History and Background
- Founded in 1946
- Entered the aluminum business by leasing and purchasing government-owned facilities
- Benefited from preferential treatment and royalty-free patent rights
- Became a vertically integrated aluminum producer in the early 1950s
- Owned a subsidiary that developed real estate
- Headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee
- Recorded revenues of roughly US$1.173 billion in 2020
- Owns 13 fabricating plants
- Produces more than 400,000,000 pounds of aluminum annually
- Employs approximately 3,700 persons
Facilities
- Historical facilities include Mead, Trentwood, Baton Rouge, Tacoma, and Owens Lake
- Mead smelter operated from 1946 to 2004
- Trentwood rolling mill leased since February 1946
- Baton Rouge alumina plant began production in December 1946
- Tacoma smelter bought in December 1946 and operated by Olin Industries, Inc.
- Owens Lake soda ash plant operated from 1947 to 1950
- Newark rod and wire mill purchased in 1948
- Rod and wire mill operated by Alcoa during wartime
- Leased by Reynolds Metals Company in January 1947
- Equipment included remelt furnaces, blooming mills, and finishing mills
Recent Developments
- Kaiser Aluminum filed for bankruptcy in 2002 and emerged four years later
- Restated financial statements in March 2006
- Owned a stake in Anglesey Aluminium, which closed in 2013
- Completed acquisition of Alcoa Warrick, LLC in April 2021
- Announced plans to construct an additional roll coating line at Kaiser Aluminum Warrick in July 2021
Aluminum Production Facilities
- Wire mill
- Stranding bays
- Continuous vulcanizing machines
- Plastic tuber
- Electrical conductor test equipment
- Chalmette Smelter
- Construction announced in November 1950
- Capacity doubled before production started
- 8 potlines expected to produce 400,000,000 pounds per year
- Total spending on Chalmette was $45,000,000
- Fuel requirements: 50 billion cuft of natural gas per year
- Halethorpe Extrusion Forge
- Leased by Kaiser for 5 years in March 1951
- Formerly operated by Revere Copper & Brass Co
- Location: 39°14′23″N 76°40′49″W
- Plant with Kaiser Alu until at least 1961
- Part of a $78,000,000 expansion program
- Port Kaiser Mining Operation
- First shipment of 10,000 tons in February 1953
- Mine located in Jamaica
- Total capacity of the mining claim: 2,000,000 tons per year
- Replaced former source in South America
- Expansion and remodeling program at Baton Rouge
- Ravenswood Integrated Mill
- Construction announced in August 1954
- Located on the banks of the Ohio River
- Goal of producing 250 million pounds of sheets and foil
- 40-year contract for 450,000kW of coal-generated electricity
- Capital investment in Ravenswood: approximately $200,000,000
History and Bankruptcy
- Judge orders FDIC to pay Hurwitz (August 25, 2005)
- Kaiser Aluminum emerges from bankruptcy proceedings (July 6, 2006)
- Anglesey Aluminium: 60 jobs to go as metals site closes (February 22, 2013)
- Cleanup of Kaiser Mead plant lends clues into CFAC future (March 18, 2023)
- Kaiser gets five-year leases on two Spokane Aluminum facilities (February 28, 1946)
- WAA announces lease of plants to Kaiser, Reynolds, and others (May 2, 1946)
- Kaiser buys Tacoma Aluminum Ingot Plant (December 5, 1946)
- Office of Property Disposal lists government-owned industrial plants (January 23, 1947)
- Owens Lake Soda Ash Company Environmental Impact Statement (1994)
- Kaiser plans to double capacity (November 19, 1951)
- Kaiser opens at New Orleans (December 10, 1951)
- Kaiser pours first aluminum in new Chalmette plant (December 17, 1951)
- Chalmette one-fourth complete (March 17, 1952)
- Kaiser enlarges plant (March 17, 1958)
- Aluminum extrusion plant to be reactivated by Kaiser (March 1, 1951)
- Kaiser opens Jamaica Bauxite facilities (February 23, 1953)
- Kaiser broadens range (October 18, 1954)
- Kaiser Aluminum to move east with new sheet mill (August 30, 1954)
- Kaiser begins hot rolling (June 9, 1958)
- Aluminum producers buy 786,000 tons in Canada (May 28, 1953)
- Flourspar consumption record in 1957; stocks jump (June 5, 1958)
- Magnesium plant to resume (January 25, 1951)
- Aluminum wire by the mile (June 28, 1954)
- Aluminum: ring bell on first round (December 4, 1952)
- Structure of the United States Aluminum Industry (November 1956)
Kaiser Aluminum Corporation is an American aluminum producer. It is a spinoff from Kaiser Aluminum and Chemicals Corporation, which came to be when common stock was offered in Permanente Metals Corporation and Permanente Metals Corporation's name was changed to Kaiser Aluminum and Chemicals Corporation.
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Formerly | Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Company |
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Type | Public |
Nasdaq: KALU S&P 600 Component | |
Industry | Aluminum |
Founded | 1946 in Washington state, U.S. |
Headquarters | Franklin, Tennessee, U.S. |
Key people | Keith A. Harvey – President and Chief Executive Officer |
Products | Rolled aluminum, plate, sheet, can sheet, and extruded products. |
Revenue | ![]() |
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Total assets | $1.865 billion (2020) |
Number of employees | 3,700 (2021) |
Subsidiaries | Anglesey Aluminium, Imperial Machine & Tool, Kaiser Warrick, LLC |
Website | Official website ![]() |