Changes Ahead at Century Aluminum

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): At a networking event hosted by the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, Robert Quak, the new plant manager at Century Aluminum’s Mount Holly site, introduced himself and discussed what changes may be coming to the plant, which employs 400 people locally.

Century’s Mt. Holly aluminum smelter produces 229,000 metric tons of aluminum per year. Quak said it is the most advanced plant of its kind in the United States and a pacesetter in production efficiency, energy utilization and environmental protection. The plant has a massive economic impact.

The smelting process at Mt. Holly casts aluminum of all shapes and sizes to be used in the manufacturing of planes, tanks, cars and cans. The facility is one of only four of its kind remaining in the country and has been in business for 40 years. In that time, it has become one of the nation’s largest aluminum producers.

According to a state economics report published in February 2024, Mt. Holly contributes $772.9 million annually to the state’s economy and directly or indirectly creates and sustains 1,439 jobs for a total annual labor income of $112.9 million.

“For the past two years, the plant has been running at 75%, and we want to bring it back to 100% capacity,” Quak, a native of the Netherlands, said at a meeting room inside the Comfort Suites in Summerville.

“I think our future will be brighter,” he said. “I like looking at the future and not focusing on the past. It will be in the U.S. for manufacturing.”

Although the company still has some pending public relations concerns.

In November 2023, following several complaints from residents about dust raining down on neighborhoods from Century Aluminum’s Mt. Holly plant in Goose Creek, a class action civil lawsuit was filed against the company.

The lawsuit, filed by Steinburg Law Firm LLC on behalf of 15 residents living near the plant, names the Century Aluminum Company and Century Aluminum Company of South Carolina as defendants.

Courtesy: www.postandcourier.com