Novelis is advancing beverage can coating testing and research resulting from its long-standing relationship with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Researchers from Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, working in collaboration with Novelis, have developed advanced testing capabilities that significantly reduce the time required to evaluate how beverages interact with protective coatings inside aluminum cans. The new approach allows researchers to collect data throughout the testing process, providing a clearer picture of how coatings perform while reducing testing cycles from months to just weeks. For beverage makers, faster testing could mean faster decisions about packaging and ultimately help shorten the time it takes to bring new products...
Hindalco Industries is pursuing a major capacity expansion programme, with around INR 500 billion (USD 5.3 million) worth of projects under execution in India and another INR 500 billion (USD 5.3 million) of potential investments under evaluation over the next five years. The planned investments cover aluminium, alumina and copper production, downstream operations and captive mining, as the company prepares for rising domestic demand. India's aluminium demand is expected to grow by around 7 per cent annually over the next five years, according to Hindalco management. While the electrical sector remains a key driver, demand from automobiles, packaging, consumer electronics, home appliances and data centres is also gaining importance. Hindalco is looking to increase the share of...
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Dortech, a leading manufacturer, designer, installer of aluminium windows, curtain walling, entrance doors and roof lights in Huddersfield, has announced the opening of new retail outlet for the supply of building materials. With an investment of £45,000 in a new trade counter, the company expects to achieve revenue of about £2m in the next twelve months. If revenue targets are met, Dortech will open 2-3 further depots in the next three years. Dortech managing director James Sutherland said: “We have worked hard over the past year to better configure our architectural and maintenance divisions, and we’ve ploughed over £150k into new machinery, lighting and racking to take our capabilities to the next level. “This is an exciting step that will take us from an online-only building supplies...
According to a recent media report, crushing or flattening aluminium cans before throwing it for recycling makes the sorting and recycling tougher for the recycling facilities. As explained by Matt Meenan, the senior director of public affairs at the Aluminum Association, when a crushed can is put into the recycling loop it makes sorting difficult for the machines and it may contaminate other recyclable materials. A flattened aluminium can could be mistakenly sorted as paper and then it may end up contaminating paper recyclables. “Crushed aluminium cans may fall through the spaces of the sorting equipment and either be lost entirely or improperly sorted,” he said. However, this depends on the kind of recycling technology a plant has. The recycling facilities in the U.S. follow any of the...
This week Beijing has cut financial incentives for domestic electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids by some 75%. This has slashed subsidies on EV manufacturing in China and the government has barred provincial governments from allowing any extra subsidy. According to the government, the aggressive move was intended to cut down on local protectionism and prevent domestic automakers from relying on subsidies for manufacturing and sales of EVs. Analysts say there could be other factors prompting Beijing to cut subsidies much more than expected. Central and the provincial governments are under fiscal pressure due to the liberal subsidies they have been offering to the manufacturing sector. The government aims at reducing this burden. The Chinese government hasn’t disclosed the amount of...
The Finance Minister of India has reportedly notified that the retaliatory customs duties on 29 US products have been extended, yet again, till May 2, 2019. This is perhaps the seventh time that the Indian government has postponed the duties. Earlier, the deadline was on April 1. Since June 2018, the government is extending the deadline to impose customs duties on the US in retaliation to the higher tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on certain imported aluminium and steel products. India is pushing the dates as the two countries are negotiating a trade package to boost bilateral commerce. However, earlier in March, the US decided to remove Indian exporters’ incentives that were being provided for exporting certain goods under the Generalised System of Preferences programme. The...
Aluminium Corporation of China Limited (Chalco), the listed arm of China’s biggest state-run aluminium firm Chinalco, reported that it recorded a net loss of RMB 626.1 million ($92.92 million) in the fourth quarter of 2018. According to Refinitiv Eikon data, the company faced the first quarterly loss in more than the past three years, and that was primarily due to low aluminium prices and sluggish domestic demand. Annual net profit plunged 38 per cent to RMB 870.23 million last year, versus a restated RMB 1.41 billion for 2017. Chalco’s net profit stood low last year despite a year-on-year rise in production by 16 per cent to 4.17 million tonnes. The net profit drop could be because of the financial pressure that Chinese smelters underwent in 2018. The prices of raw materials like alumina...
The US dollar traded lower in the beginning of the week as the US government bond yields extended their decline from last week on fears of slower global growth. The dollar then rose for three consecutive trading days and jumped to the highest since March 11. Base metals traded mixed over the week and both LME and SHFE aluminium moved within a tight range. Both the contracts did not register any sharp rise or fall. LME aluminium closed Friday's trading slightly higher from previous closing to close at US$ 1900 per tonne. The weekly trading range was set at US$1,850- 1900 per tonne. The contract is likely to trade at US$1,850-1,920 per tonne over the next week. As on March 29, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1899.50per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1900 per...
