Packaging

Hydro invests in Taiwan remelt plant

Trond Gjellesvik in Commercial Products (front center) and Lawrence Cho, E-Tech, signed the agreement on Wednesday. Here they pose together with employees in Famco and a few representatives from Hydro.

Monday 17. March 2008 - Hydro has signed an agreement to acquire a 45 percent ownership stake in Famco, an aluminium remelt plant under construction in Taiwan. Famco will have an initial annual production of about 75,000 tons of extrusion ingot.

“This investment will strengthen Hydro’s position in the Asian aluminium market. We enter into a partnership with people who have been working with Hydro over time. With local knowledge and Hydro’s global technology support, we are confident this remelt plant will serve our customers well,” says Harald Aasheim, senior vice president and head of the Commercial Products sector in Hydro’s Aluminium Metal business area.

Expanding market

Taiwan is the third-largest extrusion market in Asia, with a total extrusion ingot consumption of about 400,000 tons – and the market is expected to grow. Hydro is currently supplying this market from its primary production plant in Kurri Kurri and its part owned Tomago-smelter, both in Australia.

Hydro is committed to further expanding its activity in Asia in the years to come, and the Qatalum primary aluminium smelter under construction in Qatar will facilitate this ambition. Hydro will market and sell the entire production of 585,000 tons from Qatalum, which is expected to start production in late 2009. Full production is expected mid-2010.
Joint venture

The remaining 55 percent of the Famco aluminium remelt plant will be held by the holding company E-Tech, in which Lawrence Cho is the main shareholder. Cho has been working as Hydro’s sales agent in Taiwan since 2004.

“For a number of years, we have worked closely and successfully with Mr. Cho, who has built a strong position for Hydro in Taiwan. He is the right partner to further expand Hydro’s activities,” says Aasheim.

Famco is located in the Yunlin Industrial Estate in Yunlin County, along Taiwan’s western coast. The plant’s equipment will allow for efficient production of a wide product range, including diameters ranging from four to nine inches, as well as special alloys. The investment will mainly serve the Taiwanese market, with export possibilities to supply regional markets outside Taiwan. The plant will deliver high-quality products meeting Hydro’s standards.