What Altek Group does

Altek Group operates through Altek Europe Ltd, a Chesterfield, UK-headquartered (with US operations in Indianapolis, IN) engineering company specialising in the design, manufacture, and installation of aluminium dross and scrap processing systems for the global aluminium industry. Founded in 1985 and owned since 2018 by Enviri Corporation (formerly Harsco), Altek offers an integrated portfolio covering dross recovery (TARDIS Generation III Dross Press, Salt Slag Cooling Press), furnace optimisation (air-cooled Electromagnetic Furnace Stirring, Curved Electromagnetic Stirrer, Scrap Submergence System), rotary melting (Tilting Type Rotary Furnace), molten metal analysis (OnSpec™ LIBS-based sensor), metal casting (ingot and sow lines), proprietary consumables (RHINO-CAST® steel alloy pans, slag bins, sow moulds), and zero-waste recycling plants (AluSalt™ salt slag processing, RAME™ primary dross recycling — exclusively licensed globally ex-Canada since 2024).

The company's business model centres on three revenue streams: (1) capital equipment sales of bespoke-engineered systems to primary aluminium smelters and secondary aluminium melting/recycling plants, sold via consultative enterprise field sales; (2) aftermarket Lifecycle Services including maintenance, spares, upgrades, and remote support for the 900+ installed reference plants across 100+ countries; and (3) technology licensing, primarily the RAME™ platform. With 11–50 employees and approximately 55,000 sq ft of manufacturing capacity split between the UK (40,000 sq ft) and the USA (15,000 sq ft), Altek operates as a focused, niche industrial equipment specialist rather than a high-volume manufacturer. Customers include major primary and secondary aluminium producers; named enterprise references include Alcoa, Real Alloy, and GHI.

Name

Altek Group

Legal name

Altek Europe Ltd

Website

https://altek-al.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Altek Group (Altek Europe Ltd) is a UK-headquartered, Enviri-owned engineering company that designs, manufactures, and installs capital equipment and recycling systems for aluminium dross and scrap processing, serving primary smelters and secondary recyclers globally across 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aluminium Dross and Scrap Processing Equipment

NAICS

Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing (33131), Secondary Smelting and Alloying of Aluminum (331314), Alumina Refining and Primary Aluminum Production (331313), Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351)

SIC

Primary Production Of Aluminum (3334), Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330), Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Aluminum Dross/Residue Processing & Byproduct Recovery (IMAKACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aluminum Smelter/Refinery Technology, Equipment & Refractories (IMAKACAL), Aluminum Scrap Collection, Sorting & Processing (IMAKACAJ), Aluminum Project Development, Engineering & EPC (Smelters/Refineries) (IMAKACAO), Aluminum Casting & Ingot/Billet/Slab Production (IMAKACAE)

Keywords

• Aluminium dross processing
• Scrap recycling equipment
• Electromagnetic furnace stirring
• Rotary furnace systems
• Salt slag recycling

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesterfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Capital Equipment Sales: Altek designs, manufactures and installs capital equipment systems for aluminium dross and scrap processing. This includes dross presses, electromagnetic stirrers, rotary furnaces, casting lines, and zero-waste processing plants sold as capital equipment to aluminium producers. Revenue is generated through equipment sales, installation, and commissioning.
2. Aftermarket Services, Spares & Maintenance: ALTEK Lifecycle Services team provides servicing, maintenance, upgrades, and spares for installed equipment worldwide. Service agreements cover elements such as time and parts for EMS systems and dross presses. Remote and on-site support available for existing customer base.
3. Licensing (RAME™ Technology): RAME™ dross processing technology is licensed globally (exclusive, outside Canada). Altek acquired the exclusive global license in 2024, suggesting a licensing/royalty revenue stream for the primary smelter dross recycling technology.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Altek designs, manufactures and installs capital equipment systems for aluminium dross and scrap processing, including dross presses, electromagnetic furnace stirrers, tilting rotary furnaces, ingot and sow casting lines, salt slag recycling plants, and continuous molten metal analysis systems. The company also delivers these systems as integrated, bespoke "Total Dross Management" solutions for primary aluminium smelters, secondary melters, recyclers and casthouses worldwide.

