Industry Profile

Norandal

Few people realize when shopping for groceries that they stand a fair chance of seeing a Salisbury-produced product on almost every shelf -- not necessarily the food, but rather the packaging for the food. Specifically, the aluminum foil that makes the package label so eye appealing, or the packaging itself that protects the contents from light, air and bacteria ensuring the freshness of the product. When you think about aluminum foil or manufacturers of aluminum packaging, the Salisbury operations of Norandal USA, Inc. should be at the top of your list.

While consumers may not understand the role that the Salisbury Rolling Facility of Norandal USA, Inc., plays in the products they use, manufacturers are well aware of the competitive advantages gained from Salisbury foil. Norandal USA, Inc. (Norandal) is a leading manufacturer of rolled aluminum foil and light gauge sheet products for consumer and industrial markets. The Norandal Plant is located on Jake Alexander Blvd., east of Old Concord Road, and was originally built in 1965 on a 42-acre tract by the Republic Foil Corporation. It was later acquired by National Aluminum and expanded to the current 140,000 sq. ft. facility we see today.

The Salisbury plant, along with plants in Huntingdon, Tennessee and Newport, Arkansas, was acquired in 1989 by Norandal USA. Corporate headquarters are located in Franklin, TN, a suburb of Nashville. The Salisbury Plant currently employs 263 employees, contributing up to $20 million per year in wages and benefits to the local economy. The hourly production and maintenance employees are represented by the United Steelworkers of America, Local Union #8573.

The Salisbury plant operates as a complete mini-mill for rolled aluminum products. Aluminum ingot is brought into the facility, and melted at approximately 1400 degrees F. It is then cast into coils, weighing up to 16,000 pounds each, in one of four continuous casters. The metal is cast approximately ¼ inch thick and up to 68 inches in width. It is rolled on a series of aluminum cold rolling mills reducing the thickness until it reaches the customer's specifications. Coils are then slit to the desired width on one of eight slitters and packaged for shipment. The plant produces up to 95,000,000 pounds of finished rolled aluminum per year.

The Salisbury Rolling Facility of Norandal USA, Inc. has a great deal of flexibility in the product lines manufactured. Thicker products include coils of aluminum that are heat transfer fin for air conditioners and heat pumps, rolled stock used to produce aluminum pans, and building products such as aluminum gutters and siding. One of the newer product lines is stock for making lithographic sheet for the printing industry. Some Salisbury customers use thinner foil to make labels and pouches for the food industry, and packaging for pharmaceuticals to ensure freshness and sterility.

In short, the Salisbury Facility contributes significantly to the local, state and national economies by providing good jobs to employees in the local area while producing products that are used worldwide to enhance the quality of life.