Aluminum Recyclers Council is Formed

In January 2018, recycled aluminum alloy producers from across the United States formed the Aluminum Recyclers Council (ARC; Wauconda, IL), a non-profit trade association dedicated to the expanded use of sustainable recycled‐content aluminum alloys in manufacturing. This Council was formed so that these key contributors to the aluminum industry can finally have a unified voice in an industry undergoing dramatic changes. The mission of ARC is to promote and defend the domestic aluminum recycling industry and establish a business excellence program focused in the areas of operational efficiency, environmental leadership and worker safety.

“Too often, our industry is left without a voice in legislation and regulation impacting our businesses and the lives of all our employees,” said Luke Palen, the president of Spectro Alloys Corporation (Rosemount, MN) who was elected as the first chairman of the board. “We also recognize that we have a tremendous opportunity to expand the usage of recycled aluminum alloys in new applications. Consumers are demanding a more sustainable product, and recycled aluminum alloys provide huge benefits.” The initial members of the ARC board of directors include:

• Chairman: Luke Palen, the president of Spectro Alloys (Rosemount, MN).
• Vice-Chair: Mark Buchner, the president of Continental Aluminum (New Hudson, MI).
• Director: Brandon Cox, the chief executive officer of Custom Alloy Sales Inc. (City of Industry, CA).
• Director: Rick Merluzzi, the president and chief operations officer of Metal Exchange Corp. (St. Louis, MO).
• Director: Pat Carlin, the sales manager for Superior Aluminum Alloys (New Haven, IN).
• Director: Greg Palen, the chairman of Spectro Alloys (Rosemount, MN).
• President: Jeff Henderson, the president and owner of The Sanford Organization (Wauconda, IL).

The group intends to use the Council to develop a business excellence program involving webinars and workshops for its membership. “We believe there is a real opportunity for us to work together to develop best practices in all phases of the manufacturing process, not the least of which is safety,” noted Buchner. “By working together to find those best practices we will all become better at what we do.”

Membership in ARC is open to secondary aluminum smelters and their suppliers, and may soon be extended to other companies in the aluminum recycling industry as well. “There are many common issues among companies that recycle aluminum,” added Henderson. “This provides an opportunity for ARC to create a platform as an industry voice and advance the interests of our members.”

www.recyclealuminum.org