Spectro Alloys breaks ground on $71 million recycling expansion at Rosemount facility

Rosemount, Minn. – March 28, 2024 – Spectro Alloys and The Opus Group®, joined by Gov. Tim Walz and Rosemount Mayor Jeff Weisensel, broke ground Wednesday on a $71 million expansion to add new aluminum recycling capabilities to Spectro’s Rosemount campus. Spectro Alloys, the leading Midwest-based aluminum recycler, plans to recycle more end-of-life scrap aluminum to improve recycling rates in Minnesota and meet a growing demand for recycled aluminum sheet ingot and extrusion billet. Click here to download photos from the groundbreaking event.

Spectro Alloys will produce recycled billet and sheet ingot in a new 90,000-square-foot building along Highway 55. The first phase of the project will result in nearly 120 million pounds per year of additional recycling capacity and create up to 50 new full-time jobs. The facility will include state-of-the-art equipment for sorting, melting, casting, sawing, homogenizing and packaging with industry-leading automation and the best available pollution control technology. Spectro’s plant will also provide energy use and carbon emission reductions of 95% when compared to new aluminum production.

“We are excited to celebrate the future of aluminum recycling right here in Minnesota. This expansion will meet the growing demand for high quality recycled aluminum products while providing value that supports recycling across Minnesota and beyond. It’s a win-win for our company, our customers and our community,” said Spectro Alloys President Luke Palen.

Aluminum billet is used as raw material for the extrusion process, and is turned into products like railings, window and door trim, and structural components for cars, boats, airplanes, trailers, docks and more. Spectro will also have the ability to recycle used beverage containers into sheet ingot – slabs of aluminum weighing up to 60,000 pounds each – a feedstock for rolling mills. In Minnesota, only 45 percent of aluminum beverage containers are currently being recycled, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

"We're building a strong and sustainable economy in Minnesota,” Walz said. “And it’s businesses like Spectro Alloys that are creating jobs and valuable products and communities like Rosemount, where businesses have the support they need to be successful. This is a win for Rosemount and a win for Minnesota.”

Construction will continue through 2024, and the facility is expected to begin production in mid-2025.

“We’re excited to be part of the Spectro Alloys’ project team and help build their vision for the future,” said John Williams vice president at The Opus Group. “We look forward to delivering a new modern industrial facility through our integrated design-build delivery model.”

About Spectro Alloys

Spectro Alloys operates one of the highest efficiency aluminum recycling plants in the United States.  Since 1973, Spectro Alloys has been providing high-quality recycled aluminum alloys to regional die casters and foundries, where it is made into new products for the automotive, power sports, home, turf and snow maintenance, and other industries. Recycling at Spectro Alloys involves shredding, sorting and processing aluminum with the most advanced technology used in the industry today. Aluminum recycling at Spectro generates more than 95% in CO2 and energy savings compared to creating new aluminum. Spectro’s direct CO2 savings is equivalent to removing more than 80,000 cars from the road, and Spectro’s direct energy savings could power more than 200,000 homes. Learn more at SpectroAlloys.com.

About The Opus Group
The Opus Group® is a family of commercial real estate development, construction and design companies headquartered in Minneapolis with offices and projects across the country. Opus operates as an integrated, multidisciplinary team with expertise in development, capital markets and finance; project management and construction; and architecture and engineering. The Opus Group includes Opus Holding, L.L.C. and its operating subsidiaries: Opus Development Company, L.L.C., Opus Design Build, L.L.C. and Opus AE Group, L.L.C. Specializing in industrial, office, residential, retail and institutional projects, The Opus Group has broad capabilities, deep experience and a proven design-build model that delivers solutions for customers on time and on budget. For more information, visit www.opus-group.com and follow The Opus Group on LinkedIn and Instagram.