Product overview

ALTEK is a technology-based company offering a comprehensive portfolio of aluminium dross and scrap processing systems. The product portfolio centers on end-to-end dross management solutions including the TARDIS Generation III Dross Press and Salt Slag Cooling Press for aluminium recovery; RHINO-CAST® steel castings including dross pans, slag bins, and sow moulds; electromagnetic stirring technologies (EMS, CES, Scrap Submergence) for furnace optimisation; OnSpec™ for real-time molten metal analysis; Tilting Type Rotary Furnaces for scrap processing; Ingot and Sow Casting Lines for metal casting; and zero-waste processing plants featuring AluSalt™ salt slag recycling and RAME™ primary dross recycling technologies. The products work together as an integrated system to maximise aluminium recovery, reduce waste, and provide circular economy solutions for the aluminium industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RAME™: A process specifically designed for primary smelters for salt-free dross recycling with excellent yields higher than TRF with salt flux operations. Output dross residues are reinserted into electrolysis cells.
• AluSalt™
• RHINO-CAST®
• TARDIS Gen III
• EMS (Electromagnetic Furnace Stirring)

Products and services

• TARDIS Generation III Dross Press Aluminium dross recovery press that compresses and cools dross quickly using patented press head cooling technology and fume extraction systems to preserve valuable aluminium that would otherwise be lost to oxidation; for aluminium producers and recyclers. Achieves 5% to 25% in-house drain and 40% to 70% secondary recovery, with over 550 worldwide references.
• Aluminium Salt Slag Cooling Press High-pressure hydraulic press that processes up to 2.5 tonnes of salt slag or rotary furnace slag per cycle using specially designed press heads to extract aluminium from salt slag while reducing cooling times; for secondary aluminium smelters and recyclers using salt flux.
• RHINO-CAST® Dross Pans Dross pans cast in Altek's proprietary RHINO-CAST® steel alloy, designed to withstand the severe casthouse environment and endure mechanical and thermal shock, with capacities from 50 kg to over 2,500 kg; for aluminium casthouses and smelters.
• Salt Slag Bins High-capacity RHINO-CAST® steel bins designed to cope with extreme heat from Secondary Remelt Tilt Rotary Furnaces, featuring cooling ribs that create a 'chocolate-block' shape for easier breaking of salt slag blocks; for secondary aluminium melters.
• Sow Mould and Ingot Castings Casting products for the aluminium industry including sow moulds, ingot moulds, skim pan sets, dross containers and salt-cake containers, all manufactured in RHINO-CAST® alloy steel; for aluminium casthouses and smelters.
• Electromagnetic Furnace Stirring (EMS) Air-cooled electromagnetic furnace stirring system using linear induction motor principle, available in bottom- and side-mounted configurations with no moving parts and no water-cooling required; for aluminium melting and holding furnace operators. Side-mounted variants allow variable strength and direction of the electromagnetic field during the furnace cycle, with nearly 100 global references.
• Curved Electromagnetic Stirrer (CES) Curved electromagnetic stirrer based on the EMS range, designed for round/dome furnaces with curved or rounded shells where bottom-mounted stirrers cannot be used. 100% air-cooled with advanced controls that switch direction and intensity of electromagnetic flow during operation; delivers up to 25% productivity increase, up to 15% energy reduction and up to 25% melt loss reduction.
• Scrap Submergence System Electromagnetic scrap and alloy submergence system using an air-cooled inductor mounted against an inclined charging well, generating a quasi-vortex submerging action with minimal turbulence for efficient charging of light gauge scrap; no moving parts, tubes or consumables, with charging rates up to 5 metric tonnes/hour and door-closed operation.
• OnSpec™ Continuous Molten Metal Analysis Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) system for real-time, in-situ chemical specification analysis of molten aluminium to enable process control; for casthouses and aluminium producers needing tight alloy chemistry control.
• Tilting Type Rotary Furnace (TTRF) Rotary furnace for processing aluminium dross, UBC (used beverage cans), chips or iron scrap, with capacities from 1 tonne to 40 tonnes. Features include a multi-directional door reducing energy consumption by 15%, 20° tilt back for fewer charges and quicker melt cycles, pre-cast block refractory lining and pin-drive rotation mechanism; over 60 installations worldwide.
• Ingot Casting Machines Ingot casting lines that convert liquid aluminium from Tilt Rotary Furnaces or Holding Furnaces into small ingot stacks using a 'star wheel' caster, available in various sizes and cooling methods; for secondary smelters and casthouses producing aluminium ingots.
• Sow Casting Lines Sow casting lines that convert liquid aluminium from furnaces or ladles into large aluminium blocks of typically 500 kg to 1,000 kg, available in Banjo Launder, Direct Line Casting, and Carousel/Continuous Casting configurations; for aluminium smelters and casthouses.
• AluSalt™ Salt Slag Cake Recycling In-house salt slag and salt cake recycling solution that extracts aluminium, recovers salts and turns non-metallic waste into saleable products. Achieves 98%+ salt recovery in the same KCl:NaCl ratio and particle size, with on-site processing eliminating transportation costs and typically delivering ROI in as little as two years; for secondary aluminium producers.
