Fagor Arrasate has been selected as a technology supplier for the new aluminum processing facility that Kloeckner Metals is building in Columbus, Mississippi. As part of the first development phase, the company will supply two finishing lines that will be integrated into the plant's high-automation environment.
On one side, a slitting line with a robotic tooling changeover – FASTR – and a high production automatic strapping line, capable of processing aluminum in thicknesses from 0.01“ to 0.187”, in strip widths between 18“ and 94.5”.
The second line is a Cut-to-Length (CTL) line with a packaging line, capable of processing aluminum in thicknesses from 0.0157“ to 0.190”, in strip widths between 18“ and 94.485”. This line incorporates a rotary shear for cutting trapezoids and operates at a maximum speed of up to 400 m/min.
Both lines also incorporate numerous automation features, such as width and thickness gauges, surface inspection devices, injectors for marking strips and/or parts, PVC and paper film applicators, automatic package evacuation and weighing, automatic cassette change, coil weighing, etc.
They will be dedicated to processing aluminum from the 5000 and 6000 series and, specifically, grade 5182 aluminum. The 5182 alloy is a specific grade within the 5000 series, notable for its high magnesium content and use in automotive and structural applications.
The new facility is located within the Aluminum Dynamics (ADI) customer campus, a 1,200-acre industrial park developed by Steel Dynamics. It is designed to become one of the most automated aluminum processing plants in North America. The initial phase involves a $90 million investment and is expected to create 40 direct jobs. The facility will process up to 150,000 metric tons of aluminum per year, including slit coils and sheets, and has been conceived with future expansion phases in mind.
Construction officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, executives from Kloeckner Metals, ADI, Steel Dynamics, and other institutional stakeholders. Fagor Arrasate was represented in the ground-breaking ceremony by Mr. Mikel Lopez, Managing Director of the Metal División, Mr. Phil Conway, General manager of Fagor Arrasate USA, Inc. and Mr. Peter Swenson, Sales Manager of the Metal División in the US. The facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, with operations scheduled to begin in early 2027.
The equipment supplied by Fagor Arrasate will contribute to the plant’s strategic focus on automation and operational efficiency. The production line is being designed to support high throughput, flexibility, and minimal manual intervention, aligned with the performance standards expected of next-generation aluminum processing operations.
This project reinforces Fagor Arrasate’s position as a technology partner in large-scale industrial developments and reflects the company’s growing presence in North America. In parallel, the company is also installing an automated slitting line for Mississippi Steel, located nearby.
