The acquisition provides Hydro with a strong market presence in Spain's two main business regions: Barcelona and Madrid. The La Roca plant is located on the outskirts of Barcelona while Expral is in Pinto, some 30 kilometers south of Madrid.

Consumption in the Spanish extrusion market last year was above 300,000 metric tons, with more than 50 producers on the supply side. The output from Hydro's plants in La Roca and now Expral puts the company near the very top with regard to annual deliveries from one supplier.

"Expral has a good reputation in the market and a nice mix of customers. They have a lot of business in industrial applications as well as in the building industry," says Extrusion Eurasia president Johnny Undeli, who emphasizes that the company's broad customer portfolio makes the operations "more resistant" to the expected downturn in the Spanish construction industry.

Undeli says "the acquisition is in line with our strategy to build upon Hydro's strong position in the extrusion business in Europe. We intend to grow even more in selected markets, as in Spain."

Growing in Spain – and in extrusion

In total, Hydro has more than 700 employees in Spain. Most work for the company's downstream aluminium businesses, with extruded products and rolled products as well as building systems.

Hydro also has an aluminium remelting operation in Azuqueca de Henares, where about 50 people are employed.

Hydro is the largest integrated aluminium company in Europe, and has been a leader in the extrusion industry on the continent for more than 20 years. In 2007, the company delivered 508,000 metric tons of extruded products from its global network of extrusion plants.