A potential easing of trade tensions between the United States and Canada could reshape the North American aluminum market, with European buyers facing the risk of stronger competition for Canadian metal. Import data from ITC Trade Map shows that US purchases of Canadian unwrought aluminum fell sharply in 2025, while imports from Canada increased across six European markets, highlighting how trade flows have evolved amid tariff uncertainty. The United States imported approximately 2.03 million metric tons of unwrought aluminum from Canada in 2025, down 25.9% from 2.74 million metric tons in 2024. The decline amounted to around 711,494 metric tons over the year. Import value also decreased, falling 22.2% from $7.82 billion to $6.09 billion. The figures come as the possibility of a...
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...
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Superior Industries International, one of the world's leading aluminium wheel suppliers in Southfield, Michigan, announced on Wednesday that it will cut around 250-281 jobs between November 18 and June 2020 at its Fayetteville facility. Superior Industries, founded in 1957, manufactures cast aluminium wheels for the automotive industry. The company operates nine manufacturing facilities and employs approximately 8,000 people in North America and Europe. Superior Industries produced 20.9 million wheels in 2018. This is the second time significant layoffs have hit the company’s plant in Northwest Arkansas. The company in July 2014 shut down its Rogers facility, leaving about 500 workers without jobs. "Superior Industries has been a significant investor in the state in years past and...
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) announced higher ever dividend on the occasion of its 38th Annual General Meeting (AGM). The company declared a record dividend payout of INR 1072.73 crore for the financial year 2018-19. The dividend was an increase from 114% in 2017-18 to 115 % in 2018-19, which works out to INR5.75 per equity share of INR5 each. Dividend including the applicable dividend distribution tax works out to a payout of 74.65% of the PAT against 98.81% of the previous financial year. Till FY 2018-19, INR 32,886 crore paid towards taxes, duties, royalties, dividend, etc. Out of the total amount, INR 25,917 crore paid to Central Govt. and INR 6,969 crore paid to State Govt, NALCO said. Dr. Tapan Kumar Chand, CMD at NALCO, attributed the success to team work, strong cost...
Liang Xuan, a senior aluminium analyst at Shanghai Metals Market, anticipates a growth in the use of aluminium in car body panels as there has been a fall in aluminium sheet cost, tightening government policies, and improving welding techniques. The potential for growth is significant given the current low level, said Mr. Xuan. Automakers face hefty cost pressure to produce a full aluminium vehicle and fail to see profits until the car is sold at above RMB 600,000. Only medium and high-end automobiles can now be spotted with aluminium engine, trunk lids and doors, according to SMM. China’s automobile market has been declining since 2018. In 2019, the production is expected to fall by about 13.5 per cent, with aluminium use in car panels slipping 3 per cent, said Liang to the delegates at...
Kobelco Aluminum Products & Extrusions Inc. celebrated the commissioning of its Bowling Green facility Wednesday morning, which is expanding its operations. The company is adding an extra melting furnace and extrusion press in the plant, which will double the extrusion production capacity to meet growing demand from automotive customers. “We’re growing our business and enhancing our presence as a manufacturer of aluminium extruded parts for cars,” said Yukimasa Miyashita, senior managing executive officer and head of the Aluminum & Copper Business of Kobe Steel. He also added that with their automotive expansions, they would contribute towards meeting the need for lightweight cars that adhere to stricter fuel efficiency regulations, while contributing to the growth of the local economy....
Iran's total production of aluminium stood at 103,593 tonnes during the first five months of the current Iranian year (March 21-August 22). That was down 32 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO). Iran’s flagship aluminium producer Iran Aluminum Company (IRALCO) contributed 75,763 tonnes of the total figure. That was up 1 per cent from last year's corresponding period. Hormozal Aluminum Company produced 13,600 tonnes, which was a 71 per cent drop on the year. Almahdi Aluminum Company’s production registered 12,018 tonnes, a decrease of 59 per cent year-on-year. Iran Alumina Company produced 2,212 tonnes. Aluminium production from the three smelters came in at 20,000 tonnes in...
