This paper's objective is to analyze the Brazilian aluminum production chain. We define production chain as the structured set of operations necessary to transform raw materials into a related group of finished products. The study of such a chain aims at increasing the competitiveness of its elements, focusing on their problems and devising solutions. The methodology adopted consisted in defining the basic production steps; visit plants and factories; interview executives; and analyze the wealth of data gathered. Some principles of production chain dynamics are proposed. The aluminum industry offers today, in Brazil, acute problems, due to currency devaluation, cost and scarcity of electrical energy, invoicing taxes and lack of economies of scale, which threaten its survival.
Aluminum production chain; aluminum in Brazil; competitiveness; value added
