Kibar Americas restarts former Novelis aluminium plant in Fairmont, targets hundreds of jobs

Kibar Americas has begun production at the former Novelis aluminium plant in Fairmont, marking the facility’s return to operation more than a year after its sudden closure resulted in the loss of more than 180 jobs.

The reopening was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local leaders and former plant workers, highlighting the facility’s return as a manufacturing site and Kibar Americas’ plans to build up its workforce.

For Fairmont Deputy Mayor Josh Rice, the reopening carried a personal significance. Rice spent 13 years working at the former Novelis plant before its closure, which left him and nearly 200 other employees without work.

“It was like a brotherhood, the guys that I had here,” Rice said. “So, when you come here for things like that, I’ve had several tragic things happen in my life. This was one of the places I could come to have all the brothers in here of our union be able to, you know, talk with you. It wasn’t just a workplace, it was like a family in here.”

The return of the facility is already bringing some former workers back. According to Rice, Kibar Americas has hired between 20 and 25 employees who previously worked at the Novelis plant.

Kibar Americas has so far hired about 60 workers, representing roughly 20 per cent of the plant’s planned workforce. President Derek Keddy said the company expects to reach full staffing capacity within 18 months.

The investment also reflects Kibar Americas’ wider aim of increasing domestic aluminium supply. Keddy said the US aluminium industry has historically depended heavily on imported material, creating a gap between domestic demand and local supply.

“The US doesn’t have a sufficient source of local material or domestic material, and so we rely heavily upon imported material,” Keddy said. “And the goal over the long term is to try and correct that balance going forward to have more supply to meet the demand that’s here domestically.”

The company chose West Virginia after working with local leaders, including Senator Shelley Moore Capito and State Treasurer Larry Pack. Kibar Americas said the state’s workforce and the government’s willingness to work with the company were factors in its decision to invest in the area.

Capito was also involved in bringing Kibar Americas to Fairmont and pointed to the facility’s technology and potential employment impact.

Kibar Americas is an affiliate of Turkish company Assan Alüminyum, which operates an aluminium plant near Istanbul.

With production now underway, the Fairmont facility will manufacture aluminium products for HVAC systems, vehicles and other applications.