According to the data shared by the US Geological Survey, the United States imports of aluminium semi-finished products from Oman increased over the year in the first half of 2019 by 87.45 per cent to come in at 49,300 tonnes. In the same period last year, the United States had imported 26,300 tonnes of aluminium semi-finished products from Oman. {newsStudioGallery} In June 2019, the US imports from Oman stood at 7,150 tonnes, compared with 6,440 tonnes in June 2018. This indicates that the US aluminium semi-finished products imports from Oman increased year on year in June by 11 per cent. However, month-on-month, the imports dropped by 2 per cent from 7,290 tonnes in May 2019. The United States imports of aluminium semi-finished products from Oman started declining May onwards. Until...
The US dollar strengthened on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates as expected, but failed to signal more easing in 2019. LME base metals closed mixed on Wednesday with aluminium dipping 0.06%. SHFE base metals performed similarly overnight and aluminium lost 0.5%. Three-month LME aluminium rallied to an intraday high of US$1,780.5 per tonne, before it eased to finish the trading day a tad lower at US$1,792 per tonne. LME aluminium is expected to hover between US$1,770-1,800 per tonne today, with upside potential hampered by a firm US dollar. As on September 18, Wednesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1750.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1751 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1781 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, inventories of aluminium billet rose for a fourth straight week as of Thursday, 19 September 2019. The rise was due to greater arrivals to social warehouses. Stocks of 6063 aluminium billet across five major consumption areas in China stood at 113,100 tonnes as of Thursday September 19, up some 6,000 tonnes from 107,100 tonnes on Thursday September 12. Inventories of aluminium billet in Foshan, Guangdong and Huzhou, Zhejiang rose 6,300 tonnes and 2,000 tonnes from Thursday September 12 to stand at 55,300 tonnes and 12,000 tonnes. Stocks in Wuxi, Jiangsu stood at 21,200 tonnes today, down 800 tonnes from 22,000 tonnes. Aluminium billet stocks in Changzhou, Jiangsu dropped 600 tonnes from Thursday, 12 September. Inventories stood at 13,000 tonnes on...
Shanghai Metals Market found social inventories of primary aluminium in China fell over the week ended on September 19, as some regions saw more outflows. SMM data shows the stocks across eight major consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, decreased by 6,000 tonnes from 972,000 tonnes on September 12 to come in at 966,000 tonnes. From Monday, September 16, when the inventories were at 978,000 tonnes, the stocks today declined by 12,000 tonnes. The chart below shows the current status of primary aluminium inventories in more details: As the above chart shows, the inventories in Nanhai, Guangdong; Hangzhou, Zhejiang; Shanghai; and Tianjin, have dropped by 8,000 tonnes, 1,000 tonnes, 4,000 tonnes, and 2,000 tonnes to stand at 267,000 tonnes, 50,000 tonnes, 186,000 tonnes, and...
The average spot alumina price increased by RMB 10 per tonne or 0.39 per cent on Thursday, 19 September 2019, after remaining flat on September 17 and September 18. Alumina price in China stood at RMB 2579 per tonne, from RMB 2569 per tonne. The prices of alumina rose across East and Central China markets today. Alumina prices in East and Central markets climbed RMB 20 per tonne each to stand at RMB 2590 per tonne each. Their average prices are expected to range at RMB 2570- 2610 per tonne and RMB 2580-2600 per tonne. In North and South markets, the price is unchanged at RMB 2590 per tonne and RMB 2510 per tonne after it rose from RMB 2560 per tonne and RMB 2505 per tonne on September 16. Australian alumina FOB price registered an increase of USD 2 per tonne on Thursday, 19 September...
Philippe Briand from the London-based design firm Vitruvius has reportedly designed a brand new 45-metre superyacht in collaboration with the French shipyard Ocea. The yacht named Nautilus 45 features aluminium hull and superstructure and is designed to cruise through all landscapes. It typically boasts a combination of elegance and luxury with the adventurous potential of an explorer vessel. Philippe Briand said, “Our design features simple, sleek lines with no superfluous details. The Nautilus 45 combines all the essential elements: it is the best yacht for 2020, the ultimate evolution in yacht design.” The superyacht has an accommodation capacity for total 12 guests into five large guest cabins and one full-width master suite. “The specifications of the Nautilus 45 are similar to those...
