Honda Readies Ontario Aluminum Smelter

A 97,000-square-foot plant in Allison, Ontario, that will host a secondary aluminum smelter is nearing completion.

The plant will operate under the name Molten Aluminum Producer Canada Inc. (MAPCAN). According to a report from Industrial Info Resources, MAPCAN is a joint venture between Honda Trading Group and Asahi Seiren Co. Ltd. of Japan.

 Construction of the facility started in the late spring of 2007 and is expected to be complete by the end of December 2007.

The new plant’s equipment includes: one rotary furnace with oxyfuel burners, three large stationary furnaces with regenerative burners to recycle the heat, an entirely insulated facility to retain process heat within the building during the winter, a centrifuge to remove the cutting fluids from the turnings, and a filtration system to filter and purify the air from dust and noise, according to Industrial Info Resources.

Thee MAPCAN plant is scheduled to be fully operational in early spring 2008.

Molten aluminum will be transported across the street to support production at a new engine foundry operated by Honda of Canada Manufacturing (HCM). That $140 million, 200,000-square-foot engine plant is also nearing completion.