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...
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In spite of its small size, Belgium's economy has consistently placed among the top 20 economies of the world and remains strong. The major industries that support the economy of Belgium are Metallurgy, steel, textiles, chemicals, glass, paper, and food processing are the dominant industries. Belgium is one of the world's leading processors of cobalt, radium, copper, zinc, and lead. The western European nation’s import of aluminium alloy ingot during 2017-20 remains fluctuating, although marginally. The import volume during the phase remained at 476,731 tonnes and the revenue expended stood at $808.02 million. The import for 2020 has been forecasted at 169,663 tonnes and the expenditure might stay at $276.06 million. However, when the analysed import and expenditure of 2020 gets valued...
Alcoa Warrick operations has passed 60-year milestone, undergoing a series of constant growth and evolution. Facilities have been added and modified over the years, while thousands of employees have come and gone. Three generations, going on four, have benefitted from Warrick operations’ presence in the community. In the last six decades, the US integrated aluminium facility has churned over 28 billion pounds of metal. It began on June 9, 1960, with the first molten metal siphoned from pot No. 7, trucked over to a new ingot plant and poured into moulds. Warrick Operations, consisting of a smelter, rolling mill, and power plant, is North America’s largest producer of coated container sheet for the food and beverage industry. “Our metal has helped and continues to help provide food and...
Hitachi's first nine body aluminium shells that will transform to Avanti West coast new fleet have touched down in the United Kingdom. The shells are extra spacious, comfortable, and greener models made by Hitachi Rail are due to enter service on the West Coast Main Line in 2022. The Hitachi train will substitute the current diesel-powered Super Voyagers and serve the West Midlands, North Wales and Liverpool. The aluminium shells landed in the UK this week by the sea at Southampton docks from Hitachi Rail’s Kasado factory in Japan, ahead of the train building work that will start at Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe plant in County Durham later this year. When completed, the fleet will comprise of 13 Class 805 Bi-Mode trains and 10 Class 807 Electric trains. Each Bi-Mode train comprises five...
The US exports of crude metal and alloys decreased 2.87% to 20,300 tonnes in March, as compared to 20,900 tonnes in March 2019, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from the US Geological Survey. On a month-on-month comparison, exports climbed by 6.8% from February’s exports of 19,000 tonnes. Crude metal and alloys exports in the US totalled 55,900 tonnes in the first quarter of 2020, a decrease of 9.4% from 61,700 tonnes in the first quarter of 2019. The US exports of total aluminium (semi-finished products, crude metals and alloy and scrap) from the US stood at 254,000 tonnes in March 2020, a drop of 2.31% from 260,000 tonnes in March 2019. Exports rose by 8% from February’s imports of 236,000 tonnes. In Q1 2020, total exports including scrap came in at 720,000 tonnes,...
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment has issued the ninth batch of aluminium scrap import quotas for 2020 on Monday, July 6, according to Shanghai Metals Market report. The Ministry has confirmed that the ninth batch of quotas would allow 209,660 tonnes of additional high-grade aluminium scrap imports to China, the largest since April. In the seventh and eighth batches of quotas, the authorities had allowed 1,480 tonnes and 5,840 tonnes of additional scrap to enter China. With the latest expansion, the cumulative quotas for this year have reached 693,659 tonnes, according to Shanghai Metals Market. China is expanding its aluminium scrap import quotas anticipating the usage of secondary aluminium to replace the primary metal. At China Aluminium Processing Industry Summit 2020,...
Three-month LME aluminium advanced 1.43% to four-week highs of US$1,635 per tonne on Monday. It is likely to move between US$1,620-1,660 per tonne today. As of Monday July 6, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 1593 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1593 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1626 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1626 per tonne; Dec 21 bid price stands at US$ 1725 per tonne, and Dec 21 offer price stands at US$ 1725 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock stood at 1624775 tonnes. Live Warrants totalled 1416300 tonnes, and Cancelled Warrants were 208475 tonnes. LME aluminium 3-months Asian Reference Price is hovering at US$ 1618.05 per tonne. SHFE Aluminium Price Trend Benchmark aluminium price for SHFE increased to stand at US$...
