Hydro to upgrade its casting operations at Husnes with NOK 150 million investments

Norway-based fully integrated aluminium company Hydro will reportedly upgrade its casting operations at Husnes with a newly developed in-house technology Low Pressure Casting (LPC). The technology is believed to enable Hydro to produce more advanced materials for various extrusion segments, including automotive aluminium forging.

Ola Sæter, head of Hydro’s fully owned primary aluminium plants, said: “Forge stock for products like suspension arms and knuckles is an attractive market for aluminium within the automotive industry, which needs ever more aluminium to fill its need to lightweight cars and reduce emissions.”

Hydro is ready to contribute its share to the growing automotive aluminium forging market, he concluded.

The Low Pressure Casting technology, which was jointly developed by Hydro Aluminium and Hycast for aluminium extrusion billet casting, will empower a shift from traditional extruded forge stock to cast forge stock, eliminating costly steps in the production process. It will also improve the quality of production and output.

Johan Berg, plant manager at Hydro Husnes said the new technology is scheduled to start operating in 2020 and would require NOK 150 million of investment.

“The key for us is the flexibility to be able to cast both extrusion ingots and forging materials according to customer demand in a flexible and efficient way,” said Berg.

Adding to it he further commented, “This investment is timed well with the ongoing upgrade of Hydro Husnes’ second electrolysis line that is due to start operations in 2020, with an annual planned output of 210,000 tonnes of aluminium semi-products. Making use also of this new technology will significantly strengthen our position as a preferred partner delivering of aluminium to the automotive industry.”