Video: Lowndes County Could Be The New Location For An Aluminum Plant

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)-A relationship that began with the community seven years ago has Lowndes County on the short list for a billion dollar, first-of-its-kind high-tech aluminum plant.

As the automotive industry seeks lighter, stronger materials to improve gas mileage and safety, Doctor Roger Boggs, founder and President of new Aluminum Producer American Specialty Alloys, plans to bring his company to the Southeastern Region.

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

On average, an aluminum company take 12 weeks to fill an order. The new plant will do it in 15 days.

Boggs expects to hire highly trained workers who will make on average $85,000 a year.

“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,” says Boggs.

Two thousand 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 percent 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,” says Boggs.

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.

Joe Max Higgins with the Golden Triangle Link says our area has numerous of locations for any up and coming plants.

“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 Joe Max Higgins.

The aluminum plant hopes to be operational by 2017.