Metro Mining published production and shipping results for the June quarter 2020. The company achieved a record shipping month in June with a total of 536,454WMT (wet metric tonnes) loaded onto Ocean Going Vessels. Metro has exceeded the upper end of June quarter guidance by 150,688WMT (14%). Metro Mining produced 505,000 wet metric tonnes (WMT) and 1.4 million tonnes of bauxite at the Bauxite Hills Mine in June and June quarter. Metro Mining Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Simon Finnis, said: “We have exceeded expectations throughout the entire June quarter, demonstrating that this level of production is sustainable. I must again congratulate all our operational teams, contract partners and all staff who have performed unbelievably well under the difficult circumstances...
The average alumina spot prices in China have continued to rally upon the market boost on Chalco’s announcement of alumina production cut, found Shanghai Metals Market. On Tuesday, July 7, the average alumina spot price has expanded by RMB 35 per tonne to stand at RMB 2,370 per tonne. In the central and north, the average alumina price has also recorded a hike of RMB 35 per tonne to hover at RMB 2,380 per tonne, while that in the east has grown by RMB 50 per tonne to come in at RMB 2,350 per tonne, according to SMM data. In the south, however, the price has remained restrained at RMB 2,520 per tonne. The imported alumina price has jumped by RMB 25 per tonne to stand at RMB 2,300 per tonne, but the Australian alumina FOB price has remained muted at US$ 264 per tonne. However, despite the...
Peter Fenkl, CEO, Ziehl-Abegg SE said: “The global markets will continue to need high-quality electric motors and fans in the future.” This is the major reason the German company based in Künzelsau is now investing $18 million in the expansion of its production buildings at the Kupferzell site. Dr Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister for Economic Affairs, said: “The new construction project is a clear commitment to Baden-Württemberg as a location for manufacturing and innovation. Our state needs companies like Ziehl-Abegg SE that take on a leadership role in our economy, particularly during difficult times.” The Hohenlohe industrial company has also been affected worldwide by the corona crisis, as sales are close to the previous year. “However, a higher than average 8.6% increase in sales...
According to a recent report from Reuters, some Japanese aluminium buyers have agreed to pay $79 per tonne of premium to a global producer for July to September shipments. Compared to the previous quarter premium, it is down by 3.7 per cent, attributing to the lower demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the April-June quarter, the premiums that Japan had agreed to pay were $82 per tonne. Japan is Asia’s largest aluminium importer. The premium it agrees to pay each quarter for primary aluminium shipments over the benchmark London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price sets the pricing tone for the region. The downfall in premiums for the September quarter marks the fourth straight quarterly decline and the lowest since the October-December quarter in 2016. While some Japanese buyers have agreed...
On 26 th June’20, representatives of the Lot fire-fighters went to the Diace company in Vayrac, France for the signing of availability agreements. Diace SAS, an aluminium foundry company, has the distinction of having 5 volunteer fire-fighters out of a workforce of around 100 employees. Serge Rigal, President of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service of the Lot (Sdis), accompanied by the top-class colonel Bernard Tachet des Combes, director of the Sdis, Lieutenant-Colonel Olivier Blanco, head of the grouping of territories and Captain Mickaël Desbruères, head of Utis Gourdon, joined by Christian Delrieu, departmental advisor and Loïc Lavergne-Azard, mayor of Vayrac, were welcomed at the company's headquarters. Matthieu Hede, president of the FMH group, surrounded by Isabelle Echalier,...
India reviews measures to restrict imports from China; it is dusting-up by raising basic customs duties on multiple products. This would begin with non-tariff measures, such as standard specifications for hundreds of items, in the medium term, as per the sources. However, the move is not distinctively China-specific and will apply to imports of the specified items from any country; but the impact of the decisions will be borne by China. As per the sources, Indian Government is assessing a list of 1,173 items that cover from auto-parts, aluminium die-cast products, compressors for AC, aluminium products, electrical machinery, etc. to zero in on products/ sub-products on which the import duties can be hiked. These items are mostly imported from China and can be substituted with local...
