Hydro, Talum sign long-term supply agreement

Hydro Aluminium has entered into a long-term purchase agreement with the Slovenian aluminium producer Talum for foundry alloy casthouse products. Talum will supply Hydro with an average of 70,000 tons of foundry alloy products per year over the next seven years.

This new supply contract comes in addition to the ongoing agreement under which Hydro annually purchases approximately 50,000 tons of extrusion ingot from Talum.

The new purchase agreement will start 1 January 2004 and run through to 2010. Hydro and Talum have been cooperating closely since 1987, including Hydro's supply of alumina for Talum's primary aluminium production.

Hydro Aluminium has an annual business volume of more than 3 million tons of aluminium casthouse products, this volume being based on approximately 1.4 million tons of equity primary aluminium production, a unique network of aluminium recycling and remelting facilities in most major metal markets, as well as third party supply contracts.

"This new agreement means a continuation of our good cooperation with Hydro Aluminium,"​ commented Danilo Toplek, president of Talum's management board. "We are pleased about the agreement and convinced we will be able to combine the strengths of the two companies in the best way."​

Helge Jansen, head of Hydro Aluminium's Foundry Alloy Business Unit in the metal product sector said the additional capacity should help Hydro Aluminium support the growth strategy of its customers in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. "Talum is known for its product quality and reliability, combined with a flexible customer approach. This fits in very well with our way of thinking,"​ he added.

Hydro Aluminium is the largest integrated aluminium company in Europe and one of the three leading integrated aluminium companies in the world. It has 27,000 employees in 28 countries and is part of Norsk Hydro, a leading Norwegian industrial company founded in 1905 which also owns Hydro Oil and Energy and Hydro Agri.