Longtime aluminum producer Alcoa is making an audacious move forward to increase revenue and expand business. Currently headquartered in New York, Alcoa is making a global shift in production. Manufacturing of raw materials is moving to mainly Asian markets. Due to higher electricity costs in the West, they are reducing more than 500,000 tons of annual smelting capacity, which makes up nearly 14% of total annual capacity. Specifically, the production of raw aluminum makes up about 30% of electricity costs.
In March of 2015, the Navy awarded a USD$604.3 million contract to Huntington Ingalls Industries for construction of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer DDG 121. This deal is in addition to a previously awarded contract to build the Arleigh Burke-class DDG 51. Manager of this project George Nungesser stated, “The DDG 51 program has been the backbone of Ingalls Shipbuilding for the past three decades.” In order to reduce costs and increase efficiency, Huntington Ingalls has decided to keep the production line in the shipyard where the shipbuilding crew can work in the same area. Furthermore, because five ships will be built in the span of a year, the company can purchase and produce in bulk, further reducing costs and conserving resources. Huntington Ingalls has embarked on a continuing business venture with the Navy, including the procurement of twenty-eight previous destroyers and four currently under construction, including John Finn (DDG 113), Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) and Delbert D. Black (DDG 119). These destroyers have earned the reputation of being highly dynamic and capable defense tools.
The United States Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command has granted General Dynamics Land Systems a USD$22.7 million Buffalo vehicle upgrade contract. The Army is looking to upgrade its arsenal of armored vehicles, and General Dynamics has the ability to provide that. The contract entails a multitude of revisions to the Buffalo A2 M1272, a mine protection vehicle. The project will take about three years, as it has an estimated completion date of March 2018. “The US Army TACOM (Tank Automotive and Armament Command) Lifecycle Management Command awarded General Dynamics Land Systems a $22.7 million contract for updates and revisions to all logistic requirements and data in support of the Buffalo A2 M1272 vehicle,” read the official release, issued in March of 2015. The armored truck’s main purpose is to protect its passengers from mines and other explosive devices. It is recognized as one of the top mine-protected vehicles in its class, with about 238 Buffalo A2’s delivered to US units throughout the world.
