Novelis's company history represents a unique combination of new and old. Created in 2005 as a spin-off from aluminum producer Alcan Inc., Novelis is a young, growth-oriented company backed by a 90-year history in the aluminum rolling business.

Our Roots

Novelis inherited its core assets, manufacturing know-how and corporate structure from Alcan. The first Alcan rolling operation began in 1916 in Toronto, Ontario, with an 84-inch hot mill and three finishing mills. Over the years, Alcan constructed a number of mills, including several that are among the largest aluminum rolling operations in each of the geographic regions in which Novelis operates:

Oswego, United States (1963)

The hot mill began operations and is now a major producer of can stock and industrial sheet.




Norf, Germany (1967)

A joint venture, owned at 50 percent, operates the world's largest aluminum rolling mill in terms of capacity.




Saguenay Works, Canada (1971)

The largest continuous caster in the world in terms of capacity.




Pindamonhangaba, Brazil (1977)

The only South American plant producing beverage can body and end stock.

More recent expansions were made through both acquisitions and modernization of existing mills, which increased Alcan's can stock, sheet and foil rolling capabilities and capacity. Novelis was spun off as an independent entity to carry on most of the aluminum rolled products businesses operated by Alcan.

Partnering with Hindalco

In 2007, Novelis was acquired by Hindalco Industries Limited, another veteran of the aluminum business. Hindalco is the flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group of companies, a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. Following the merger, Novelis became a wholly owned subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group.

With the addition of Novelis, Hindalco became the world's largest aluminum rolling company and one of the biggest producers of primary aluminum in Asia.