Century Aluminum’s proposed USD 4 billion primary aluminum smelter in Inola, Oklahoma, is “moving forward on all fronts” as the company prepares for construction, despite local opposition and legal challenges, CEO Jesse Gary said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call. Developed jointly by Century Aluminum and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the project is designed to produce 750,000 tonnes of primary aluminum annually, potentially doubling U.S. primary aluminum production. The facility is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs and add USD 1.5 billion to Oklahoma’s gross domestic product, according to company estimates. The partners had targeted construction to begin by the end of 2026. However, local restrictions and permitting challenges have affected the...
Aluminium manufacturers are facing a challenge that extends across the entire production chain: improving output and product quality while making better use of raw materials, energy and existing equipment. From recovering metal from complex scrap to controlling billet solidification and achieving precision in rolled products, every stage presents technical demands that influence the efficiency and economics of the final operation. Addressing these demands requires more than conventional machinery. Equipment manufacturers are developing specialised technologies to tackle problems such as low scrap recovery, surface segregation, casting defects, unnecessary metal removal and inconsistent strip flatness. Increasingly, the focus is on improving process control, reducing production losses and...
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Vedanta’s Alumina Refinery at Lanjigarh has remained operational while adapting all precautionary measures against COVID-19 as advised by the Government and the health authorities. Considering the danger of the situation in the wake the spread of Corona, the alumina refinery is active with reduced workforce and resources ensuring the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Central and State Authorities. The higher management of the alumina plant has secured all due permissions from the concerned authorities to continue its operations, with all the precautionary and preventive measures in place. The plant is running in complete harmony with the steps taken by the State Government and the local bodies and has ensured social distancing, sanitization, hygiene, restricted movement etc., within the...
The Indian state-owned National Aluminium Company (Nalco), has overcome the supply interruptions with sufficient coal stocks stacked up at the site of its smelting complex at Angul. Nalco’s aluminium smelter can produce 0.46 million tonnes and it is carrying out its uninterrupted operations. The appreciation for coal inventory which can last for three months. The intermittent disruptions phases of coal despatches are due to sporadic stirs at mines under the command area of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), a Coal India Ltd (CIL) subsidiary; coal supply position enhanced substantially post monsoons. Coal is a critical input in aluminium smelting and accounts for 40-45% of metal production costs. The all-through Q2 and Q3 of this current fiscal year, Nalco as well as other coal consuming...
ALRO Group, one of the largest vertically integrated aluminium producers in Europe, has announced its financial results of 2019, revealing a downfall in sales from RON 2.98 billion in 2018 to RON 2.78 billion in 2019, primarily as a result of unfavourable international and national market conditions. The group in the year last registered a net loss of RON 67 million compared to a net profit of RON 235 million in 2018. The significant decrease in results was a direct consequence of a continuous downward trend of the LME and tough market conditions. Marian NĂSTASE, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ALRO, said: “Facing adverse circumstances in the market, where LME showed a 15% decrease in 2019 compared to 2018, alumina market affected by excess output that led to downward selling...
Hindalco Industries Limited has cut the prices of its aluminium ingots, wire rods, and billets for the fifth time in a row. With effect from March 27, the price for Hindalco aluminium ingots now stands at INR 131,000 per tonne, a drop of 2.6% or INR 3,500 per tonne from INR 134,500 per tonne on March 24. The company is now selling its wire rods at INR 141,600 per tonne. That was down 2.41% from INR 145,100 per tonne. The price of Hindalco billets has reduced by 2.48% or INR 3,500 per tonne from March 24 to stand at INR 137,600 per tonne. The prices of these products were 141,100 per tonne. The 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 in the current...
EDAG Group, the leading engineering technology service provider admits additive production has vast uncontested prospective for revolutionising the production of the future and at the same time achieving new dimensions for lightweight construction. The aluminium alloys available presently do not yet fulfil the high demands required for them to be suitable for use in the automotive industry. The requirements include things like crash performance and their effectiveness in different situations. As part of the BMBF-backed ‘CustoMat_3D’ research project, the EDAG Group, together with eight partners, has developed an aluminium alloy for use in the car, which can provide both higher strengths and higher elongations at the break, wherein the latter is very important, especially in the event of a...
