Italian aluminium window and door components manufacturer Master Group has unlocked a new chapter in its growth strategy as European private equity platform Equinox IV acquired a 60 per cent stake in the company. The investment, made in partnership with the founding Loperfido-Lacatena family, is aimed at reinforcing Master’s international expansion, boosting its production capacities and pursuing strategic acquisitions, with the ambition of building a leading European industrial group. The acquisition is the second investment in Equinox IV’s log book. The Loperfido-Lacatena family retains a 40 per cent stake, with co-founder and CEO Michele Loperfido would continue to lead the business alongside his children, Annacarla and Stefano, and the existing senior management team. To know the...
Hydro and Mercedes-Benz have expanded their long-standing partnership through a new long-term agreement covering the supply of low-carbon primary and recycled aluminium, strengthening efforts to reduce emissions across the automotive supply chain. The agreement will cover at least 10 per cent of Mercedes-Benz's primary aluminium demand and extend beyond 2030. Under the agreement, Hydro will progressively lower the carbon footprint of the primary aluminium supplied to Mercedes-Benz to 3.5 kg of CO2e per kg by 2028. The partnership will also introduce Hydro CIRCAL recycled aluminium, which contains at least 75 per cent post-consumer aluminium scrap, into Mercedes-Benz production from 2027. The agreement builds on the companies' collaboration established in 2022 and provides long-term demand...
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Global alumina production stood at 11.368 million tonnes in July, a slight decrease of 0.5% from 11.425 million tonnes in July 2019, according to the latest data showed by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) on Wednesday, 26 August 2020. On a month-on-month comparison, the output increased by 3% from 11.029 million tonnes. Total alumina production came in at 77.466 million tonnes in the first seven months of 2020, an increase of 0.59% from 77.016 million tonnes in the first seven months of 2019. In Africa and Asia ex-China, alumina production increased by 26% year-on-year and up 7.5% month-on-month to 1.090 million tonne tonnes in July. In January-July, output came in at 7.191 million tonnes, an increase of 19.25% from 6.030 million tonnes in January-July 2019. In Oceania, alumina...
Rusal, the world’s second largest aluminium company by primary production, has decided to step down from the aluminium trading joint venture in southern China, partly due to concerns over lower sales volume, said three sources with knowledge of the matter. Two of the sources also said that the Russian firm is hiring for its separate office in Shanghai. Rusal is now negotiating the sale of its stake in North United Aluminium (Shenzhen) to state-run partner China North Industries Group Corp Ltd (Norinco), said the sources on the condition of anonymous. Rusal had invested in North United Aluminium in 2012 but since then grown disappointed with low trading volume. However, a rebound in Chinese aluminium demand after the COVID-10 outbreak buoyed imports in July. Per the report, the unwrought...
Bulgari has established itself as a serious leader over the last few years when it comes to making sleek, lightweight sports watches. The Octo Finissimo is one of the most iconic new watches of the last decade but not light at all. A trio of thin, lightweight sports watches that look to some late-90s pieces for inspiration, but with a bunch of important updates. The Bulgari Aluminium and Aluminium Chronograph are reinterpretations of a watch that Bulgari first launched back in 1998 that combined aluminium cases, rubber straps, and quartz movements to create a different kind of luxury watch. It might seem commonplace today, but presenting a non-precious-metal watch on a rubber strap as a luxury watch was still pretty revolutionary in the late '90s. The new models come in two variations on...
Domestic primary aluminium producers in India, like Hindalco Industries and Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Limited, are on their toes to bring down the country’s aluminium imports. They are working with the government at three levels – primary aluminium, secondary, and downstream products. Besides seeking trade remedial measures from the government, such as anti-dumping duty and anti-subsidy duty, the producers are working on new products. Satish Pai, managing director at Hindalco Industries, said: “We are involved in quite a few import substitution projects and are working closely with the government currently to put more defence alloys and aluminium material.” He pointed out that 60 per cent of the country’s total lightweight metal industry consumes those cheap aluminium imports. According to...
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative has acknowledged ALVANCE Aluminium Dunkerque with its Performance Standard certification for smelting and casthouse operation. The plant produces aluminium by electrolysis of alumina in the form of rolling slabs and ingots. The news came after ASI announced that it successfully certified the plant for responsible production, sourcing, and stewardship of aluminium. It is the large primary aluminium smelter in Europe. The ingots and slabs that it produces are destined for use in a range of value-added applications in the transport, automotive, packaging, building, and construction industry. The smelter produces over 284,000 tonnes of aluminium per year and employs almost 600 staff. Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer at ASI, said: “We warmly congratulate...
