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 $28 million in a new aluminum manufacturing facility in Russellville, Kentucky, marking an expansion of secondary aluminum production in the United States. The project is expected to create 50 full-time jobs, with its first phase designed to deliver an estimated annual production capacity of approximately 100,000 tons. The company, which focuses on sustainable aluminum recycling and production, will develop the facility in phases. Phase I will feature a secondary aluminum billet casting operation, processing recycled aluminum materials into billets for extrusion and other downstream manufacturing applications. The project will establish ClearFlow's manufacturing presence in the U.S. and support domestic demand for aluminum products while expanding...
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The US dollar extended losses on Wednesday, falling to a fresh three-month low against a basket of major currencies after the Federal Reserve made no policy changes, as expected. Three-month LME aluminium recovered its declines from March as it climbed on a softened US dollar, hitting a session high of US$ 1,640 per tonne and ending higher on the day at US$ 1,627 per tonne. It is expected to trade between US$1,600 per tonne and US$ 1,650 per tonne today. As of Wednesday, June 10, LME aluminium cash (bid) price and LME official settlement price jumped to US$ 1613.50 per tonne, an increase by US$ 48 per tonne. 3-months bid price and 3-months offer price also climbed from US$ 1592.50 per tonne to US$ 1638 per tonne. Dec 21 bid price and Dec 21 offer price came in at US$ 1735 per tonne, up by...
Press Metal Aluminium Holding Bhd’s low-cost structure, good track record under the present management, and scarcity premium for aluminium are likely to support its share price. The company’s operating cash flows also look healthy as reflected in the financial results of Q1 CY2020 March 31, said Affin Hwang Investment Bank Bhd. The group generated a positive operating CF of RM348 million in Q1 compared to RM206 million previously. Affin Hwang said in a report today, "Although the demand for its value-added products was negatively affected by the slowdown in global aluminium demand, the group managed to mitigate the impact by shifting to produce more primary ingots." The investment bank also noted that Press Metal assured of having enough operating CF to sustain its operations. Press...
BNP Paribas, Citigroup Global Markets and HSBC acted as joint global coordinators, joint book-runners and joint lead managers on the 144A/Reg S US$2.5bn triple series notes offering by PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium, one of the largest issuances from an Indonesian corporate in recent years. The funding from the triple tranche notes, including US$1bn 4.750% due 2025, US$1bn 5.450% due 2030 and US$500m 5.800% due 2050, will support the Indonesian state-own mining holding company to refinance its older bonds and fund various infrastructure projects. The transaction was led by Linklaters’ capital markets partner Amit Singh, with support from managing associate Catherine Lee, and Widyawan & Partners’ banking partner Adrian Pranata, supported by managing associate Randy Irawan. Linklaters...
TDK Corporation, a leader in electronic solutions for the smart society based in Tokyo, Japan, has extended its product range with the launch of axial hybrid-polymer aluminium electrolytic capacitors. The B40600* / B40700* series has a capacitance range from 780 µF to 2200 µF and is designed for rated voltages of 25 V and 35 V. It offers extremely low ESR values across the wide temperature range. “Capacitors in the 63 V voltage class, with capacitance values from 390 µF to 720 µF, are available with the B40640* / B40740* series,” TDK Corporation said. The aluminium capacitors are manufactured in four can sizes ranging from 14 x 25 mm to 16 x 30 mm (D x H). It is designed for operating temperatures of -55 °C -150 °C and a long service life of 4,000 hours at 125 °C. Both the series of...
The Moroccan aluminium company, Aluminium du Maroc, specializing in the manufacture of aluminium alloy profiles, mostly gets consumed in the building market (85%), but also covers the multiple needs of the industrial sector. The Ordinary General Assembly of Aluminum du Maroc scheduled to meet on 29 th June’20 intends to bring the number of seats on the Board of Directors to 15 instead of 11 currently. New directors will be appointed. These are Janie Carmen Madeleine Letrot, Sabr Abou Ibrahimi and Radia Chmanti Houari, who will have a mandate of 6 years. Two new directors will also be appointed to Aluminum du Maroc SA for a 6-year term: Francis Guillos and Abdul Hussein Beydoun.
