Hydro Aluminium has inaugurated its new 14.5-million euro anodising plant in Rackwitz, Germany, one of the largest in Europe.

The new plant is capable of anodising up to four million square metres of extruded aluminium a year. Together with its existing plant at Uphusen in Germany, which has a capacity of 2.5 million square metres, Hydro Aluminium Extrusion Deutschland is thus now Europe’s largest supplier of anodised aluminium profiles.

Demand for anodised aluminium has grown strongly in recent years. This form of surface protection extends the service life of aluminium products significantly, especially those used outdoors, such as solar modules and plants, superstructures on commercial vehicles, or architectural applications. “Aluminium fulfils a beneficial function in both of our main markets, solar and transport. We help make renewable energy, in this case the power of the sun, robustly available. We also make mobility significantly lighter – and in doing so our material itself is also renewable, time and time again,” emphasised Hans-Joachim Kock, a member of Hydro’s corporate board during the formal inauguration of the plant together with the mayor of Rackwitz, Manfred Freigang, and the senior representative of the local district office (Landratsamt Nordsachsen), Ulrich Fiedler.

The new anodising plant has created 60 new jobs. Hydro now employs more than 260 people in Rackwitz in its extrusion plant and recycling foundry, with over 6,000 employees in the whole of Germany. Clemens Metzler, managing director of Hydro Aluminium Extrusion Deutschland GmbH, said the new plant was already operating on a four-shift seven-day week basis.