Benson, Arizona Recycled Aluminum Slab Center
Designed with sustainability at its core, the Aluminum Dynamics recycled aluminum slab center in Benson, Arizona is designed to advance environmentally responsible aluminum manufacturing and support a more sustainable aluminum supply-chain.
investment
$90,000 annually
planned
production
Leadership Commitment
We take pride in our intentionally sustainable approach. Our commitment to all aspects of sustainability is embedded in our founding principles: valuing our teams, our partners, our communities, and our environment.
About Aluminum Dynamics, Benson, Arizona
Capital Investment
- Estimated $200 million investment for a recycled aluminum slab center in Arizona.
- This is part of an estimated $2.9 billion investment to build a state-of-the-art lower-carbon, recycled aluminum flat rolled mill in Columbus, MS, and two satellite recycled aluminum slab centers—one in San Luis Potosί, Mexico and one to be in Benson, Arizona.
Employment
- Employment of over 100 team members.
- Electrical and mechanical maintenance, operations, metallurgy, construction, manufacturing, shipping, equipment operations, and administrative employment opportunities.
- Average compensation of $90,000 annually with comprehensive benefit programs.
Facility
- Planned production of 165,000 to 300,000 tons.
- Approximately 200 acres of property.
- 175,000-square-foot manufacturing building.
Sustainability
- Recycled aluminum used beverage cans (UBCs) will be the primary raw material and will be supplied through Steel Dynamics’ metals recycling platform, OmniSource, which is the largest ferrous and nonferrous metals recycler in North America.
- The recycled UBCs will be used to produce aluminum slabs, weighing approximately 60,000 pounds/30 tons.
- The aluminum slabs will be sent via rail to Columbus, MS to be rolled into sheet aluminum.
- The facility, when operating at full capacity, will use up to 130GPM of water, with approximately 49 GPM of wastewater going to the sanitary system of Benson to be reused by the city’s golf course. The remainder of water will evaporate in the production process. Aluminum Dynamics’ property does not extend to the San Pedro River, and storm water plans have been developed to prevent run off to the San Pedro River.
- Aluminum Dynamics will perform stack testing and monitoring as required by the air permit and will do additional and more frequent stack testing than is required by the regulations. Furthermore, Aluminum Dynamics will install air monitoring stations in Benson that are not required by regulations.
San Luis Potosí, Mexico
Aluminum Dynamics operates a very similar production facility in San Luis Potosí, Mexico that uses recycled aluminum beverage cans to produce aluminum slabs.
Aluminum Circular Manufacturing Model
Aluminum Circular Manufacturing Model
1. UBCs are collected by OmniSource
Steel Dynamics metals recycling operations
2. UBCs are recycled to produce aluminum slabs
Aluminum Dynamics de Mexico San Luis Potosí, MX
Aluminum Dynamics, Inc. Benson, AZ
3. Aluminum slabs are rolled into aluminum sheet
Aluminum Dynamics, LLC
Columbus, MS
4. Aluminum sheet is sold to aluminum can manufacturers
Our Team Members
We value the dedicated people whose passion, innovation, and dedication to excellence have helped successfully grow our company and serve our customers. We have a culture of trust, fostered through individual empowerment and accountability, which drives decision-making throughout our business. This promotes a decentralized business model, allowing disciplined autonomy and front-line decision-making, while fostering an entrepreneurial spirit. Our performance-based incentive compensation programs align with the interests of our strategic long-term growth and our external stakeholders, including our customers, communities, and shareholders. We know our teams will do what is right and that trust comes from effective communication and transparency.
At Aluminum Dynamics, we believe wellness is more than a benefits package. Complete wellness is a way of life within our culture. Dedication to our team members, their families, and the communities in which we call home—it’s what we are all about.
- Medical and Dental Coverage
- Prescription Drugs
- Vision Benefits and Hearing Coverage
- Health Savings Account (HSA)
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
- Life, AD&D Insurance
- Disability Benefits
- Profit Sharing
- Retirement Savings Plan
- Restricted Stock Units Award Program
- Employee Stock Purchase Match
- Employee Educational Assistance
- Employee Child Scholarship Program Up to $5,000 for 4 Years Per Child
- Paid Vacation and Holidays
- Be Well – Well-Being Program
- Employee Assistance Program
Committed to Our Communities
We strongly believe in making a positive social impact in our communities through supporting organizations in which our team members are involved, and by empowering and encouraging volunteerism and leadership throughout our company.
We collaborate with our teams and communities to determine areas of need and to identify those organizations that most effectively provide current and long-term solutions to address those needs. Among other areas, this has included financial support for human services organizations, educational institutions, and community programs. We are proud of, grateful for, and humbled by our teams’ generosity.
Combined companywide and foundation charitable donations over the last 10 years plus countless volunteer hours
Recycling and primary smelting are very different operations.
The Aluminum Dynamics facility will be a recycler of aluminum beverage containers. The facility will not be a primary aluminum smelter. There are significant differences between the two types of operations.
A secondary production facility, such as Aluminum Dynamics, Inc., heats recycled aluminum scrap to its melting point and further refines and alloys the aluminum to achieve customer specifications for the finished, cast slab product. A secondary production facility does not rely on a mining operation and does not utilize ore mined from the ground.
In contrast, primary aluminum smelting is a process of extracting pure molten aluminum from ore mined from the ground (bauxite or alumina) through chemical reactions at high temperatures.
Recycling
- Recycling uses scrap aluminum as the primary raw material.
- Recycling starts by sorting scrap to separate out aluminum from other metals.
- The aluminum scrap is melted in the furnace.
- The melt is filtered, refined, and cast into new slabs.
Primary Aluminum Smelting
- Smelting uses mined ore (bauxite/alumina) as the primary raw material.
- Unlike aluminum scrap, the ore contains lower amounts of aluminum that must be concentrated up to useable levels.
- The mining of ore is energy intensive and can be environmentally disruptive.
- Smelting uses large quantities of electricity to split alumina into liquid metal.
- The metal cools in large pots before casting into logs or slabs.
Why the Difference Matters
Awards and Recognition
