We are the world’s leading aluminum rolled products producer. We are
also the global leader in the recycling of aluminum. We are the only known company
of our size and scope focused solely on aluminum rolled products markets and
capable of local supply of technologically sophisticated aluminum products in
all four major industrialized continents: North America, South America, Europe
and Asia.
The aluminum rolled products market represents the global supply of, and demand
for, aluminum sheet, plate and foil produced either from sheet ingot or continuously
cast roll-stock in rolling mills operated by both independent aluminum rolled
products producers and integrated aluminum companies.
Aluminum rolled products are semi-finished aluminum products that constitute
the raw material for the manufacture of finished goods ranging from automotive
structures and body panels to food and beverage cans. There are two major types
of manufacturing processes for aluminum rolled products differing mainly in
the process used to achieve the initial stage of processing:
hot mills — which require sheet ingot, a rectangular slab of aluminum,
as starter material; and
continuous casting mills — which can convert molten metal directly into
semi-finished sheet.
Both processes require subsequent rolling, which we refer to as cold rolling,
and finishing steps such as annealing, coating, leveling or slitting to achieve
the desired thickness, width and metal properties. Most customers receive shipments
in the form of aluminum coil, a large roll of metal, which can be utilized in
their fabrication processes.
Focus on Manufacturing Excellence
We are driving our business forward by focusing on manufacturing excellence.
This includes a commitment to employee safety, customer service, product quality
and system reliability.
As a manufacturing organization, our primary concern is the health and safety
of our employees. We are committed to building a culture of safety across all
levels of the organization. We are focused on optimizing our manufacturing and
recycling operations to increase asset utilization and productivity. We continue
to pursue a standardization of our manufacturing processes where possible; while
still allowing the flexibility to respond to local market demands. We are focused
on maintaining a competitive cost structure by managing metal inputs and employing
initiatives to improve operational efficiencies across our plants globally.
Our customers demand consistent, high quality products. We are committed to
producing the best quality products and providing reliable on-time delivery
and be a true partner in innovation and sustainable supply solutions. We are
focused on building and maintaining strong, positive relationships with all
of our customers.
Operate as an Integrated Global Company
We intend to continue operating as a globally integrated company to leverage
our manufacturing excellence, risk management expertise, value-added conversion
premium-based pricing and global assets according to a single, company-wide
vision. We believe this integrated approach is the foundation for the effective
execution of our strategy across the Novelis system.
We strive to service our customers in a consistent, global manner through seamless
alignment of goals, methods and metrics across the organization. In fiscal 2016,
we announced the creation of two new executive sales and marketing positions
in Can and Automotive that will allow us to more seamlessly serve our global
customer base in these market segments and accelerate our global integration
strategy. We will continue to take actions to ensure we are aligned to best
leverage our operations globally, while still allowing for local flexibility.
Focus on Premium Products
We focus on capturing global growth in beverage can, automotive and high-end
specialty products markets. Our management approach helps us to systematically
identify opportunities to improve the profitability of our operations through
product portfolio analysis. This ensures that we grow in attractive market segments,
while also taking actions to exit unattractive ones. In the recent past, we
have taken steps to exit certain non-core operations, including aluminum smelting
operations and hydroelectric facilities in Brazil, and consumer foil operations
in North America and Europe. We will continue to focus on these core products
to drive enhanced profitability.
Utilizing recycled material allows us to diversify our metal supply, helps
to control metal costs and provides environmental benefits.
Novelis is working closely with our customers on innovation to drive more sustainable
products for society. Novelis is the only company of our size offering independently
certified, high-recycled content aluminum sheet for our beverage and specialty
product customers. We are also working closely with our automotive customers
to redesign automotive alloys to be made with more scrap, as well as seeking
to purchase the aluminum scrap resulting from our automotive customers’
production processes.