Firm's joy at agreeing US aluminium contract

A Shropshire firm is celebrating winning a major contract to supply aluminium for electric car batteries in the US.

Bridgnorth Aluminium (BAL), which employs 368 people, said the five-year deal meant it would be working with a leading supplier of materials for the battery industry, producing the aluminium at its base in the town.

The contract followed a successful few months for the company, it said, having grown its workforce by 40 since the start of the year along with a £2m investment in technology.

Adrian Musgrave, head of sales, said the deal with Lotte Aluminium Materials USA marked an important milestone for the business.

The company operates in sectors such printing, packaging, construction, energy and more recently electrification.

It has recovered from a difficult trading period and now had a "buoyant order book", it said, also returning to 24/7 production.

Last year, bosses spoke about how new tariffs on steel and aluminium entering the US would affect them, given 20% of its goods were exported to the US.

But Musgrave said Bridgnorth Aluminium and Lotte had established "a strong foundation to support the evolving requirements of the battery supply chain in North America".

"The transition to electrified transportation and energy storage presents one of the most significant industrial opportunities of our generation, and our technical expertise, agility and 'green' production methods are at the forefront of this transition," he said.

"Material manufactured here in Bridgnorth will be used by Lotte Aluminium Materials for the next five years. It will go into production of next generation batteries that will end up in electric vehicles and energy storage systems."

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