Commissioning of Hindalco-Almex Aerospace Casthouse
	Aurangabad, India- December 2008 : Almex USA Inc. has successfully commissioned Phase 1 of the new Hindalco-Almex Aerospace Limited casthouse in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. The plant, a joint venture between Hindalco Industries and Almex is a new hard alloy billet casthouse for supply of 2000, 6000 and 7000 series aluminum alloy billet to the aerospace and hard alloy extrusion and forge press operations around the globe. Billet diameter capabilities range from 178 mm to 1080 mm. Subsequent phases will incorporate slab capabilities, alloy development and R&D line and aluminum lithium casting capabilities.
	Almex at "Aluminium China 2008"
	Shanghai, China, 30th June - 2nd July 2008 : Visit us at "Aluminium China 2008" which is anticipated to be the world's largest aluminum gathering of the year, located in Shanghai International Expo Center in Shanghai, China. We look forward to welcome you to our booth.
	Lorraine Fortier Joins Almex
	July 2008 : ALMEX USA Inc, the global supplier of Cast House Systems for the aluminum industry, is pleased to announce the joining of Lorraine Fortier as Director of Process Engineering and Quality Assurance. Holing an MBA in Global Management and a Master’s in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of British Columbia, Lorraine Fortier brings 20 years of practical, theoretical, and quality experience in all aspects the aluminum industry. Beginning her career with Alcan International in Research and Development in Jonquiere, QC, Lorraine worked on casting lubrication for billet and ingot products.  Having more than 10 years of experience in solving casting problems for both soft and hard alloys with Alcan, Sebree, KY, Profile Aluminum, Boonville, IN and TST Inc., Fontana, CA., Lorraine also has practical experience in modernization of cast houses and quality systems. Along with her practical experience in both extrusion and forging environments with Profile Extrusion and Alcoa, Cleveland, OH, respectively, Lorraine brings knowledge related to end user quality requirements for extrusion and forging products, including the highly stringent aerospace market.
	Russell Wood - Manager, Project Supervision & Sales - Europe & Central Asia
	July 2007 : Joined Almex from Alcan / Pechiney Aviatube where he was Casthouse Manager at the Workington UK plant. Over 28 yrs Aluminum industry experience in a variety of roles including : Leading member in ALCAN pan-European Hard alloy advisory group to establish best practice manufacturing procedures. Key member of ALCAN pan-European Casthouse safety audit program Six Sigma Project leader Project Manager for major capital investment Casting mould development OES analysis. Married with two daughters and live on a family Farm in the beautiful English Lake district.
	Almex wins Export Achievement Award
	Cerritos, California, USA, June 2008: United State Department of Commerce awards Export Achievement Certificate to Almex USA Inc., for recent accomplishments in the Global Marketplace. Almex were awarded the Export Achievement Award from the United States Department of Commerce at a dinner ceremony at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Cerritos, California. The award acknowledges Almex’s achievements in recent years in obtaining contracts in four continents and for their successful formation of a Joint Venture with Hindalco Industries Ltd. The largest aluminum producer in India and the worlds largest aluminum flat rolled products producer. The award also recognized Almex’s contribution and assistance in helping the DoC in Southern California in developing global trade relations for benefit of the region.
	Commissioning of D.C. Casting Tables in China.
	Liaoning, China, June 2008: Liaoning Zhongwang Group Co., Ltd. commissioning it's first two tables supplied by Almex (582 mm Ø x 6 strand & 446.5 mm Ø x 8 strand) for casting medium dia soft alloy billet. Almex successfully commissioned two casting tables at the Lianoning Zhong Wang Group’s facility in Liao Yang City. The tables can produce 6 strands of 582 mm diameter and 8 strands of 446.5 mm diameter billet respectively and will supply unscalped billet to the Company’s new extrusion presses. The tooling is designed with the flexibility to cast 6000 series alloys and Almex proprietary wiper technology also permits the production of 2000 and 7000 series alloys on the same tooling. Almex Excel™ billet molds are successfully used by customers in 5 continents to produce world class billet for extrusion and forging applications in all markets from the construction industry to aerospace. The alloy flexibility, size range and user friendliness of the molds makes the tooling a preferred choice for billet producers. Excel™ tooling is available in sizes ranging from  3 ½”  (75 mm) to  42” (1080 mm) and Almex is always pleased to review unique size requirements, configurations and alloy requirements with existing and potential customers.
