October 16, 2025. Aludium’s commitment to economic and social development in Spanish regions, sustainability and innovation was spotlighted yesterday at the Alicante plant, with the official opening of the company’s new aluminum foundry. The gathering was orchestrated by Javier Macicior, CEO of Aludium, Alfredo Callejón, manager of the Alicante plant, and Manuel Ruano, Aludium Board member.
The President of the Autonomous Regional Government of Valencia, Carlos Mazón, opened Aludium’s strategic new facilities on Monday, the result of an investment amounting to 11.1 million euros. Other guest dignitaries in attendance at the event included Luis Rodríguez, president of the Alicante Port Authority, and Juan José Cortés, Director-General of Innovation for the Valencia region. During the visit, the regional government leader formally opened the new foundry, unveiling a commemorative plaque and bringing the gathering to a close with a speech in which he highlighted “the capacity of industry in the region to adapt“, highlighting the metals sector as “one of the cornerstones of local economic growth and industrial strength“.
Seven decades of history
The regional president thanked the company for its commitment to the Valencia region, dating back seven decades, emphasizing that “what arose in the early 1950s as a disruptive venture, bringing the metal industry to an area with no tradition in the sector, has now become a flagship of Alicante’s industrial fabric“. Pres. Mazón ended by indicating that “Aludium is an example of innovation, competitiveness and sustainability, which is furthermore committed to research”.
Lacquered scrap market
As Mr. Callejón explained, this new development “gives the company a huge competitive edge, marking our entry into the lacquered scrap market”. The expansion project he unveiled at the event comprises three furnaces: a rotary furnace, a smelting furnace and a holding furnace. The project also features a new fume treatment plant to process all the foundry emissions. The plant manager thanked all those involved in the project, some 90 professionals from a range of sectors, for “their passion and dedication to the development“, singling out in particular Álvaro Flores, the foundry process engineer responsible for administering the project, “since his outstanding effort and know-how proved vital in bringing it all to fruition”.
Recycling as a strategic cornerstone
Javier Macicior, CEO of Aludium, revealed during his address that “the new facilities serve to double recycling production capacity, with 200,000 tons per year, cutting costs and boosting the circular economy, while also helping to preserve the environment“. “Thanks to this commitment, Aludium’s facilities in Alicante have doubled their own output of raw materials from 20,000 to 40,000 tons per year, which means that as much as 78 % of the aluminum rolls and sheets from this production line are made of recycled material,” he added. Following on from which, Mr. Macicior encouraged the general public to recycle their waste. “Encouraging separate waste collection is absolutely fundamental for us and for industry at large,” he stated.
Protecting European scrap against export
Mr. Macicior ended his address by championing aluminum recycling and explaining the alarming situation that the industry in this metal is experiencing in Europe, as well as the need for rapid action to protect it. “Europe is becoming an exporter of scrap, and we here call on the competent authorities to protect aluminum scrap in Europe, as it is needed for the heavy manufacturing sector”. “The fear is that here in Europe our industry might run out of raw materials,” he emphasized.
The problem arose some years ago “with mass purchases of scrap by Asian producers, so as to reduce their energy consumption – recycling aluminum scrap cuts costs by some 95% compared with producing primary aluminum – and comply with European regulations governing the products subsequently manufactured using that aluminum,” explained the Aludium CEO.
This critical situation has been worsened by Trump’s tariff policy, as US industry has increased its purchases of scrap. “The problem is that there is not enough scrap to buy on the market, which has forced us to increase our purchases of primary aluminum,” Mr. Macicior stated.
Unending leadership
This development would not have been possible without leadership and commitment, coupled with talent, flexibility, efficiency, safety and teamwork. At Aludium there is no end to the leadership shown, thanks to the personal and professional quality of our team. Aludium would like once again to thank all of our workforce for turning this project into a reality, shaping the present and the future of the company. Thank you for making it possible.