Ball has collaborated with inodrinx to launch new range of kombucha drinks in Ball cans. Fairment Kombucha, listed in around 700 Edeka Nord stores since mid-April, is available in four flavours - "Classic", "Hibiscus-Raspberry", "Ginger" and "Lemongrass-Mint". The company worked with inodrinx functional beverages, a company specializing in the support and filling of innovative products and brands such as Fairment. The former niche product is becoming increasingly popular in Germany following the breakthrough in the USA. "More and more manufacturers of innovative, healthy and functional beverages are discovering the can for themselves - not only because of its design potential and price, but above all because it offers perfect product protection," said Uwe Schmolling, Sales Manager Germany...
Fabonest Food and Beverages Pvt Ltd has reportedly launched India's first spring water beverage "Responsible Whatr" in sustainable and endlessly recyclable aluminium cans, canned at the brand’s state-of-the-art plant. The water is rich in naturally balanced essential minerals and is directly sourced from a virgin and a completely natural source in Solan, Himachal Pradesh. The brand aims at working in line with the government’s provisions of the plastic waste management rules and their ambitious target of eliminating single-use plastics by 2022. Ankur Chawla, Co-founder of Responsible Whatr, said: “Currently, the plastic waste generation in India is roughly estimated at 9.46 million tonnes annually, of which 40 percent remains uncollected. Keeping India’s plastic consumption in mind and...
The leading global aluminium producer, Rusal has declared that it initiated testing operations for a pilot industrial electrolytic cell with inert anodes, which has an improved design and a record low carbon footprint. The new pilot model will replace the inert anode electrolytic cell already being tested by RUSAL as the next step in the development of innovative carbon-free aluminium cell technology. The new generation of inert anode electrolytic cell has several fundamentally new technical solutions that can improve the purity of aluminium produced, reduce the carbon footprint to a record low level of 2 tons of CO2 per tonne of aluminium produced and reduce operating costs during the production process. The pilot experimental pot cell will have a capacity of approximately 1 tonne of...
The economy of Colombia is the fourth largest in Latin America as measured by gross domestic product. Colombia has experienced a historic economic boom over the last decade. The South American nation’s import of aluminium wires during 2017-19 has been recorded with 15,500 tonnes and the expenditure stood at $42.52 million. The projected import volume for 2020 has been analysed at 4127 tonnes and the expenditure to remain at $18.16 million. However, when the previous three years import volume and expenditure gets added to the analysed figures of 2020 it stands at 19,627 tonnes and $60.68 million respectively. Columbia’s import of aluminium wires in 2017 has been recorded with the volume of 9340 tonnes and the expenditure stood at $60.68 million, whereas in 2018 there has been a de-growth...
According to a Reuters report, Aluminum Corp of China Ltd , also known as Chalco, has received a license for its 100,000-square-metre bonded bauxite warehouse in Guangxi region in southern China. The warehouse, which has a storage capacity of 1.02 million tonnes of bauxite, will store bauxite imported from Africa. According to a report from China Nonferrous Metal Industry Association, the facility will also serve the company’s Guangxi Huasheng alumina refinery. A bonded warehouse is a storage facility for dutiable imported goods that have not yet cleared customs. These goods can be shipped to other countries. The company has the Boffa bauxite mine in Guinea with production capacity of 12 million tonnes per year of ore. Chalco also plans to put into operation Guangxi Huasheng’s first phase...
Even amidst the sluggish aluminium demand and low prices caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Vedanta Limited has been able to trim its aluminium Cost of Production (CoP) in the fourth quarter of FY20 by 20 per cent year-on-year to $1451 per tonne, according to a recent report. In the full financial year 2020, Vedanta’s aluminium Cost of Production was down by 14 per cent year-on-year to $ 1690 per tonne. Reducing aluminium production costs further indicates a positive sign for Vedanta amid a slide in the prices of white metal on the London Metal Exchange. The global consultancy CRU projects further downfall in aluminium prices, attributing to the estimated hike in global inventories by 5 million tonnes to 16 million tonnes, much of it in the non-LME registered warehouses by the end of the...
ALRO, one of the largest vertically integrated aluminium producers in Europe, measured by production capacity, has announced the implementation of new safety measures to fight against COVID-19. The company has implemented Work From Home program to reduce the interaction between employees. The Company has introduced thermal scanning systems in its locations’ access points to check the personnel’s body temperature. The divisions’ work schedules were changed to minimise contact between employees, and additional rest breaks were introduced in special designed places according to the authorities’ guidelines and recommendations, ALRO said. "The strict protocols and procedures designed to protect the health of our employees and create a safe work environment have proved to be effective, both in...
