Century Aluminum & MX Holdings team up to produce low carbon secondary aluminium billet

Century Aluminum Company, a global producer of primary aluminium, has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding with MX Holdings to form a joint venture firm for manufacturing and marketing low-carbon secondary billet. MX Holdings is a global leader in the purchasing, processing, and manufacturing of non-ferrous metals.

According to the report, the new JV will produce and supply highly engineered and technically advanced aluminium alloys made of increased recycled content produced with low-carbon processes.

Under the new agreement, Century Aluminum and MX Holdings have also decided to produce billet at their existing, wholly-owned Pennex facilities. Each company will produce various alloys to meet specific customer needs.

Matt Rohm, CEO of MX Holdings, parent company to Metal Exchange and Pennex, said: “We are excited to embark on this endeavor with Century – a partner whose business strategy and expertise complement our own and whose team shares our values and people-centric culture. By pairing our collective focus on customer service with a state-of-the-art facility, cutting edge processes, and advanced technical expertise, billet produced by the joint venture will not only deliver exceptional quality and performance, but will enable our customers to achieve their sustainability objectives more effectively.”

Mr Rohm added, “Most importantly, we're excited about the opportunities this venture brings to make a positive impact for our industry and our customers.”

The initial production at the new joint venture firm is scheduled to begin in 2026, bringing output to 250 million pounds per year. It will be the largest American-owned secondary billet supplier, serving the automotive and general extrusion industries.  Both the companies are now searching for an ideal location for the facility in the Ohio Valley region.

Matt Aboud, Century’s Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, said: “Century is pleased to be partnering with another American company - MX Holdings - to establish a new entity serving the automotive and general extrusion industries,"

"Expansion into scrap recycling has been a long-term strategic focus for Century but finding the right partners and opportunities are critical to the success of that strategy," continued Mr. Aboud. "We believe MX Holding’s scrap knowledge and extrusion expertise coupled with Century’s value-added-production capabilities are a compelling combination. By leveraging the strengths of Century and MX Holdings, we believe this joint venture can deliver a differentiated value proposition to customers looking for next generation extrusion products and offer an alternative source in this fast-growing segment.