Video: Plant CEO Shares His Plan for Aluminum Production

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LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. – (WCBI) As the automotive industry seeks lighter, stronger materials to improve gas mileage and safety, Dr. Roger Boggs, founder and president of American Specialty Alloys is prepared to meet those needs. With plans to settle in the Southeast, Boggs has had his eye on Lowndes County since 2007. He came to work at what is now known as Severstal. He decided to use similar technologies to make a the next generation of aluminum products.

“It’s geared toward producing aerospace and automotive based products both cost effectively, but also in a high-quality manner,” says Dr. Boggs.

On average, an aluminum company takes 12 weeks to fill an order.The new plant can do it in 15 days. That’s why he needs to hire highly trained workers.

“Bringing a lot of training technology with us. Even though all of these jobs are high tech, you do not necessarily have to have a college degree to get the training to work in the plant,” he adds.

2,000 workers will be needed to build the plant. Boggs hopes to have as many as 850 permanent workers within three years of the start of construction. He believes the mini-mill recycling technology that turned around the steel industry will do the same for aluminum.

“The mill will be 90% plus recycled material. On top of that, it is a much greener process. The cars are getting greener and greener so the products going into them have to become green, too.”

It’ll be December 19th at the earliest before the company announces its location. Property west of Golden Triangle Airport is among those where the company is studying environmental permits for the plant and research center. Boggs says Lowndes County and the other sites offer one thing in common.

“The abundance of power affordable power here. The relationship as far as proximity to the southern automotive corridor — Mercedes, Hyundai-Kia but more specifically be able to import export into Mexico when the automotive industry is really expanding,” says Boggs.

Golden Triangle LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins says our area is ideal.

“Probably our sites over by Yokohama near TVA sub station or our sites in GTR are good to be on everyone’s short list because they don’t occur in nature very many places,” says Higgins.

Wherever it chooses to build, the plant should be in full production by 2017.