Aluminum casthouses are facing a growing operational challenge of increasing the use of recycled metal without compromising melt quality, recovery rates or production efficiency. As manufacturers look to incorporate more post-consumer recycled (PCR) aluminum, processing lightweight scrap, machining chips and other low-density materials has become increasingly important. Such materials are difficult to introduce into conventional melting furnaces, making efficient scrap feeding and submergence essential to improving recycling performance. The challenge extends beyond scrap preparation. Maintaining consistent temperature and chemical composition throughout the molten metal bath is critical to producing specification-compliant aluminum. Equipment used for circulation and stirring must...
ClearFlow Metalworks plans to invest $28 million in a new aluminum manufacturing facility in Russellville, Kentucky, marking an expansion of secondary aluminum production in the United States. The project is expected to create 50 full-time jobs, with its first phase designed to deliver an estimated annual production capacity of approximately 100,000 tons. The company, which focuses on sustainable aluminum recycling and production, will develop the facility in phases. Phase I will feature a secondary aluminum billet casting operation, processing recycled aluminum materials into billets for extrusion and other downstream manufacturing applications. The project will establish ClearFlow's manufacturing presence in the U.S. and support domestic demand for aluminum products while expanding...
Grow with
AL Circle
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has cut its aluminium ingot and product prices with effect from Wednesday, July 8, following two consecutive hikes on June 20 and July 1. Nalco’s aluminium ingot price has been reduced by INR 2,100 per tonne or 1.5 per cent to INR 138,050-141,550 per tonne. After the last marginal hike of INR 100 per tonne on July 1, the company’s aluminium ingot price was in the range of INR 140,150 – 143,650 per tonne. Nalco’s aluminium billet price after the latest cut has come in at INR 141,750-144,150 per tonne, down by INR 1850-2100 per tonne from INR 143,600- 146,250 per tonne, as of July 1. Nalco’s aluminium wire rod price has been decreased from INR 144,750-148,000 per tonne to INR 141,550-145,900 per tonne. Indian aluminium producers generally link...
Akasa made public three new fanless cases for the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B at the end of May’20, of which the Gem Pro was one. Now, the company has officially announced the pricing of said case. According to Akasa, the case has a "gem-like" top that improves cooling. The company includes thermal pads and aluminium blocks to maximise the case's cooling efficiency too. The Gem Pro is made from aluminium and finished in silver. According to Akasa, the case has been sandblasted and anodised. The Gem Pro measures 96 x 75.6 x 34.4 mm and provides access to the Model B's GPIO, microSD card reader and its full selection of ports and available for £24.75 or US$30.95.
Holden Aluminium Technologies at Station Road, Bromyard, will be closed down by the end of 2020, as this information is revealed by its parent company Hydro Group. At the Bromyard factory, around 50 jobs will be at risk as the company seems to adapt to challenging market conditions. A spokesperson for the aluminium and renewable energy company, Hydro, headquartered in Oslo, said: "I can confirm that due to challenging market conditions in the UK, Hydro will restructure its operations and close the aluminium fabrication business unit in Bromyard, Holden Aluminium Technologies.” "The activities currently performed in Bromyard will be moved to our Bedwas site in South Wales. "The Bromyard plant has around 50 employees and the planned restructuring is expected to be completed by end 2020....
The Prime Minister’s Office of Canada has confirmed that PM Justin Trudeau will not visit Washington, with Mexico's president this week to celebrate a new North American trade deal, after Canada louden concerns over United States aluminium tariffs. On 6 th July’20, over a phone call, Trudeau told Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that he expects the talks with US President Donald Trump would be successful. However, the Mexican President had urged Trudeau to join him, is due to meet Trump at the White House on 8 th July’20 on his first trip outside of Mexico since taking office 19 months ago. The Prime Minister’s office stated that Justin Trudeau will be attending cabinet meetings and a sitting of parliament in Ottawa. "We wish the United States and Mexico well at Wednesday's...
Norsk Hydro has announced today, on July 8, that its aluminium recycling plant in Azuqueca, Spain is ramped-up and all set to start producing the sought-after recycled aluminium Hydro CIRCAL. Hydro says the project has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but delivered on budget and with zero injuries. Hydro announced the news after receiving the certificate for production from independent risk management and quality assurance company DNV-GL on July 7, 2020. Eivind Kallevik, Executive Vice President of Primary Metal in Hydro, commented: “Hydro CIRCAL has gotten a lot of traction in the market and this is an important step to meet the growing demand for low-carbon products. Getting Azuqueca’s production up and running is truly a combination of sustainability and profitability.” By...
