ALUMAX SUBSIDIARY APPOINTS ROBERT L. MERRIFIELD DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION.

NORCROSS, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 30, 1996--Alumax Materials Management, Inc. announced today that Robert L. Merrifield has been appointed to the new position of director of transportation, reporting to Eugene Greenberg, president of Alumax Materials Management, Inc.

Mr. Merrifield is responsible for coordinating traffic movement among Alumax Inc. business units to achieve advantageous routings.

Before joining Alumax Materials Management, Mr. Merrifield was the traffic manager for Intalco Aluminum Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alumax Inc., where he worked for 23 years. In addition to his employment with Intalco, Mr. Merrifield served on the board of directors for Washington, Oregon, California Shippers Corporation (WOSCA) for 10 years.

Mr. Merrifield received an associate degree from Chicago College of Advanced Traffic in 1968, a certificate of transportation planning, pricing and closing in 1994 from the University of Wisconsin, and a certificate in logistics management from the University of Wisconsin in 1995.

Alumax Materials Management, located in Norcross, Ga., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alumax, Inc. (NYSE: AMX; Toronto: AXI).

Alumax is a world leader in aluminum with year-end assets of more than $3.1 billion and annualized revenues of more than $2.9 billion. The company produces and markets primary aluminum ingot, billet and slab and is a major fabricator of value-added aluminum products for the building and construction, transportation, packaging and consumer durables industries.

CONTACT: Alumax

Thomas R. Hagley (Media)

770/246-6642 Fax: [phone]

or

R. Daniel Loh (Investors)

770/246-6752 Fax: [phone]