Alcoa creates 75 new area jobs

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Alcoa released a news release Wednesday about expanding into a new state-of-the-art facility in Lafayette, Indiana and creating 75 new job positions for the area.

Not only is the company planning on adding these 75 new positions, which should be filled by next year, there are also plans in the works for a 90 million dollar facility to be built to house those new workers.

With a newly planned multi-million dollar facility at Alcoa comes a promised 75 new highly specialized jobs working with Aluminum Lithium, a key component in many aerospace projects.

"The plan is to hire from the current plant population into the new roles. Assuming that all of those aren't filled, we would go to the local community to fill any additional vacancies," said Jacques Vanier, C.O.O. of the Lafayette Facility.

"You know the support from the local community, from the state, sent a clear message to the board of directors  of the corporation, that Indiana really wanted these jobs. And it made the bid successful," said Vanier.

That support comes in the form of conditional tax abatements and close to eighty-thousand in training grants promised from the city and county combined. It's money Mayor Tony Roswarski feels is well spent if it means keeping jobs at the Lafayette plant.

"We're also looking at the long-term stability of that plant. We also feel with this new investment the plant should have another 25-30 years of life in it," said Roswarski.

Vanier said Lafayette was one of several sites considered, but at the end of the day the incentives offered by the state and the city made it all worthwhile.

Applications for the latest positions will not be considered until early 2013. NewsChannel 18 will keep you updated about how you can apply at that time.

Press release from Alcoa is below:

New York , NY – January 25, 2012– Alcoa today announced it is expanding its aluminum lithium capacity and capabilities at three locations around the world to meet growing demand in the aerospace market for its newest alloys.  The alloys, introduced last year and now patented, allow airframers to build dramatically lighter and lower-cost airplanes vs. composite alternatives. 

The new alloys provide the best strength-to-weight performance in Alcoa’s aerospace alloy portfolio combined with better stiffness and corrosion resistance.  The alloys are used in extrusions, forgings, sheet and plate applications across aircraft structures, including airplane wings and fuselage elements.   The expansions follow discussions with airframers subsequent to the launch of the alloys last year.

“The demand we are seeing for aluminum lithium is an excellent example of the Alcoa Technical Advantage in action and is the result of our continued leadership in aerospace alloy development across our Alcoa aerospace businesses,” said Eric Roegner, President of Alcoa Forged and Extruded Products.  “When completed, our aluminum lithium supply chain will be the premier operation in the world, capable of making the widest breadth of products in the most efficient manner – there will be nothing like it anywhere.”

The largest of the aluminum lithium capacity expansions is a greenfield state-of-the-art facility to be constructed adjacent to Alcoa’s Lafayette, Indiana plant.  When completed the facility will produce more than 20,000 metric tons of aluminum lithium and be capable of casting round and rectangular ingot for rolled, extruded and forged applications.  Alcoa plans to invest more than $90 million in this facility alone which will encompass approximately 115,000 square feet and create approximately 75 permanent high-value jobs, as well as approximately 150 additional jobs during the course of construction.  Initial work on the new Lafayette facility has already begun and is expected to produce its first aluminum lithium by the end of 2014.

“In addition to producing a wide range of billet sizes up to 33-inches in diameter, we will also be able to produce slab capable of producing wing skin plate and fuselage sheet for any current or planned commercial air program,” said Roegner.  “Our process, thermal and filtration systems all will be state-of-the-art.”

An economic development incentive package from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and Greater Lafayette Commerce helped secure the selection of Lafayette for the expansion. The incentive package includes tax and financing credits as well as training grants for the Lafayette workforce and new employees.  In addition, Alcoa and the United Steelworkers worked together to modify existing work rules to ensure the operational effectiveness of the new facility. 

“Alcoa’s expansion strengthens Indiana’s reputation of manufacturing excellence,” said Governor Mitch Daniels. “We are grateful that this global manufacturing leader continues to find the Hoosier State the most advantageous state for growth.”

Alcoa is also expanding production at two other locations as a result of customer