Aluminium rolling and recycling company Novelis has officially opened China’s first plant dedicated to the production of heat-treated aluminium automotive sheet.

It is now the only company to produce automotive aluminium sheet in all three of the world’s major vehicle-producing regions — Asia, Europe and North America.

The facility, located in the Changzhou National Hi-Tech District, represents a $100 million investment designed to expand Novelis’s global footprint to serve the rapidly growing market for automotive aluminium. With an annual capacity of 120,000 tonnes, the new facility will provide customers in Asia and abroad with high-quality automotive sheet for use in lightweight vehicle structures.

President Phil Martens said: “The opening of our Changzhou plant further solidifies Novelis’s position as the aluminium ‘partner of choice’ for automotive manufacturers around the world.

"Global companies that are seeking to drive fuel efficiency and higher performance with innovative designs can now source locally produced Novelis aluminium automotive sheet in every major region where they make vehicles.”

Since 2011, Novelis has invested more than $550 million globally to triple its automotive sheet capacity to 900,000 tonnes by 2015. The demand for aluminium is rapidly increasing, as each 10% in weight reduction can result in a 5-7% fuel saving.