The Department of Defense announced today a $23 million award via the Defense Production Act Investment (DPAI) program to Constellium Muscle Shoals LLC in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The award aims to increase capacity in annual aluminum casting production, secure capability to supply U.S. mills, and provide surge capacity to support U.S. security commitments around the globe. This effort supports the 2024 National Defense Industrial Strategy to continue and expand support for domestic production to increase supply chain resilience.
"Aluminum castings are dispersed across many critical applications in defense – including flight critical structural components, rocket and space systems, and light-weight armor for ground vehicles," said Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (ASD(IBP)). "This award will help address capability and capacity challenges that the U.S. aluminum casting industry faces as a result of an insufficient workforce and complex government policies."
Constellium Muscle Shoals will use the funds to add up to 300 million pounds of annual aluminum casting capacity. With this added capacity, the plant expects to increase its recycled input; reduce its use of primary metal; and provide the U.S. industrial base an additional, self-reliant, domestic source of supply for aluminum rolling ingots. Constellium Muscle Shoals is also a major aluminum sheet supplier for the packaging and automotive markets.
This is the latest of 18 awards made by the DPAI program across multiple areas totaling $381 million since the beginning of fiscal year 2024. DPAI is overseen by the ASD(IBP)'s Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) program, in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience.
