Cobb County, Metro Atlanta, GA (June 21, 2012) – Novelis, the world’s leading producer of rolled aluminum and largest recycler of aluminum beverage cans, celebrated the grand opening of its Global Research & Technology Center in Kennesaw. The 160,000-square-foot facility serves as the global hub of the company’s extensive research and development activities. The Center will create 150 new jobs and $20 million in investment and new technologies. Representatives from the Cobb Chamber, Cobb County Government, the City of Kennesaw, the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Technology Association of Georgia attended the grand opening to welcome Novelis to Cobb’s thriving business community.
“Novelis is a prime example of the companies we’re working to bring to Cobb County. This Global Research & Technology Center will be the home of Novelis’ greatest talents, producing innovative, sustainable aluminum products for the global market,” said Brooks Mathis, vice president of Economic Development at the Cobb Chamber. “We’re proud to welcome Novelis to Cobb’s family of Fortune 500 companies and corporate headquarters.”
The state-of-the-art center will be the critical focal point for all research and development within the company, focused on world class solutions for the company’s can, automotive and specialty customers. It is also the central point for all of Novelis’ technical activities worldwide, including engineering, manufacturing excellence and metallurgy.
“The new Global Research & Technology Center will bring together some of world’s leading metallurgists, materials scientists, engineers and technologists all working for the benefit of Novelis’ customers across the globe,” said Stefan Erdmann, Novelis’ vice president of Global R&D. “The center will tackle challenges ranging from increasing fuel efficiency in automobiles to making consumer packaging and electronics products more sustainable.”
Located on 1950 Vaughn Road, just north of the Novelis world headquarters in Atlanta, the facility includes a variety of materials development and testing laboratories, a pilot beverage can production line and meeting space. Future plans include a small scale aluminum rolling mill, and heat treatment capabilities for finishing automotive aluminum sheet.
Novelis is partnering with Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) and the Georgia Institute of Technology on research opportunities, recruitment and internships for the future generation of engineers. In addition, Novelis approached SPSU to design a statue of a transformer for the new center.
Dr. Simin Nasseri of the university’s Mechanical Engineering Technology Department and three of her students—Chris Cutter, James Smith and Timothy Del Rocco—designed a 10-foot-tall statue incorporating Novelis’ aluminum sheeting. The design represents Novelis’ mission of transforming raw aluminum into useful products. The statue also has some hexagonal elements representing SPSU.
“This collaboration enhances the success potential of SPSU-Novelis projects, the quality of the research work produced and the quality of young, future engineers,” said Dr. Nasseri.
The new facility will become the hub of Novelis’ global network of R&D activities, which includes seven other facilities located in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Korea. In 2010, the company created 153 new jobs for the Atlanta community in its global headquarters office which currently employs around 250 people.
About Novelis
Novelis Inc. is the global leader in aluminum rolled products and aluminum can recycling. The company operates in 11 countries, has more than 11,000 employees and reported revenue of $11.1 billion in fiscal year 2012. Novelis supplies premium aluminum sheet and foil products to automotive, transportation, packaging, construction, industrial, electronics and printing markets throughout North America, Europe, Asia and South America. Novelis is a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited (BSE: HINDALCO), one of Asia’s largest integrated producers of aluminum and a leading copper producer. Hindalco is a flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India.
About the Cobb Chamber
As one of the most influential business advocacy organizations in Georgia, the Cobb Chamber is dedicated to bringing the community and its leaders together to create jobs and strengthen the economy and quality of life so businesses and the community can achieve more. The Chamber achieves this by creating jobs and driving economic development; strengthening the community and the region; growing member businesses and nurturing leadership; and connecting businesses, government and the community.