Despite the changes and uncertainty of NAFTA being renegotiated as the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the major manufacturing industries in Mexico are expected to see continual growth. Although many industries are moving their manufacturing to Mexico, the most prominent industries in Mexico are the automotive, aviation and aerospace, medical device, apparel and textile, and consumer products industries. Mexico’s Aluminium tubes and pipes import during 2017-19 has been recorded with 96,962 tonnes and revenue expenditure reached $518.54 million. The forecasted export for 2020 has been analysed to 30,666 tonnes and expenditure to stand at $154.47 million. When the evaluated export volume and expenditure of 2020 has been assorted with the preceding three years it stands at...
Hong Kong’s imports of aluminium scrap from the US came in at 7,090 tonnes in May, with a month-on-month increase of 1%. Hong Kong had imported 7,020 tonnes in April 2020. On a yearly basis, imports reduced by 37% from 11,200 tonnes in May 2019, as updated by the US Census Bureau. Hong Kong imported 29,500 tonnes of aluminium scrap in the first five months of 2020, from 40,300 tonnes imported in the first five months of 2019. That was a decrease of 10,800 tonnes or 27% year-on-year. Hong Kong’s imports of total aluminium (semi-finished products, crude metals and alloy and scrap) from the US stood at 7,210 tonnes in May 2020. That was down 36% from 11,300 tonnes in May 2019. Imports rose by 2.27% from April’s imports of 7,050 tonnes. In the first five months of 2020, total imports came in...
According to a recent report, Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC), Nagpur has created Certified Reference Material (CRM) of aluminium metal for indigenous use, in line with the Government’s self-reliant initiative. CRM is used for quality control and for calibration of spectroscopic techniques. Usually, secondary aluminium is made of aluminium scrap recovered from various sources and used for manufacturing aluminium products mixed with other inferior quality products. This could be a threat to society as well as the industry. So, characterisation of elemental composition is an absolute necessary before melting or casting to ensure compositional prerequisite. CRMs are essentially required for cross verifying the methodology adopted. For having very...
Alumina (Imported) price has increased to RMB 2365 per tonne, representing a growth of RMB 65 per tonne after remaining unchanged at RMB 2300 per tonne since August 18. The average price is expected to move within a range of RMB 2350-2380 per tonne. Alumina price in other major China markets remained unchanged today. The average Bauxite CIF price has dropped by USD 1 per tonne to USD 41 per tonne as on Wednesday, 26 August 2020. The average price is expected to hover between USD 40 per tonne and USD 42 per tonne. A00 aluminium ingot price has climbed by RMB 20 per tonne to stand at RMB 14770 per tonne. This marks the second back-to-back rise. The average price is expected to range at RMB14750-14790 per tonne today. Aluminium ingot price in Foshan stand at RMB 14840 per tonne, up RMB 70...
Brazil’s largest aluminium producer Companhia Brasileira de Aluminio (CBA) has committed towards a science-based target (SBT) for emission reduction in line with 1.5° C, making it the foremost Brazilian organization to deliver sustainable-certified aluminium. The Latin American manufacturing giant possesses total annual production of around 480,000 tonnes and shoulders the complete aluminium production process, from bauxite mining to producing aluminium sheets and coils. As the aluminium industry is one of the world's biggest sources of industrial emissions with the International Energy Agency ranking the sector as the fourth-largest industrial CO2 emitter, responsible for around 3% of total direct CO2 emissions. However, CBA now joins a growing number of other aluminium producers...
The dollar dipped on Tuesday, August 25, as investors waited on comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell about the US central bank’s policy framework review, and after data showed improving German business morale. Three-month LME aluminium settled 0.51 per cent higher at US$ 1,779 per tonne on Tuesday. LME aluminium cash (bid) price and LME official settlement price, however, stood slightly lower at US$ 1733 per tonne, as of Tuesday, August 25. 3-months bid price and 3-months offer price came in at US$ 1773.50 per tonne, down by US$ 2.5 per tonne from US$ 1776 per tonne on August 24. Dec 21 bid price and Dec 21 offer price hovered at US$ 1850.50 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock continued to decline to 1567375 tonnes. Live Warrants hovered at 1342775 tonnes, while...
