Novelis Opens China's First Manufacturing Facility for Heat-Treated Aluminum Automotive Sheet

ATLANTA and CHANGZHOU, China, Oct. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Novelis, the global leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today officially opened China's first plant dedicated to the production of heat-treated aluminum automotive sheet.  The opening makes Novelis the only company to produce automotive aluminum sheet in all three of the world's major automobile producing regions -- Asia, Europe and North America.

The wholly-owned facility, located in the Changzhou National Hi-Tech District, represents a $100 million investment by Novelis to expand its global footprint to serve the rapidly growing market for automotive aluminum. With an annual capacity of 120,000 metric tons, the new facility will assist China in meeting its environmental goals and provide customers in Asia and abroad with high-quality automotive sheet for use in lightweight vehicle structures and body panels such as hoods, doors, fenders and lift gates.

"The opening of our Changzhou plant further solidifies Novelis' position as the aluminum partner-of-choice for automakers around the world," said Phil Martens, President and CEO of Novelis. "Global automakers seeking to drive fuel efficiency, higher performance and innovative design can now source locally-produced Novelis aluminum automotive sheet in every major region where they make vehicles."

Since 2011, Novelis has invested more than $550 million globally to triple its automotive sheet capacity to 900,000 metric tons by 2015. Demand for aluminum is rapidly increasing as automakers strive to design a new generation of lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles with reduced life-cycle emissions. Each 10 percent weight reduction can result in a 5 to 7 percent fuel savings.

"The opening of our Changzhou plant marks an important milestone for Novelis as our first manufacturing facility in China," said Shashi Maudgal, Senior Vice President, Novelis and President, Novelis Asia. "This new facility will be integrated with our existing operations in Korea, strengthening Novelis' leadership in the Asian market, the largest and fastest growing region in the world for aluminum."

James Liu, Managing Director for Novelis China, says the expansion in China is in direct response to market demand:  "Building on decades of deep technical experience in developing products and processes, the Changzhou facility sets the standard of excellence in the automotive application of aluminum. It helps Novelis support automakers in China to advance the use of lightweight aluminum."

"We are pleased to have worked closely with the Changzhou municipal government on this project and look forward to being an employer of choice in the region as Changzhou solidifies its reputation as a great place to do business in China," concluded Liu.  

As the world's leading supplier of aluminum sheet to the automotive industry, Novelis' unrivaled research and technology capabilities have helped to pioneer the widespread adoption of aluminum in the auto industry. Currently, Novelis aluminum products are now featured in more than 180 models of vehicles produced by leading automakers around the globe. Novelis forecasts the global demand from automakers for aluminum sheet will grow by approximately 30 percent each year through the end of the decade

For more detail about the Changzhou facility and Novelis' leadership in automotive, including a fact sheet, photos and video, visit novelis.com/china.

About Novelis
Novelis Inc. is the global leader in aluminum rolled products and the world's largest recycler of aluminum. The company operates in 11 countries, has approximately 11,200 employees and reported revenue of approximately $10 billion for its 2014 fiscal year. Novelis supplies premium aluminum sheet and foil products to transportation, packaging, construction, industrial and consumer electronics markets throughout North America, Europe, Asia and South America. The company is part of the Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India. For more information, visit novelis.com and follow us at facebook.com/NovelisInc and twitter.com/Novelis.

Forward Looking Statements
Statements made in this news release which describe Novelis' intentions, expectations or predictions may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of securities laws. Examples of forward-looking statements in this news release include the anticipated capacity of the new plant and anticipated growth in the global automotive market. Novelis cautions that, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty. We do not intend, and we disclaim any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Important risk factors which could impact outcomes are included under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2014.

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SOURCE Novelis Inc.