Miles Jamison
Constellium Muscle Shoals was awarded a $23 million contract by the Department of Defense to boost the domestic aluminum casting supply chain.
The DOD said Monday the Muscle Shoals, Alabama-based aluminum sheet supplier is tasked with increasing the annual production capacity of aluminum casting and enhancing the mill supply capability.
The contract aims to provide surge capacity in support of U.S. security commitments globally. It was awarded through the Defense Production Act Investment, or DPAI, program, and in line with the 2024 National Defense Industrial Strategy, which aims to increase support for domestic production and strengthen supply chain resilience.
Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, stressed the importance of the contract in addressing challenges in the aluminum casting industry, including insufficient workforce and complex government policies.
“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 Taylor-Kale.
Using the award, Constellium will work to expand its aluminum casting capacity by up to 300 million pounds annually. The company will prioritize the use of recycled materials over primary metal and the expansion of local sources for aluminum rolling ingots.
The DPAI program has awarded $381 million combined in 18 contracts since the start of fiscal year 2024.
