The 55-year-old, 50,000-ton press makes parts for jet fighters and other aircraft. Engineers idled the behemoth in 2008 when they noticed stress fractures on the base.
View full sizeTowboats on the Cuyahoga River steer a barge carrying 650 tons of parts needed for Alcoa's $68 million press rebuilding project. The parts arrived in Cleveland on Tuesday from Germany. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Alcoa received about 650 tons of parts today that it needs to rebuild a giant press at the company's Cleveland Works in Cuyahoga Heights.
The 55-year-old, 50,000-ton press makes parts for jet fighters and other aircraft. Engineers idled the behemoth in 2008 when they noticed stress fractures on the base.
Alcoa last year announced a $68 million plan to rebuild the press. Ohio and local governments are providing $20.6 million in tax breaks and other incentives.
Company and union officials said the project will keep 700 jobs at the plant and possibly bring more work in the future. Alcoa expects the rebuilt press to go into service late next year.
Workers have spent the past year disassembling the 92-foot-tall press. Arriving by ship from Germany at the Port of Cleveland today were two 85-ton stools to support new parts and two 240-ton castings that will make up the base of the refurbished machine.
The parts were transferred onto a barge and floated up the Cuyahoga River to Independence Excavating next to ArcelorMittal's steel plant. There, a 500-ton mobile crane unloaded the parts. The parts will be stored at the steel plant until October, when trucks will deliver them to Alcoa.