	CASTRIGHT II™ for Vista Metals Inc.
	Fontana, California, USA, May 2008: Vista Metals Inc., Commissions Almex advanced CASTRIGHT II™ Technology tooling package for 30" dia Billet in aerospace alloys. Vista Metals in Fontana, California recently took receipt of the next generation of hard alloy billet tooling from Almex USA Inc. in the form of a 4 strand table for casting of 30” billets in 2000, 6000 and 7000 series alloys. The tooling has lived up to expectations with Vista realizing faster casting speeds and thinner surface segregation bands compared to their existing tooling. Vista uses Almex tooling for all of their hard alloy billet production and the benefits of this new tooling with further increase their competitiveness and recognition as a world class supplier of billet to the aerospace, hard alloy and conventional alloy forging and extrusion markets around the globe. Vista Metals rely on Almex tooling for their billet production and have achieved global sales success using Almex Excel™ tooling in sizes ranging from 5 ½” (140 mm) to 42” (1080 mm in diameter. Vista also uses Almex LARS® metal purification systems, Castright II™ process control solutions and Rite™ slab casting tooling as critical process tools in their production systems.
	Turnkey Facility Installed & Commissioned in China
	Longzhou, China, March 2008: Almex Commissions it's First China Greenfield Project al Miluo Longzhou Aluminum Co. Ltd., Miluo, Hunan. The Plant make small diameter billets in soft & hard alloys. Almex successfully commissioned a MiniCast™ billet plant at the Miluo Longzhou Aluminium Company plant in Miluo, China. The plant is capable of producing 2000, 6000 and 7000 series aluminum alloy extrusion billet in 6”, 7” and 10” diameters with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons per year. The plant, with layout, technology and know how from Almex has potential expansion capacity up to 100,000 tons per year is capable of secondary remelt of scrap from external sources. Furnace and metal purification technologies ensure high quality end product while allowing the plant to remain totally compliant to all emission regulations both regionally and nationally without the cost and associated issues of requiring baghouse technologies to be implemented. The casting line utilizes the latest Almex technology including LARS® metal purification system, Mega™ casting machine, Excel™ billet tooling, and quality control equipment including Z-Met® and Ultrex II™. Almex also provided the technical specifications for the melting and homogenizing furnaces used at the plant in order for the customer to select the optimum furnace configuration from local suppliers.
	Three Casting Lines for Liancheng Aluminum
	Liancheng, China, March 2008: Almex was awarded contract for three (3) Casting lines from Liancheng Lanzhou Aluminum Co, Ltd., Division of CHALCO. Almex have been awarded an order for two slab casting lines, one billet casting line and associated metal purification systems for a Greenfield primary casthouse at Lanzhou Liancheng Aluminium Company (Chalco) in Liancheng, China. The casthouse is the largest single casthouse project ever undertaken by Chalco with an annual capacity of 250,000 tons per year. The project will include one 30 ton billet casting line with six billet sizes for production of 2000, 6000 and 7000 series alloys, one 40 ton slab line for 2000 and 7000 series alloys and one 60 ton slab line for 1000, 3000 and 5000 series alloy slab production. The project is a fast track supply, with commissioning of the first line due within 10 months from order placement. The plant will operate with LARS® dual rotor and three rotor metal purification systems, metal transfer systems, Mega™ casting machines, Excel™ billet tooling, Rite™ fixed and adjustable slab mold tooling and Castright II™ process control automation software.
	Turnkey Facility Installed & Commissioned
	Lynwood, California, USA, August 2007: Entire greenfield turnkey facility installed and commissioned by Almex in record breaking 14 months time at Universal Molding Company. Almex successfully commissioned the first completely new DC Casthouse facility in Southern California at the Allocast plant in Lynwood, Los Angeles County. The plant is located on a 1½ acre plant in a busy commercial and residential area of the city and Almex engineers configured a custom built plant to allow Allocast to produce 28,000 tons per year of extrusion billet on this greyfield site. Almex undertook complete turnkey responsibility for this project including plant layout, furnaces, metal purification, casting line, tooling and QC equipment. Allocast is part of the Umex group of companies who have three extrusion plants in the LA basin and the plant is designed to close the loop on the turnaround extrusion scrap and allow the group to remelt and produce extrusion billet from their internal scrap stream. In early 2008, the plant passed all AQMD air quality standards with flying colors. For the Allocast project, Almex provided the total turnkey equipment supply including melting and homogenizing furnaces, LARS® metal purification system, molten metal transfer systems, filtration system, Mega™ casting machine, Excel™ billet tooling system, Castright II™ process control automation software and complete quality control instrumentation including Z-Met® and Ultrex II™.
