For the City Times

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Matalco’s new Wisconsin Rapids billet plant has hit its operational stride, producing and shipping three million pounds since its first cast on Nov. 19.

“The Wisconsin plant and its production capacity provide a great fit for the growing upper-Midwest extrusion industry. This facility provides the needed flexibility and a welcome puzzle piece to Matalco’s growth strategy,” said Doug Rhinehart, Matalco’s VP of Sales and Marketing.

Matalco produces aluminum logs, cut billet, and rolling ingot for extrusion, rolling, and forging manufacturing industries across North America. Submitted photo

The new Wisconsin Rapids plant will have an annual capacity of 240 million pounds and is initially capable of making 7-16 inch extrusion log and billet, though the facility was designed to also cast rolling ingot to serve the growing aluminum flat-rolled products sectors in the coming years.

“Matalco’s new Wisconsin Rapids facility represents the second Greenfield project that I have been fortunate enough to lead for Matalco,” said Matalco Vice President of Corporate Development Robert Roscetti. “Any project of this size and complexity offers its fair share of challenges (including the COVID-19 pandemic), however through an unwavering commitment from our project team at Matalco along with our engineering and construction management firm, Ramboll, and cooperation from our equipment suppliers, we were able to complete the commissioning and startup of operations and come in under budget.

“Overall, it’s an exciting new chapter in Matalco’s story and one that continues to maintain our focus on servicing our customers with superior products for years to come.

Matalco produces aluminum logs, cut billet, and rolling ingot for extrusion, rolling, and forging manufacturing industries across North America. The Wisconsin Rapids plant is one of five operating Matalco plants.