OPTA Birmingham Exceeds First-Year Goals, Enhancing Service Across the Southern U.S.
Strategic investment expands regional production capacity, strengthens supply reliability and supports the growing needs of steelmakers.
Amherst, New York – August 6, 2026 – Opta Group LP, a portfolio company of Speyside Equity LLC (“Speyside”) and a leading provider of custom-engineered solutions for the metallurgical, construction and specialty chemical industries, will soon celebrate the first anniversary of its operations in Birmingham, Alabama.
Located in Alabama’s industrial corridor, OPTA Birmingham was purpose-built to support the evolving needs of the region’s growing steel industry. The facility was initially equipped with advanced capabilities to crush, screen and dry recycled raw materials, transforming them into high-performance synthetic slags.
More recently, operations expanded with the addition of flux and aluminum briquetting, broadening the facility’s product portfolio of metallurgical solutions and enhancing its ability to meet the evolving needs of customers. This has enabled continued growth in volume, with five new customers already added this year.
“The team in Birmingham has exceeded our expectations from day one,” said Leo Fonseca, Vice President, Operations, Metallurgical Solutions North America. “We successfully brought this greenfield facility online in less than a year and in its first year of operations achieved ISO 9001 certification while expanding the range of products available to steelmakers across the southeastern United States. Our commitment, execution and focus on our customers have made Birmingham a benchmark for operational excellence across our manufacturing network.”
As demand for high-quality metallurgical solutions continues to grow, Opta Group is well-positioned to support steel producers throughout the southern United States with reliable regional supply, technical expertise to help optimize performance and a broad portfolio of metallurgical solutions that includes fluxes, briquettes and cored wire.
With a strong foundation in place, the facility enters its second year focused on continued growth, innovation and operational excellence, reinforcing Opta Group’s long-term commitment to delivering value for customers and advancing the future of steelmaking.
About Opta Group
Opta Group, a Speyside portfolio company, is a global provider of custom-engineered solutions serving the metallurgical, construction and specialty chemical industries. The company’s broad range of brands includes OPTA, Tecnosulfur, Affival, SKW, OPTA Glass, Carbide Industries and Quab Chemicals. Through deep expertise in blending, formulation and process optimization, Opta Group delivers measurable value to customers worldwide.
With headquarters in Amherst, NY, Opta Group employs over 1,000 people operating from a total of 35 manufacturing facilities and regional offices across 11 countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.
To learn more visit opta-group.com.
About Speyside
Speyside is a Detroit-based private equity firm focused on control investments in lower middle-market manufacturing and value-added distribution businesses, particularly complex carve-outs and operationally intensive situations. Speyside executes a disciplined “Fix and Build” strategy, partnering with management teams to improve EBITDA margins, drive operational transformation and scale growth through organic initiatives and strategic add-on acquisitions. Speyside deploys its proprietary Portfolio Value Creation System (PVCS), a phased, process-driven framework developed over twenty years of experience managing and improving manufacturing businesses.
For more information, please visit speysideequity.com.
