Taber Extrusions Opens $85M Expansion with Largest Direct Aluminum Press in North America

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Indian auto components manufacturer Uno Minda has approved ₹14.15 billion (₹1,415 crore, around US$150 million) of investment across four manufacturing projects, including a major expansion of its aluminum casting operations. The company will invest ₹5.1 billion in a new greenfield aluminum casting facility at Thally Road in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, raising casting capacity from around 13,000 tonnes/year to 34,000 tonnes/year at peak, an increase of roughly 162%. The Hosur expansion will add around 21,000 tonnes/year of aluminum casting capacity and will serve two-wheelers, passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles, including EV and powertrain applications. The facility will also be capable of producing around 1 million high-pressure die-cast two-wheeler alloy wheels annually. Development will take place in phases over three years, with Phase I production targeted for Q4 FY2028 and existing Hosur operations expected to be consolidated at the new site by Q1 FY2029. Separately, Uno Minda will invest ₹1.55 billion in a 3.3 million-unit/year two-wheeler alloy wheel facility in Kharkhoda, Haryana, including relocation of 2 million units of existing capacity from Maharashtra. The expansion highlights growing Indian downstream aluminum demand from vehicle lightweighting, EVs and advanced powertrain applications, with Uno Minda saying the investments are supported by existing orders or firm demand visibility.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] The proposed US$4 billion EGA-Century aluminum smelter in Inola, Oklahoma faces a further delay after the Inola Town Council unanimously extended its moratorium on primary aluminum smelting through April 7, 2027. On the same date, residents will vote in a town-wide referendum on whether to permanently ban primary aluminum smelting within Inola. The project, being developed by Oklahoma Primary Aluminum, a 60:40 venture between EGA and Century Aluminum, is planned to produce more than 750,000 tonnes/year, which would make it the largest US primary aluminum smelter. The extension adds another layer of uncertainty to the project, but does not mean the smelter has been cancelled. Oklahoma Primary Aluminum said it may pursue legal remedies against the town, arguing that tens of millions of dollars have already been invested under existing authorizations. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt also criticized the moratorium, while state Attorney General Gentner Drummond is separately seeking a preliminary injunction to block construction amid environmental concerns.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Canadian aluminum fabricators are warning that sales to the US could effectively disappear after additional US tariffs took effect on September 15, further increasing the cost of Canadian aluminum products entering the market. British Columbia-based Apex Aluminum Extrusions, which previously generated more than 40% of its sales from the US, expects those exports to fall to zero. CEO Darren McQueen said the latest measures can result in an effective tariff of around 100% of the product’s selling price, as new Section 338 duties are stacked on top of existing Section 232 tariffs. The impact is much more severe for Canadian downstream aluminum producers than for primary aluminum smelters. The US remains structurally dependent on Canadian primary metal, requiring around 4 million tonnes/year of aluminum imports, while Canada can supply roughly 3 million tonnes. Fabricated products such as extrusions, however, face greater competition and can be substituted more easily, making it much harder for Canadian processors to pass the additional tariff cost to US customers.