An aluminum plant in South Carolina is hiring workers again even though it is operating at half of its capacity.
Century Aluminum in Goose Creek has resumed hiring after President Trump imposed tariffs on foreign aluminum imports, The Post and Courier of Charleston reported.
Century president and CEO Mike Bless told analysts during a recent conference call that the tariffs are having their intended effect, allowing American industry to reinvest for long-term competitiveness.
Century this month reported a 21 percent increase in sales for the second quarter. Full-year production is expected to be up more than 60 percent over last year.
Bless said the company plans to continue operating at its current production level through the end of next year.
The hiring comes even though Century is involved in a dispute with the state-owned utility Santee Cooper over the cost of electricity. Bless points out electricity accounts for 40 percent of the cost of producing aluminum.
The plant has been operating at half capacity since 2016, when it laid off 300 of its 600 employees. Bless says Santee Cooper's rates are too high. Century's contract with Santee Cooper requires it to buy one-fourth of its power from the Moncks Corner utility.
Santee Cooper has said it cannot rework its agreement with Century without forcing other customers to subsidize the smelter.
"If we had a level playing field, we could outrun every smelter across the country," said Marvin Dickerson, Century's human resources manager at the Goose Creek plant. "We can compete with anyone in the world. It's just a matter of making sure we manage our costs."
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