Aluminum Scrap Markets
July 30, 2026
Nemak targets second-half start-up for Georgia megacasting plant
Written by Nicholas Bell
Nemak expects its Augusta, Ga., megacasting facility to begin production during the second half of 2026, with production ramping through 2027 and 2028, executives said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call.
Construction is “substantially complete,” key equipment has been installed, and the facility has completed its first production trials.
The Augusta operation came to Nemak through its acquisition of GF Casting Solutions’ automotive business, which closed in February.
The acquisition added nine production facilities across Europe, China and the US. GF Casting’s product portfolio was weighted toward aluminum and magnesium components for e-mobility and structure and chassis applications.
Facility equipment and production capacity
According to documents submitted to the state of Georgia, the Augusta plant will produce aluminum structural automotive components using high-pressure die casting.
The planned process includes melting, high-pressure die casting, trimming, heat treatment, machining, and assembly. The facility is designed around two melting furnaces with a combined melting capacity of around 22,000 pounds per hour and four high-pressure die-casting cells.
The application states the plant will process about 36,000 metric tons of aluminum annually, using an approximately 50/50 mix of virgin alloy ingot and recycled material.
During the earnings call, Nemak described the Augusta site as a highly automated megacasting facility that will produce large structural aluminum components.
Regional automotive footprint
GF Casting selected Augusta for the facility before Nemak agreed to buy the business.
When Nemak announced the transaction, it identified GF Casting Solutions’ western automotive customers as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, Volkswagen and Volvo. Several of those automakers operate or plan to operate assembly plants in the Southeast.
BMW produces vehicles in Spartanburg, SC, while Volvo operates a plant near Charleston. Volkswagen-owned Scout Motors is developing a plant in Blythewood, SC. Mercedes-Benz also operates a Sprinter van assembly plant near Charleston.
Augusta sits near the South Carolina border, placing the casting operation within the same region as those assembly complexes. The location also fits Nemak’s stated practice of placing production facilities near the engine and vehicle plants of major automotive manufacturers.
However, neither company has disclosed which customers or programs the Georgia plant will supply.
Georgia also hosts Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, an electric vehicle plant near Savannah, and Kia’s assembly plant in West Point along the Georgia-Alabama border. Hyundai-Kia accounted for about 4% of Nemak’s sales in 2025, prior to the acquisition.
North America accounted for 53% of Nemak’s sales in 2025, compared with 33% from Europe. Ford and General Motors, whose operations remain concentrated in North America, generated a combined 45% of Nemak’s sales by customer group.
Stellantis accounted for another 11% although the automaker now operates more plants in Europe than in North America. The remainder of Nemak’s sales came largely from European automotive manufacturers.
