Novelis and building construction partner Koster have announced the installation of roof for the company’s $250m aluminum recycling and casting center at its Nachterstedt plant in Germany.
According to the global aluminum recycler, the center is expected to produce up to 400,000 metric tons of aluminum sheet ingot from recycled material annually.
Novelis Europe president Erwin Mayr said installation of the roof is a significant milestone for the project, which remains on track for completion in July 2014.
"Interior work will begin immediately and equipment installation will begin this fall," Mayr said.
The center, which will support the company's drive to increase end-of-life recycling in Europe, will process used beverage cans as well as various other forms of aluminum scrap from across continental Europe.
Once commissioned, the center is expected to create 200 new jobs.
The sorting, processing and casting capabilities of the new Nachterstedt operation will also drive the company closer to its global goal of 80% recycled content by 2020.
The Nachterstedt expansion is the latest in a series of recycling and casting expansion projects launched by Novelis over the past two years totaling nearly $450m. This includes the commissioning of the company's new recycling and casting center in Yeongju, Korea in 2012.
With the new projects across the world, the company's recycling and casting capacity is expected to reach 2.1mt by 2015.