• RAME™ Primary Dross Recycling Plant Salt-free dross processing technology specifically designed for primary aluminium smelters, achieving yields higher than TRF with salt flux operations. 100% of output dross residues are reinserted into electrolysis cells, delivering a truly circular economy process; licensed exclusively globally (outside Canada) and proven in operation at an Alcoa smelter for over 4 years processing 17+ dross alloys.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5% to 25% in-house drain from TARDIS Gen III Dross Press
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lefebvre (RAME™ Technology)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2024In 2024, Altek acquired an exclusive global license (outside of Canada) for the RAME™ Dross Processing Technology from Lefebvre. RAME™ is a salt-free dross processing technology for primary smelters, achieving excellent yields higher than TRF with salt flux operations. 100% of output dross residues are reinserted into electrolysis cells.
• Real AlloycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Altek partnered with Real Alloy to build a zero-waste aluminium salt slag recycling facility in Wabash, Indiana. Real Alloy plans to use ALTEK's AluSalt™ salt slag processing technology to recycle metallics and salts, and recover other non-metallic products. The project is in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.
• Melting Solutions LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Acquired in 2020, Melting Solutions Ltd enhanced the product range to include dross and scrap recycling plants using Tilting Type Rotary Furnace technology and a range of aluminium casting technologies. This acquisition made Altek the first and only global provider of true end-to-end, zero waste dross management solutions.
• InducteleccoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2013Acquired in 2013, Inductelec is an induction heating specialist. The acquisition increased capacity for the manufacture of the electromagnetic stirring product range including bottom mounted, side mounted and curved options.
• J M McIntyre (Machinery) Ltd (TARDIS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Acquired in 2009, J M McIntyre (Machinery) Ltd was the manufacturer of the TARDIS Dross Press and associated dross cooling technology. This acquisition enabled consolidation of two different technologies to form the TARDIS Gen II Dross Press Range, and expanded the worldwide reference base to more than 400 references.
• Bloom EngineeringminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBloom and Altek jointly host the Combustion System Design & Application to Aluminium Furnaces seminar. This 2.5-day technically oriented event is held annually, expanding on seminars hosted in the USA for the past 15 years. Bloom Engineering focuses on combustion technology for industrial furnaces.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pyrotek: Pyrotek supplies engineered materials, equipment, and processing solutions to the aluminium industry, including dross handling, molten metal filtration, and casthouse equipment, making it one of the most direct competitors to Altek's end-to-end dross management offering.
• Wagstaff: Wagstaff designs and manufactures aluminium casting equipment, including billet casting systems, ingot casting technology, and casthouse automation, overlapping directly with Altek's ingot/sow casting lines and casthouse product range.
• Hertwich Engineering (SMS group): Hertwich, part of SMS group, supplies aluminium casthouse and remelt plant technology including homogenizing, sawing, and extrusion billet log handling, making it a direct peer in engineered capital equipment for the aluminium downstream value chain.
• STAS (Savoie Techno Aluminium Solutions): STAS designs and supplies equipment and process technology for the aluminium casthouse and primary aluminium industry, including furnace technology, molten metal treatment, and environmental solutions, directly competing with Altek in primary smelter-facing equipment.
• Inductotherm Group: Inductotherm manufactures induction melting and heating equipment, including electromagnetic stirrers and melting furnaces for non-ferrous metals, overlapping with Altek's EMS/CES electromagnetic stirring and induction-based equipment portfolio.
• Seco/Warwick: Seco/Warwick supplies industrial furnaces and metallurgy equipment, including aluminium melting and holding furnaces, competing with Altek's tilting rotary furnace and broader casthouse furnace offerings.
• GNA Alutech: GNA Alutech designs and manufactures aluminium dross processing and salt slag recovery systems, including rotary furnaces and presses, directly competing with Altek's dross press and AluSalt product lines, with a focus on the Latin American market.

Broad incumbents

• Danieli: Danieli is a large global metals plant manufacturer with aluminium melting, casting, and rolling equipment offerings, providing a broader portfolio of metallurgical capital equipment that overlaps with Altek's casthouse and dross processing systems.
• Novelis: Novelis is one of the world's largest aluminium recyclers and rolled products producers; while a customer-type for Altek's recycling technology, it is also a potential in-house competitor in dross/salt slag management given its scale and recycling focus.
• Norsk Hydro: Norsk Hydro is a major integrated primary aluminium producer with significant in-house casthouse and recycling operations, making it both a key target customer for Altek's dross management technology and a broader incumbent in the aluminium value chain.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/altekgroup

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Altek Group