Chalco, China’s biggest state-run aluminium producer, produced 3.79 million tonnes of aluminium in 2019, down 9 per cent from the previous year, according to the company’s presentation to analysts reviewed by Reuters. With this production, Chalco just managed to retain its position as the world’s No. 2 listed aluminium producer ahead of Rusal’s 3.76 million tonnes of annual output. According to a report last week, the top producer China Hongqiao’s annual production dropped 11.3 per cent in 2019 totalling at 5.64 million tonnes. These lower production numbers come when Chinese aluminium firms are preparing to cope up a difficult 2020 with prices crashing to more than four to five years low RMB 11,340 per tonne amid supply concerns due to the outbreak of epidemic COVID-19. According to...
According to the latest report from the US Geological Survey, US domestic primary aluminium production came in at 91,000 tonnes in December 2019. The average daily production was 2,950 tonnes, essentially unchanged from that in November 2019, 3% less than that in December 2018, but 43% more than that in December 2017. For the full year 2019, total primary aluminium production was 1.09 million tonnes, 23% more than that in 2018. Total aluminium recovered from scrap was 262,000 tonnes in December 2019, down 3% month-on-month. That was down 10% from December 2018 and 7% from December 2017. <iframe width="500" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ib9ec4m_Dyk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> Of...
The Alvance British Aluminium stated that it has designed a plan to keep it staffs safe while continuing to operate at a reduced level of output at its Lochaber smelter and hydropower station. The production activities of the smelter at Fort William have been reduced to 25% and it is operating at 75% capacity. This will allow a limited level of staffs to join the work and the most essentials. At the plant site, additional required hygiene measures have been introduced, shift patterns have been adjusted and guidelines have been put in place to maximise social distancing. The higher management of the Lochaber plant, Britain’s only aluminium smelter, considers that maintaining a minimal level of operation is essential. The Lochaber produced aluminium is delivered to the food packaging...
Australia-based aluminium extruded product manufacturing company Capral said this week that its production and distribution facilities continued to operate amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to safeguard the health of the workforce and communities, the company has put in several measures that include strict protocols for hygiene, rules for employees who are returning from travel, stopping business air travel, and restrictions on visitors to the sites. Employees of the company are also working from home as and when possible. According to Capral, although operating volumes of the company are in line with expectations, yet it is too early to predict the potential impact on the economy and business. While it is hard to find positives in the current situation, Capral believes a few factors...
The US exports of aluminium scrap have been declining month-on-month. Exports stood at 140,000 tonnes in December 2019, with a year-on-year decrease of 16.17%, according to the latest report from the US Geological Survey. Exports dropped by 7.28% from November’s export of 151,000 tonnes and 10.83% from October’s export of 157,000 tonnes. For the full year 2019, the US exported 1.86 million tonnes of aluminium scrap, an increase of 5.68% from 1.76 million tonnes in 2018. Aluminium scrap exports to India came in at 30,800 tonnes in December 2019. Exports climbed by 42.59% year-on-year and 31.62% month-on-month. The US had exported 21,600 tonnes and 23,400 tonnes in December 2018 and November 2019. For the full year 2019, India imported 271,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap from the US as...
As the worldwide corona pandemic has started affecting the demand for AMAG products, the company has reportedly applied for short-time working at its Ranshofen plant, with effect from April 1, 2020. This will allow the plant to operate flexibly in response to the fluctuations in demand and utilisation while safeguarding jobs. As a major supplier of aluminium strip for medicine and food packaging, AMAG is classified by the Federal Ministry of the Interior as part of the “critical infrastructure” required to supply the Austrian population. So, the primary challenge for the company is to ensure the wellbeing of the workforce, and at the same time to guarantee product supplies to the processing industry. In order to protect the health of the employees, AMAG has introduced several preventive...
The US dollar extended its decline to the weakest against a basket of currencies in more than a week on Thursday. LME aluminium shed 0.5% overnight. The SHFE kept its night trading session suspended. Three-month LME aluminium slipped to its lowest since April 2016 at US$1,528 per tonne in early European trading hours. It ended the day lower at US$1,540 per tonne. Shanghai Metals Market expects the contract to trade at US$1,530-1,600 per tonne today. As on Thursday March 26, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 1507.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1507.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1539.50 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1539.50 per tonne; Dec 21 bid price stands at US$ 1656 per tonne, and Dec 21 offer price stands at US$ 1656 per...
