Alcoa names plant manager

Allen R. Ness has been named operations manager at Alcoa Point Comfort Operations where he will be responsible for the alumina and chemicals manufacturing activities. Ness’ career with Alcoa spans 28 years beginning in 1981 at Point Comfort Operations as area production superintendent-clarification. He served in the same capacity in Precipitation-Calcination as well as in Digestion until 1985 when he became engineering manager for Alcoa’s aluminum fluoride facility in Fort Meade, FL. He was named Fort Meade works production manager in 1990 and was promoted to plant manager in 1995. Ness accepted his first international assignment with Alcoa World Chemicals (AWC) in 1998 as general manager, AWC, China. In addition to completing the licensing and staffing of the Huangdao tabular alumina regional processing center, he directed the facility’s construction and start up, as well as managing the first year of operations. Ness moved back to the U.S. in 2001 as operations manager for the adsorbents & catalysts manufacturing organization with responsibility for the Port Allen and Vidalia manufacturing facilities in Louisiana. Ness returned to China in November 2004 as director, manufacturing systems integration and deputy general manager of Alcoa Bohai Aluminum Industries Company, Ltd.. He was part of the leadership team that planned and executed the Bohai Joint Venture formation and integration. From 2007 until mid-year 2008, Ness led the integration team for the $US 280 million expansion of the Bohai sheet facility. He was appointed Chemicals & Raw Materials Manager – Point Comfort in July 2008. He is a graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology with a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering. Ness and his wife, Melody, live in Victoria.