Rio Tinto produces aluminum billet used in the manufacture of profiles for the building and construction, automotive, and consumer durables industries. Most of this billet is sold to the North American market, with 60% going to the U.S. The company expects the automotive and transportation industries to be the main drivers of growth in the current and coming years. In response to this growth, Rio Tinto has invested in an upgrade of its Arvida casthouse operations in Quebec, Canada. An advanced low pressure casting (LPC) technology (Figure 1)-the first of its kind to be implemented in the North American aluminum industry-allows the company to increase capacity, develop new niche markets, and produce higher quality billet, as well as improve operational safety for its personnel.
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