Alcoa Closing its Final Cast Aluminium Wheel Factory

Alcoa has announced it will completely withdraw from the passenger car cast aluminium wheel business, instead focusing its efforts in this segment upon forged aluminium wheels. This completes a trend begun some four years ago; of the four cast aluminium wheel factories operated by Alcoa, three have already been taken out of service.

In 2005 the company’s Ferrara plant in Italy was sold to competitor Alessio, and in the summer of 2007 the Collingwood factory in Canada was closed. Additionally, and without official notice, wheel production at Alcoa’s factory in Valencia, Venezuela was phased out. At the very least, wheels no longer feature amongst Valencia’s product portfolio. The final factory, in Beloit, Wisconsin, where around 265 people currently work, will most likely be closed this coming June 1.