	LARS RL-16 to Jupiter Aluminum
	Hammond, Indiana, USA, May 2007: Almex ships LARS RL-16 Liquid Aluminum Refining System to Jupiter Aluminum's post refurbishment era.
	Completion of placement of Mega DC Casting Machine
	Buena Park, California, USA, November 2, 2006: Almex USA Inc. completed the placement of an Almex Mega™ DC Casting Machine in a new Southern California, USA casthouse. The novel design includes a ceramic coated cylinder rod, unique internal guidance system and is available in single acting or double acting configuration which is required for advanced casting techniques. In addition to the Mega™ Casting Machine, Almex has also furnished Almex LARS® Liquid Aluminum Refining System, Almex Castright II™ Casting Process Control System, and Almex Excel™ DC billet casting system at this installation. The casting cylinder is the primary device of a DC Casting Machine. The Almex Mega™ Casting Machine is specifically built for the rigorous conditions of DC casting. It supports heavy casting loads while providing precise position and motion control. The ceramic rod coating and extra heavy construction provides protection from molten aluminum spills, potential heavy impact loads, and eccentric loading. Another Almex Mega™ DC Casting Machine will be installed in China during early 2007.
	Earl Clinkenbeard is Almex Director of Projects
	May 2006: With the expanding market for casthouse projects, Earl Clinkenbeard has joined Almex USA in the new position of Director of Projects.  Earl is responsible for managing major Almex projects.  Earl has over 30 years experience in mechanical engineering in casthouses and is very knowledgeable of casting machines, molten metal treatment and flow control, and DC casting tooling.
	Alcoa, Pimalco, Chandler, Arizona Commissions 22" Billet
	January 2006: Alcoa, Pimalco, has successfully Commissioned Almex 22" Dia Billet Tooling. According to Alcoa plant personnel, "the billet microstructure is excellent, productivity highest and sub-surface liquation the lowest" they have ever seen.
	SUAL at KUMZ plant Commissions LARS
	December 2005: SUAL at Kamensk Uralsky Metalurgical Plant Commissions LARS In-Line Degassing System for manufacture of Aerospace Aluminum Alloys.
	Shaun Hamer - New Vice President, Sales and Engineering
	September 2005: Almex USA Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Shaun Hamer in the position of Vice President of Sales and Engineering. Previously, Shaun worked for 15 years in Sales, Technology, R&D and Engineering roles for FATA Hunter Inc. in the USA and Davy International (now part of the VAI group) in England. Shaun joins Almex from a senior management position in the aluminum fabrication industry
	Almex Commissions the Largest Slab Tooling in the World.
	September 2004: Vista Metals Cast 42" thick x 96" wide Slab in proprietary alloy similar to AA 2618.
	Almex USA, Inc. Successfully Commissions Large Diameter Aluminum Billet Casting Equipment at Rusal’s Samara Russia Plant.
	August 15, 2004:  Almex USA, Inc. of Long Beach, CA USA has successfully commissioned  large diameter  Aluminum Billet Casting equipment supplied to Rusal’s Plant in Samara Russia.   The scope of the project included supply of 32” and 26” Tooling, casting recipes for 7050 & 7175 alloys, as well as related PLC automation controls for the casting system on Pit # 19.   Almex USA, Inc. specializes billet casting and Inline degassing solutions for aluminum cast houses worldwide.  Metmat, Inc. of Bellingham, WA USA, represents them in Russia.
	Universal Alloy Corp. Chooses Almex USA, Inc.
	July 15, 2004: Universal Alloys Inc. has chosen Almex USA, Inc. to supply casting equipment for it’s plant in Anaheim, CA.  Almex will supply tooling and  casting equipment for casting of 3-1/2” diameter aluminum billet. The equipment will be commissioned during the fourth quarter of 2004. Almex USA, Inc. is based in Southern California USA and specializes in turnkey solutions for aluminum casthouses worldwide.

 

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