According to a recent report from Brazil’s economy ministry released on Monday, July 6, alumina exports from Brazil increased in June, albeit at a slower pace than the earlier month. Brazil’s alumina exports in June totalled 679,914 tonnes, up 4.6 per cent year-on-year from 650,229 tonnes. On a month-on-month basis, the exports in June fell by 12.8 per cent from 779,694 tonnes. As per the report, the lower export volumes were attributed to a fall in supply from Alunorte refinery in June. Movement restrictions imposed due to containing the spread of the novel coronavirus could be a reason for the fall in supply from the Alunorte refinery. Also, due to the temporary production half at Hydro’s Paragominas bauxite mine, in the state of Pará in northern Brazil, owing to power outage, about...
Emirates Global Aluminium, on July 8, has announced the achievement of nameplate capacity at its new Al Taweelah alumina refinery for June, a major milestone achieved just 14 months after the production began at the refinery in April 2019. This marks a world-class performance because usually the four-step alumina processing at new refineries takes several years or more to achieve a month of sustained production at design capacity at each step of the process. EGA has reported no injuries during the production at refinery. Zaher Alhabtari, Executive Vice President Upstream and Capital Projects at EGA, said today: “We began preparing for operations back in October 2013, when Al Taweelah alumina refinery was still on the drawing board. Our careful planning has enabled us to deliver a...
Cyprus is an island nation in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Cyprus economy has been expanding rapidly, with robust growth rates averaging 4.4% in 2015-18. The European Commission predicts a growth rate of 3.1% in 2019 and 2.7% in 2020. The government aims to double the industry's share of GDP by 2030. The manufacturing sector is not very developed and is estimated to account for only 5% of GDP. Cyprus' economy is mostly based on the tertiary sector, which contributes 72.2% of the GDP and employs 81% of the active population. The Eastern Mediterranean island nation’s aluminium scraps export have displayed de-growth between 2018-19, as the total export volume remained at 16,971 tonnes and revenue earning recorded at $22.60 million. The estimated export volume for 2020 has been analysed at...
In Ascension Parish, USA, workers more than 300 will be facing job loses next month at Burnside Alumina refinery, a speciality alumina producer that has exhausted millions from a program of Federal Government that meant to protect American jobs during the COVID-19 epidemic. As per industry sources, some potential buyers have approached the company, but there’s no deal to sell the business at this time. Gabriel Henn, Plant Manager said: “The speciality alumina market demand was declined during the pandemic and the LAlumina LLC plant has tried hard to hold on, but the losses have mounted for months.” He explained with an example: “As smelter-grade alumina prices dropped by about a third in March, then prices for its premium product plummeted, as did demand.” The alumina refinery was...
Vedanta Limited has increased its aluminium ingot and aluminium billet prices with effect from July 8, following the two consecutive cuts on July 1 and July 4. The aluminium ingot price has been raised by INR 1,250 per tonne or 1 per cent to INR 136,750-149,750 per tonne. After the last cut, Vedanta’s aluminium ingot price was in the range of INR 135,500-148,500 per tonne. With the latest hike, Vedanta's aluminium billet price has come in at INR 144,750 per tonne, up by INR 1,250 per tonne or 1 per cent from INR 143,500 per tonne, as of July 4. The Indian aluminium producers generally link prices of its products to the three-month futures of aluminium on the London Metal Exchange, which in the last two days recorded growth from US$ 1581.5 per tonne to US$ 1596.5 per tonne. However, the...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the average alumina spot price in China has recorded a higher hike today, on July 8, by RMB 38 per tonne to stand at RMB 2,408 per tonne. In the east, the alumina price has grown by RMB 50 per tonne to RMB 2,400 per tonne, while that in the central and north has increased by RMB 35 per tonne to come in at RMB 2,415 per tonne. In the south, the price has continued to remain restrained at RMB 2,520 per tonne. The imported alumina price has grown by RMB 50 per tonne to RMB 2,350 per tonne, but the price of Australian alumina FOB has remained muted at US$ 264 per tonne. The A00 aluminium ingot price, on the other hand, has continued to decline, rather at a higher pace, from RMB 14,420 per tonne to RMB 14,320 per tonne, found SMM. The average prices are...
Alumina Ltd in Australia stated that its joint venture with aluminium giant Alcoa has been evaluated $212 million in previous taxes over alumina sales to the aluminium smelter in Bahrain, known as ALBA. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has also highlighted that the compound interest on the tax owed by Alcoa of Australia (AoA) amounts to $707 million. However, it has invited the company to make submissions on why that charge should not be fully payable. The ATO is also expected to compute administrative penalties by August’20, though Alcoa of Australia is unable to guess the figures. Mike Ferraro, CEO, Alumina Ltd. said: “The ATO had carried out an investigation focused on AoA's sales over a 20-year period.” The ATO proclaimed that AoA under-priced its alumina sales over a 20-year...
