After the unfortunate fire incident in its Oswego aluminium plant, the renowned aluminium producer Novelis experienced a massive production setback. However, the aluminium producer, Novelis, now expects to restart operations in the same facility before the end of 2025, which is several months earlier than originally anticipated.
The company had initially warned that the outage could continue into the first quarter of 2026. However, Chief Executive Steve Fisher said repair work had progressed faster than expected, and teams on site were now working extended hours to complete the rebuild by December.
“We have a lot of confidence in that,” Fisher said in a recent interview. “Crews are working round-the-clock, even through the night under portable floodlights. We’re feeling much better about the timeline now.”
Impact of the production halt on Ford and Stellantis
Novelis supplies roughly 40 per cent of the automotive aluminium sheet used in car production across North America. The disruption triggered temporary shutdowns at Ford and Stellantis plants in Michigan and Kentucky, sending thousands of employees onto short-term layoffs.
Ford’s F-150 pickup, the best-selling vehicle in the United States and a major profit driver for the company, is one of the largest consumers of Novelis’s aluminium sheet. The supply interruption has underscored how dependent the car industry has become on a small number of high-capacity rolling mills.