June 2018

60 61 Today, the American aluminum industry directly generates $65 billion in economic output and indirectly generates an additional $87 billion in economic output each year - that’s one percent of the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product). It employs over 155,000 workers, and for each aluminum industry job, an additional 3.3 em- ployment positions are created elsewhere in the economy, for a total of 670,000 U.S. Jobs. The Aluminum Association is the non-profit organization, based in Arlington, Virginia, that represents the country’s manufacturers of alumi- num as well as their many suppliers and vendors. The Association was originally formed in 1933, after the U.S. Congress passed the National In- dustrial Recovery Act (NIRA), a measure of Presi- dent Roosevelt’s New Deal initiative, designed to help lift the country out of the Great Depression. The Act required various industries to establish codes and guidelines in order to promote fair and equitable competition. In response to the legisla- tion, representatives of 13 aluminum companies met to form the Association of Manufacturers in the Aluminum Industry. Even though NIRA was THE ALUMINUMASSOCIATION repealed the following year, industry leaders decided to continue the organization, renam- ing it “The Aluminum Association.” Its mandate was to promote the general welfare of the aluminum industry and its members. Today, the Aluminum Association continues to represent the interests of the aluminum in- dustry by developing technical standards and data; collecting and publishing industry statis- tics; promoting plant safety and health; mon- itoring and promoting technological develop- ments that advance the metal’s use across a wide range of applications; and increasing its market capabilities in the U.S. and around the world. According to Matt Meenan, Director of Com- munications, the Association currently has just over 112 members, split evenly between pro- ducers which make and fabricate the metal, such as Alcoa, Novelis, and Aleris, and associ- ate members, which are the companies that supply goods or services to the producers. The main reason that companies join the Association says Meenan, is that they “value the networking opportunities we provide, so they can talk about and share issues of com- mon interest.Whether it’s statistics, policy, standards, or sustainability–one or more may be very valuable to them.We have committees and divisions that are focused on either par- ticular product market areas, or parts of the supply chain.” When asked about the current state of affairs in the industry, Meenan replies: “One of