On 9 th June’20, Saudi Arabia’s cabinet has approved a new mining law that has an objective to accelerate foreign investment in the sector as part of efforts to diversify its economy away from hydrocarbons. Bandar Alkhorayef, Minister of Mining and Industry said: “The new law facilitates investor access to financing and supports exploration and geological survey activities.” He also added: “This will help attract local and foreign investors and eventually raise mining sector participation in gross GDP.” The Saudi government targets to more than triple this sector’s contribution to the nation’s economic output and to create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs in the sector by 2030. The Kingdom’s effort to build an economy that does not largely depend on oil and state subsidies...
The average spot alumina price in China has inched up by RMB 2 per tonne on Wednesday, 10 June 2020. Alumina price stands at RMB 2238 per tonne, after remaining flat at RMB 2236 per tonne since June 3. Alumina prices remain unchanged across all major markets in China, except North. Alumina price in North China stands at RMB 2245 per tonne, up RMB 5 per tonne. The average price is expected to range within RMB 2230-2260 per tonne. Al Fluoride price has dropped by RMB 200 per tonne to stand at RMB 7550 per tonne, after a decline of RMB 150 per tonne on Tuesday. The average price is likely to range at RMB 7300-7800 per tonne. A00 aluminium ingot price has decreased by RMB 30 per tonne from RMB 13850 per tonne on June 9 and stood at RMB 13820 per tonne today. The price is expected to move...
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) increased its aluminium prices with effect from Saturday, June 6. With the latest hike, NALCO's prices of aluminium ingots came in at INR 136,750-140,250 per tonne, up INR 4,200 or 3 per cent from INR 132,550-136,050 per tonne on May 9. The prices of aluminium billets also grew by 3 per cent from INR 136,000 – 138,650 per tonne on May 9 to INR 140,450-142,850 per tonne on June 6. The aluminium wire rods prices, as of Saturday, June 6, stood at INR 141,250-145,050 per tonne. Indian aluminium producers generally link prices of its products to the three-month futures of aluminium on London Metal Exchange. The three-month futures of aluminium are down nearly 14% so far in 2020 due to slower global demand following the coronavirus outbreak. Aluminium...
The Trump Administration three years ago announced the 232 investigations into the national security implications of imported aluminium products. The US domestic aluminium industry was cheered up. It was presumed that finally, action would be taken on the largest threat to the domestic aluminium industry i.e. China. However, that is not what happened. On 22 nd June’17, the Administration held a Public Hearing on Section 232 Investigation of Aluminum Imports on National Security. At that hearing, nearly 50 aluminium industry professionals described how the single biggest threat to our industry was the unfettered overproduction and excessive build-up incapacity of the Chinese aluminium industry. The industry was told that a global tariff would rebuild domestic production of primary...
The US dollar continued to trade lower against all of the European currencies on Tuesday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy announcement. Three-month LME aluminium recovered after declined, but it failed to end higher on the day as it lost 0.12 per cent on the day at US$ 1,603 per tonne. Open interest increased 1,810 lots to 862,000 lots as shorts loaded up their positions. On Tuesday, June 9, LME aluminium cash (bid) price and LME official settlement price decreased from US$ 1569.50 per tonne on June 8 to US$ 1565.50 per tonne. 3-months bid price and 3-months offer price also declined from US$ 1596 per tonne to US$ 1592.50 per tonne. Dec 21 bid price and Dec 21 offer price came in at US$ 1695 per tonne, down by US$ 5 per tonne from US$ 1700 per tonne. The LME aluminium...
The Bahrain based aluminium extrusion company, Balexo on 9 th June’20 made public the appointment of Jassim Mohamed Seyadi as its Board Chairman. Seyadi brings to this role more than 41 years of experience including 27 in the insurance sector and 14 years in manufacturing industry management. With an academic background in insurance and corporate law, Seyadi started his career with Balexco as General Manager and has gone on to serve as the company’s CEO, Managing Director and board member prior to become the chairmanship of the board, which has been successfully restructured under his guidance and direction. A spokesperson of the company said: “Balexo Under his management, has continued to be profitable and made operational progress including the successful revamp of three presses, in...