The Environmental Defence Society has reportedly filed Declaration Proceedings in the Environment Court today, July 6, against New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Limited concerning the storage of over 10,000 tonnes of ouvea premix at sites on Kana Street, Mataura, Southland. New Zealand Aluminium Smelter while processing aluminium produces a by-product called dross. Dross can then be subjected to an aluminium recovery and recycling process, which generates one of the outputs called ouvea premix, a potential resource for fertiliser manufacturing and steel production. “We are concerned that if the stored ouvea premix gets wet, it produces ammonia gas which is toxic to humans. It can also harm aquatic life. There are residences nearby as well as a Te Kohanga Reo child care centre,” said EDS CEO...
Italy has a diversified industrial economy, which is divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, highly subsidized, agricultural south, where unemployment is high. Some of the major sources of income in Italy include the production of machinery, chemicals, automobiles and textiles. The Italian export of Aluminium scrap during 2017-19 has shown notable growth, as the total export volume stood at 301,268 tonnes and the revenue generation exhibited $313.76 million. The export for 2020 has been analysed for 131,482 tonnes and the income to rise at $143.51 million. When the projected export volume and income of 2020 get added with the preceding three years it reflects 432,750 tonnes and $457.27 million. The country’s aluminium scrap export...
The average spot alumina price in China is up by RMB 2 per tonne on Monday, 06 July 2020 to stand at RMB 2335 per tonne. Alumina prices remain unchanged across all major markets in China, except East. The average spot alumina price in East China is up by RMB 10 per tonne. Alumina price stands at RMB 2300 per tonne, after raising it by RMB30 per tonne on Friday. Australian alumina FOB price stands USD 2 per tonne higher on Monday, 06 July 2020. The price now stands at USD 264 per tonne. A00 aluminium ingot price has increased by RMB 20 per tonne from its earlier price of RMB 14420 per tonne. The price now stands at RMB 14440 per tonne. The price is expected to move within a range of RMB 14420-14460 per tonne. Aluminium ingot prices in Foshan, Wuxi and Hangzhou stand at RMB 14470 per tonne,...
The alumina prices in China increased last week after Chalco announced it would cut alumina production. Alumina prices rose RMB 46 per tonne from thursday to RMB2,333 per tonne in the week ended July 3, according to SMM assessments. Alumina price trended higher over the week. Profit recovery at downstream is spreading to the alumina industry, which is one of the major drivers of the recent rally in alumina prices, Shanghai Metals Market believes. Chalco said it would implement “flexible production” at three alumina production lines in accordance with market conditions. Flexible production is a phrase used to refer to output cuts. The three refineries, at subsidiaries Shanxi Huaxing and Shanxi New Material in northern China’s Shanxi province, represent about 10% of the company total...
Speaking at the inauguration of Auto Expo 2020 on Thursday, July 2, Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari confirmed that the long-delayed vehicle scrappage policy is in its last lap and to be rolled out soon. Two days before Mr Gadkari said this, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman reported that several rounds of inter-ministerial consultation related to the vehicle scrappage policy are already done. The policy is now close to finalisation. The proposed policy in India, which is seen as an attempt to eradicate the fleet of aged, polluting commercial vehicles and boost demand for new cars, is in progress for over the past six months. Gadkari said the policy is approved from his end, and now it has to get a nod from the Union Cabinet. "It is in the final stages and I have...
As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, social inventories of primary aluminium across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, continued to trend lower over the weekend. Inventories decreased 4,000 tonnes from last Thursday July 2 to 715,000 tonnes as of Monday July 6. The chart below shows the current status of the primary aluminium inventories across China in more details: Primary aluminium stocks in Wuxi and Shanghai decreased by 8,000 tonnes and 1,000 tonnes from Thursday to stand at 225,000 tonnes and 110,000 tonnes. Inventories in Hangzhou stood at 100,000 tonnes, down 1,000 tonnes. Inventories of aluminium in Tianjin and Chongqing remained unchanged at 57,000 tonnes and 4,000 tonnes. Stocks in Nanhai and Gongyi stood at 163,000 tonnes and 49,000 tonnes, an increase...
