ABOUT THIS COMPANY

ABOUT THIS COMPANY

Wrapping it all up

Producing around 3.5 million metric tons of aluminum every year, Alcoa (formerly the Aluminum Corporation of America) used to be the world’s top producer of aluminum for many years.  Following two separate mergers of big aluminum companies, however, Alcoa slipped down to the No. 3 position.  In 2007, the firm’s output was surpassed by the fusion of three companies into Moscow-based United Company RUSAL.  Still, Alcoa produces a staggering 15 million metric tons of aluminum every year—almost 41,500 tons a day.  About a quarter of its profit comes from the sale of flat-rolled aluminum sheets (which are used for beverage cans).  It also makes sheet and plate products used in the railroad, automotive and aerospace industries.  Hoping to strengthen its global presence, Alcoa also ventured into raw materials mining, focusing on bauxite, an ore from which alumina—the major ingredient of aluminum—is extracted.