The US dollar inched higher against a basket of currencies on Tuesday, July 7, holding above the near two-week low hit in the previous session, as investors turned uneasy over new coronavirus flare-ups and local lockdowns in some countries. Three-month LME aluminium held onto one-month highs on Tuesday, ending flat at US$ 1,635 per tonne in choppy trading. It is likely to continue to move between US$ 1,620-1,660 per tonne today. As of Tuesday, July 7, LME aluminium cash (bid) price and LME official settlement price increased by US$ 3.5 per tonne to stand at US$ 1596.5 per tonne. 3-months bid price and 3-months offer price stood at US$ 1630 per tonne, up by US$ 4 per tonne from the previous day. Dec 21 bid price and Dec 21 offer price came in at US$ 1726 per tonne compared to US$ 1725 per...
The Ghana Integrated Aluminum Development Corporation (GIADEC) has delivered an extra mileage to the fight against COVID-19 by donating hygiene items to people of Kyebi and surrounding communities of the East Akim Municipal District in the Eastern Region. The items are quantities of veronica buckets, gallons of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, disposable hand towels, nose mask and dust bins were presented to the locals as part of efforts to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country. Mr Michael Ansah, CEO, GIADEC, recapitulated during the event that: “GIADEC’s commitment of continuous support in the fight against the virus and urged the beneficiaries to use the hygiene items judiciously.” He added: “With the outbreak of the pandemic in Ghana, we at GIADEC believe in...
Lancefield Recycle Centre has been reportedly launched last week, where people in the neighbourhoods can dispose of and recycle aluminium coffee pods to oral care products such as electric toothbrush. Also, items like bread tags, writing instruments, dish washing and air products, contact lenses and cases, and batteries can be disposed of and recycle at this newly launched recycle centre. Coffee pod brands accepted at this centre are Nescafe Dolce Gusto and Espresso. LNH coordinator Vivien Philpotts said the Neighbourhood House was working in partnership with Macedon Ranges Sustainability’s Waste and Recycling group and TerraCycle to deliver the project. The Neighbourhood House initiative enables residents to ethically dispose of normally hard-to-recycle waste through simple sorting at...
Moroccan companies are part of the continuity in Ivory Coast for the works accomplished by HM King Mohammed VI. Presently, the company “Comptoir d'Aluminium de Côte d'Ivoire”, based in Abidjan, welcomes, in its workshops, ten trainees from the Multispectral Professional Training Centre Mohammed VI in Yopougon, inaugurated in November 2017 by the Sovereign, then on an official visit to the West African nation. These internships are the diversification of the agreement that the Moroccan company has just signed with the management of the Multifunctional Centre that HM the King has kindly offered to the young people of Côte d'Ivoire. Saâd El Hamzaoui, CEO, Comptoir d'Aluminium Ivory Coast: “We have received ten (10) interns in our company for three (03) months. By welcoming these young...
Ninja Melk has enjoyed a successful European launch of an online shop that delivers its slimline cans direct to consumers. Ardagh has delivered its 250ml slim can to the company, Co-founded by YouTube star Ryan Higa – whose phenomenally popular comedy ‘ninja’ videos inspired the theme for the milk-based energy drink. Ninja Melk in March 2020 opened up to direct customer sales of 12-can cases for delivery across Europe. The 250ml slim Ardagh Group can reflects the drink’s sleek and dynamic flavour profile, and really speaks to trend-aware Millennials who love the sporty look and feel of a beverage can in the hand. The zippy design in black, silver and neon green features the cute-but-mighty Ninja Melk mascot, Ardagh. Company co-founder Kathleen Hahn said: “We wanted packaging that is...
Aluminium stocks at three major ports in Japan- Yokohama, Nagoya, and Osaka, extended growth by 9.5 per cent or 29,500 tonnes month-on-month at the end of May, found Marubeni Corporation. At the end of April, the stocks at these Japanese ports were 309,000 tonnes, which in the next month increased to 338,500 tonnes. Aluminium stocks (in tonnes) at the three major Japanese ports in May were as follows: So, as the above chart indicates, the aluminium stocks at Yokohama port in May 2020 increased by 6,200 tonnes or 3.86 per cent month-on-month from 160,500 tonnes in April to 166,700 tonnes. Year-on-year, the stocks at Yokohama grew by 13,700 tonnes or 8.95 per cent from 153,000 tonnes. At Nagoya port, the aluminium stocks increased by 22,800 tonnes or 17.07 per cent month-on-month from...
