Norsk Hydro is relocating its aluminum car components and fabrication operations in Rotherham to Gloucester, UK.
The relocation is part of the aluminum giant’s efforts to restructure its extruders business, according to media reports. The move, according to a Hydro statement, will help the company combat weak from the American and European automotive markets dating back to last year.
The Rotherham plant specializes in aluminum fabrication for vehicles and provides mechanical, as well as finishing, solutions for the fabrication industry.
According to Martijn Vos, managing director of Hydro Components UK, combining the two factories into one will create around 40 more jobs in Gloucester. The Gloucester facility, he told UK media, would be ready by the end of Q3 2020, after which the company will move building material to the new plant.
Hydro provides aluminum fabrication and paint facilities to all major carmakers in the UK, and exports around 20pc of its materials to auto manufacturers in the EU and US.