The average alumina spot price in China on the last day of the week, dated March 27, has recorded a downfall of RMB 18 per tonne to stand at RMB 2,403 per tonne. In the east and north, the price has dwindled by RMB 20 per tonne to RMB 2,400 per tonne, while that in the central has plunged by RMB 15 per tonne to RMB 2,410 per tonne. In the south, however, the price has registered no change from RMB 2,520 per tonne. The imported alumina price has decreased by RMB 10 per to come in at RMB 2,420 per tonne. The Australian alumina FOB price has neither been an exception and recorded a dip of US$ 2 per tonne to stand at US$ 267 per tonne. The A00 aluminium ingot price, on the other hand, has remained restrained at RMB 11,520 per tonne, after two consecutive rises of RMB 300 per tonne in total....
GEA has secured a follow-up contract from Utkal Alumina, a 100% subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group Company Hindalco to build a third line of multi-stage falling film evaporators. GEA, the world-renowned state-of-art evaporation technology provider has already supplied the first two evaporator lines with a capacity of 310 tonnes per hour each to this refinery. These evaporator lines had been commissioned in 2013. The evaporation unit removes water added to the process from residue washing, product washing, and other various sources. The so-called alumina spent liquor is concentrated and then used again for the digestion of the bauxite rock. The evaporation plant is designed to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in continuous operation with sufficient cleaning frequency. The execution of...
Australia's loss-making aluminium smelters have warned their possibility of returning might get reduced post joining the society for COVID-19 lockdowns and appealed government to exempt them. A scruple of industries, including police, resources and healthcare workers have been told to keep working through the epidemic because they are deemed "essential" to the community or the economy. Rio Tinto, Alcoa, Rusal and Alumina Ltd., the constituents of the Aluminium council has asked to join the ranks of "essential" industries and argued for their entire supply chain to also win an exemption The council in a joint statement with the Australian Workers Union said:'' Our sites rely on these small to medium-sized businesses, who supply specialist skills, products and services for the continued...
The US imports of aluminium (crude metals and alloys, plate, sheets, bars, etc., and scrap) stood at 5.7 million tonnes in 2019, 9% less than those in 2018, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from the US Geological Survey. Imports of crude metal and alloys, semi-fabricated products, and scrap reduced by 8%, 5%, and 20%, respectively, in 2019. Canada continued to be the leading source of imported aluminium materials, supplying 46% of all aluminium imports during 2019, followed by the United Arab Emirates (8%), Australia (5%), India (4%), and Russia (4%). Canada exported 2.63 million tonnes of total aluminium to the US in 2019, from 2.76 million tonnes exported in 2018. Canada accounted for 55% of crude metal, 14% of semi-finished products, and 63% of scrap. Exports of...
According to the US Geological Survey data, the United States' total imports of aluminium plates, sheets and bars dropped year-on-year in 2019. Compared to 1.41 million tonnes in 2018, the import volume in 2019 came in at 1.34 million tonnes, which represents a down of 5 per cent. The top five exporters in the year last were Canada, China, Germany, Oman, and Indonesia. Canada topped the list of aluminium plates, sheets and bars exporters to the US 2019, with the total volume supplied 182,000 tonnes. In 2018, Canada had exported 230,000 tonnes of aluminium flat-rolled products, meaning the US in 2019 imported 21 per cent lesser volume of products from Canada. In the first half of 2019, the United States had imported 92,800 tonnes of aluminium plates, sheets and bars from Canada, while the...
The luxury watch comes in a rounded shape, compact body of titanium or red gold measuring 54mm x 45mm x 24mm. The two esteemed aluminium time-display eyes rotate to show hours and minutes. Its heart is an all-new manual-winding in-house movement beating at 2.5Hz. The watch is designed in a unique shape as it has a body, for legs, a big head, two eyes, a brain, and jaws. It is named MB&F Bulldog. The full title is Horological Machine No.10 Bulldog. The design came to MB&F founder Max Büsser while he was daydreaming during a trip to Japan. Mr Büsser said: “What you see now in front of you is more or less exactly what I saw at the time and it was the first time I actually saw a watch in my mind, just like that.” HM10 Bulldog is available in two editions this year, one with a titanium case...
