Owl's Head Alloys to Build $29.2M Aluminum Recycling Plant in Clay County, Miss.

The manufacturer describes itself as being 100 percent employee owned.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) announced March 21 that secondary aluminum producer Owl's Head Alloys (OHA) intends to build a new melt shop facility in Clay County. The manufacturer intends to make a $29.2 million investment that will create 68 new jobs.

The news follows an earlier announcement in December by OHA, based in Bowling Green, Ky., that it had been awarded a long-term agreement to supply recycled aluminum to Aluminum Dynamics LLC (ADL), a production joint venture of Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI), located in Fort Wayne, Ind.

At that time, OHA said its agreement was designed to 'support the $2.2 billion facility for rolling aluminum being constructed in Columbus, Miss., by SDI.'

'Aluminum Dynamics received numerous bids from the industry, but Owl's Head Alloys stood out as the leader in the secondary aluminum processing industry due to its exceptional quality and customer service,' Bernardo Bulnes, an official with of ADL said last December.

OHA also had reached an agreement to increase its recycled-content aluminum capacity, with a first step being the purchase of property in West Point, Miss., in the northeast part of the state.

'Owl's Head will be investing significantly over the next five years at the new site while hiring locally for production, maintenance and some management roles,' the alloys producer said late last year.

OHA noted that its 'presence of strong leadership and customer service' was instrumental in SDI selecting Owl's Head Alloys as a supplier. The company was founded in Kentucky in 2002 with a single furnace and a handful of employees, according to Recycling Today.

The manufacturer describes itself as being 100 percent employee owned.

'Now, it has grown to operate five furnaces, a shredder, a landfill and an ingot line with 150 dedicated employee-owners,' according to OHA President Michael J. Boyle.

'The opportunity to be involved with the newest rolling mill in North America in over 40 years is the result of hard work by a dedicated team that focuses on its customers' needs at every turn,' he added.

Construction on the new aluminum alloy facility is scheduled to begin by May, according to MDA, with completion expected within 18 months.

Courtesy: www.constructionequipmentguide.com