At its site in Koblenz, Germany,  Aleris will be building a new foundry for the production of aluminium-lithium plates, which are in strong demand in the aerospace branch. Because of their low weight, aluminium-lithium alloys raise fuel efficiency. They also raise strength, as well as resistance to corrosion and fatigue.

In the new plant large ingots will be produced for trials as well as for production in series of aluminium-lithium alloys. Also the development of new “conventional” alloys will be simplified. Aleris in Koblenz plans to begin production in the new foundry in the first quarter of 2013.

“The foundry represents an important expansion for us, especially for the production of aluminium-lithium alloys with which weight and consumption in aircraft can be reduced,” explains Roeland Baan, Aleris’ Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer for Europe and Asia. “The addition of this new plant will also strengthen our research and development capacity, because more sophisticated alloy developments and full-size product studies for each new alloy will be possible.”