure.
The new technology centre will be located adjoining Hydro’s under-construction recycling facility at the Midwest Energy and Communications SMART Park, housing a state-of-the-art lab with technological equipment and an improved workspace. Thus, it will enable Hydro to deliver more innovative products to its customers in automotive, transportation, consumer products and building systems.
“Our technical resources in Michigan and Norway have been a key factor in our success and growth in the United States for the past years. With the relocation of our best in class technology center to Cassopolis, we are putting ourselves in a much stronger position to deliver on our future growth plans in Cassopolis, Michigan and in the United States,” said Stig Tjøtta, Head of Commercial Technology in Hydro Aluminium Metal.
The relocation and expansion of the project, which is expected to be finalized by early 2024, will require an investment of $3.7 million. The new centre and the recycling facility will share an administration building and work in close collaboration.
Ingrid Heradstveit Guddal, Head of Recycling for Hydro Aluminum Metal, said: “These enhanced technical capabilities, co-located with our new state-of-the-art recycling plant in Cassopolis, strengthen the framework for Hydro to continue our recycling growth in the U.S.”
As part of Hydro’s global network of laboratories and R&D centres, the Hydro Aluminium Technology Centre (HATC) provides critical performance testing data to support in-house production facilities and customers in the US, Mexico and Canada to manufacture high-performance products for end-use industries like automotive.
HATC is the only testing lab in Hydro system which can provide third-party certified testing for strength and corrosion resistance. Besides HATC, Hydo also operates a technology centre in Troy, Michigan.
Upon commencement of the new technology centre, Hydro’s North American portfolio will expand to more than 500,000 tonnes of aluminium extrusion ingots, including HyCrushTM and HyBeamTM automotive alloys.
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