The Casablanca Stock Exchange-listed company; Aluminium du Maroc has achieved a turnover of around 304 million dirhams for the first six months against 437.3 million dirhams in the same phase of the previous year, thus marking a drop of 30%. The slump follows the downward trend in commodity prices and the decline in commercial activities linked to the COVID-19 pandemic which impacted both on domestic and export markets. This is what the company indicates in its recent financial communication published on the Stock Exchange website. Despite this poor performance, Aluminum du Maroc indicates that the pace of orders has accelerated since the beginning of July, entering the last quarter with a reasonably optimistic order booking. The quarterly trend in turnover shows a dip of 42% compared to...
Michael Ernest Ansah, CEO, Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) said: “Government intends involving a substantial percentage of Ghanaian companies in the execution of projects under the Sinohydro deal.” However, there have been concerns that the majority of Sinohydro projects will be executed by Chinese nationals, given the country’s involvement in the deal. The Tamale Interchange Project has been pulled up as a case in point, which was largely executed by Chinese nationals, raising concerns over how the deal will tackle unemployment in Ghana. Mr Ansah said: “Subsequent projects will see more involvement of Ghanaian companies.” “These projects have commenced. We are going to see more local content. The involvement of locals will be more than 30%. More Ghanaians will...
TRIMET now offers an aluminium alloy, using the name trimal®-05AM, and that the materials specialist has developed especially for the production of light metal parts in 3D printing. The alloy, which is based on the material trimal®-05 developed by TRIMET, is suitable for additive manufacturing processes that use selective laser melting (SLM) for the production of ultra-high-strength serial parts without subsequent heat treatment. Thomas Reuther, a member of the Executive Board of TRIMET Aluminium SE, says: “With the new alloy, we are expanding the application areas for aluminium. The transport sector alone increasingly relies on additive manufacturing, thereby raising the demand for materials that have been developed for this process.” In 3D printing, the alloy, cast as ingots, is...
As the Indian festive season is nearing, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has solicited support from the government to stop China participating in the Indian markets. Particularly, the traders' body has shot a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, pressuring him to increase customs duty on various articles imported from China, block alternate routes which can be used by China for pushing its exports to India, implement mandatory mentioning of the country of origin with each product sold on e-portal from 1 st September’20. CAIT National President BC Bhartia & Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said: “The upcoming festival season which includes Diwali is unquestionably the largest most celebrated festival of India. Next four months beginning September are...
According to the Shanghai Metals Market, operating rates across major aluminium processors last week increased by 0.2 per cent point to 77.3 per cent, attributing to the commissioning of new capacity at primary aluminium alloy producers. Demand for aluminium foil remained strong, while orders at small and medium-scale extrusion producers and plate and strip sectors emerged weak. Worsening COVID-19 pandemic across the world kept processors concerned about the recovery of export orders in September. On the other hand, with import window of aluminium alloy ingots being closed, secondary aluminium producers were increasingly optimistic over the upcoming peak season during September and October. Small and medium-scale extrusion producers also showed interest in producing aluminium billets with...
According to the latest data shown by the US Geological Survey, the United States’ imports of aluminium crude metals and alloys from Argentina remained flat month-on-month in May 2020 at 18,400 tonnes. In April, the imports totalled 18,700 tonnes, following a sharp downfall in March from 12,800 tonnes in February to 1,520 tonnes. In January, the US had imported 26,400 tonnes of aluminium extrusions, meaning February saw a decline of 13,600 tonnes or 51.5 per cent over the month. The above data also indicates the fact that the United States aluminium extrusion imports from Argentina rebounded in April 2020 after plunging incessantly in the three previous months. On a year-on-year comparison, the United States aluminium crude metals and alloys imports in May 2020 stood down by 1,900 tonnes...
The economy of Latvia is an open economy in Northern Europe and is part of the European Union's single market. The major industries that contribute to the economy of Latvia are railroad cars, electronics, processed metals, etc. Latvia’s export of aluminium scrap during 2017-19 has been recorded at 24,228 tonnes and the earnings remained at $25.16 million. The projected export for 2020 has been analysed at 8728 tonnes and the earnings to reach $9.17 million. However, when the evaluated aluminium scrap export volume and earnings of 2020 get assorted with the previous three years, it reflects 32,956 tonnes and $34.33 million respectively. In 2017, the European nation’s aluminium scrap export stood at 5958 tonnes and earning noted was $5.58 million, whereas in 2018 the aluminium scrap saw a...