According to a Reuters report, China’s Henan Shenhuo Group has postponed commissioning of its new aluminium smelter in Yunnan province as the construction could not be completed due to poor weather. The 6.75 billion yuan ($952 million) project in Wenshan prefecture included an integrated hydropower and aluminium project with an annual smelting capacity of 900,000 tonnes. One of the biggest upcoming projects in China, it was supposed to be complete in two phases and come online this month. Shenhuo decided to move production from an industrial heartland like Henan to more remote areas such as Yunnan in Southwest China in order to utilize clean hydropower to generate electricity for its energy-intensive smelting process. “By the end of this year, all three stages of the first phase will be...
Bharat Forge America, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bharat Forge Limited, will invest approximately US$56 million initially to set up a new plant in the US. The company will construct a green-field forging and machining facility in North Carolina. The company aims to make a similar investment in the coming years to enhance the production capacity of the plant. The new plant will address the aluminium opportunity and have state of the art technology and processes, Bharat Forge said in a statement. The investment is backed up by orders already secured from OEM’s and has been achieved by leveraging R&D capabilities. “As the order book ramps up in the years ahead, we envisage enhancing the capacity through an investment of similar quantum in the coming years. This investment is a key...
Shanghai Metals Market found secondary aluminium producers continued to increase their operations in August as downstream plants in north China restocked in advance on worries about environmental curbs before the Nation Day on October 1. Data shows that the operating rates in August increased to 54.46 per cent, up 1.18 percentage points from July and 3.34 percentage points from August 2018. Consumption of secondary aluminium picked up in late-August after the seasonal lull in May-July reduced inventories of both feedstock and finished products across secondary aluminium producers. As the latest import quotas for aluminium scrap barely shrank, ample supply of cheap overseas scrap also bolstered higher operation across secondary aluminium smelters that use seaborne materials as feedstock....
The Aluminum Association, in cooperation with the Aluminium Association of Canada, reported primary aluminium production in North America (U.S. and Canada) was at an annual rate of 3,949,088 tonnes during August 2019, declining -0.3% from the July 2019 rate of 3,959,885 tonnes. The production rate in both the U.S. and Canada fell slightly month-on-month. Compared to a year ago, the North American annual rate was 6.2 per cent above the August 2018 rate of 3,820,267 tonnes. Actual North American production in August 2019 stood at 335,402 tonnes. For the first eight months of 2019, production stood at 2,658,437 tonnes. {newsStudioGallery} The U.S. produced 94,106 tonnes of primary aluminium in August 2019, up 24% from August 2018 volume of 75,780 tonnes, which is a significant increase for...
Taiwan’s exports of aluminium semi-finished products to the US came in at 36,000 tonnes in the first half of 2019, a jump of 166.67% from 13,500 tonnes in the first half of 2018, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey. {newsStudioGallery} But exports of semi-finished products in June declined by 13.66% compared with the same period of 2018. Exports to the US stood at 3,540 tonnes in June 2019 as compared to 4,100 tonnes in June 2018. On a month-on-month comparison, exports stood 33.21% lower than May’s export volume of 5,300 tonnes. Taiwan’s exports of total aluminium including scrap to the US came in at 36,700 tonnes in January-June 2019, 149.66% higher than the corresponding period of 2018. Taiwan had exported 14,700 tonnes of aluminium in...
A recent report shows the revenues of Aughinish Alumina refinery in 2018, ended on December 31, increased by 15 per cent over the year to stand at $757.1 million (€684 million) in spite of the US Treasury sanctions imposed on Aughinish’s parent company Rusal. During the time of the sanctions, the US treasury department had permitted the Rusal group to continue operating at Aughinish Alumina by issuing it with a number of general licenses. But despite the higher revenues, pre-tax profits of the company decreased by 19 per cent to $40.9 million in 2018, primary because of the increased operating costs by about 18 per cent from $606.53 million in 2017 to $715.2 million. Staff costs also grew from $52.8 million to $57 million that includes directors’ remuneration of $1.36 million. Directors...
Altech Chemicals Limited has announced that it has received an invitation from the state government of Saxony, Germany for the construction of its next high purity alumina (HPA) plant in the state in the industrial area of Schwarze Pumpe. As HPA is a critical component in the lithium-ion battery materials supply chain, an Altech HPA plant in Saxony would be perfectly positioned to cater to the region’s efforts to create a major electric vehicle battery industry. The automobile industry is one of the key segments of Saxon industry, with production sites for Volkswagen, BMW, Porsche and Daimler. Saxony is a leading engineer training ground and has excellent research facilities. The country also boasts the best road network and strong rail transport. Its ports are also well connected in...