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certifies Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products against its Performance Standard for environmental, social and governance performance. With a primary aluminium plant in Germany and rolling mills in Germany and Norway, Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products manufactures aluminium foil, strip, sheet and plate for automotive, transport, building, shipbuilding, engineering, electrical, domestic, printing and packaging industries. Kjetil Ebbesberg, Executive Vice President of Rolled Products at Hydro, said: “We are happy and proud to receive this important certification from ASI, and to soon be able to offer certified aluminium to our customers. This is an important next step on our ambitious sustainability agenda.” The ASI Certification is the only comprehensive...
Garner Aluminium Extrusions, also known as Garnalex, has reportedly received its new state-of-the-art aluminium extrusion press. The route for the heavy haulage was via Ripley, travelling past the historic Heage Windmill. The main body of the extrusion press weighs about 170 tonnes. The machine is so big that it requires technicians to come down from the manufacturer’s facility in Germany for being assembled. Till date, Garnalex has made an investment of £9m, including the delivery of the aluminium extrusion press. Trading at Garnalex will start once the equipment is commissioned during August. Garner Aluminium Extrusion is a new aluminium trade extrusion company that was formed in March 2018 by Roger Hartshorn, who worked with HL Plastics for over 42 years and was also one of the...
Romanian aluminium company Alro announced that the company currently expects its net profit for 2019 to be lower than 2018. The company expects net profit of about USD 12.4 million (EUR 11.0 million), down 78 per cent from last year. ALRO is one of the largest vertically integrated aluminium producers, by capacity, in Europe. With an installed production capacity of 265,000 tonnes per year, the company mainly exports its products to the USA and Asia. In 2018, the company reported net profit of RON 226 million (USD 49 million), down 29% year-on-year. Alro also released production numbers for the full year 2018. The company produced 282,810 tonnes of primary aluminium in 2018. Processed aluminium production dropped to 77,086 tonnes last year. Primary aluminium sales increased to 153,473...
The U.S. auto industry is forming a strong lobby to push President Donald Trump against imposing new tariffs on imported cars and parts. They argue that such tariffs would handicap an industry which is already facing slow growth. The Groups have brought together automakers, dealers, parts suppliers and aftermarket companies to stand against a common goal of opposing the proposed new levies. Industry officials worry the new levies are much more than a negotiation clause in Trump’s trade talks with the European Union, Japan and China. “Nobody in the auto industry supports a 25 percent import tariff, unlike in the steel and aluminum tariff situation where you had the steel industry advocating for relief,” said Jennifer Thomas, vice president of federal affairs at the Alliance of Automobile...
On March 28, the Benetti-built third and final 108-metre superyacht made its first debut in a private ceremony at Livorno. The superyacht made of the steel hull and aluminium superstructure is known as Project FB275. UK design studio RWD designed the exterior, while Benetti's in-house team styled the interiors. The vessel has a beam of 14.5 metres, five decks, and a 4000GT volume. It houses a cinema, gym, sauna, large heated swimming pool, and seating area. It has an ability to cruise for long distances with speeds of 18.5 knots in a range of at least 6,500 nautical miles. While more than 1,000 square metres are dedicated to exterior spaces, the main deck and the owner’s deck have private dining and seating areas. The bridge deck houses sun pads and a 1.5-metre firepit, the foredeck two...
RUSAL and PJSC RusHydro, one of Russia's largest generating companies, commissioned the first potline at the expanded capacity in the Boguchansky aluminium smelter (BOAZ )at Boguchany Energy and Metals Complex (BEMO) in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. In 2018, Rusal announced its plan to launch new capacity at its Boguchansky aluminium smelter after expansion in 2019. With the comissioning, Rusal has almost doubled Boguchansky’s capacity from 150,000 tonnes to 298,000 tonnes a year. Evgenii Nikitin, current CEO of RUSAL and Nikolay Shulginov, Board Сhairman and General Director of PJSC, took part in the ceremony along with government officials. The joint agreement for the aluminium and hydro power project was signed by RUSAL and RusHydro 13 years ago at the Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum. The BEMO...
During 2011-2018, aluminium powder market has reportedly grown at a CAGR of around 2.2 per cent, reaching a volume of 617,238 tonnes. The growth in primarily driven by the use and demand of aluminium in the form powder and flakes across various industrial sectors such as paints and sealants, sparkles and glitters, aerated autoclave concrete, reflective roof coating, and printing inks. During the said period, particularly in 2016 and 2017, aluminium powder and flakes export by the Russian Federation also recorded a year-on-year growth. As the chart below shows that Russia in 2017 had exported 24,413 tonnes of powder and flakes, compared with 22,413 tonnes in 2016. Thus, its export rose 9 per cent year-on-year in 2017. However, in the year 2018, the export dropped 15 per cent to 20,750...
ALRO S.A., one of the largest vertically integrated aluminium producers in Europe by production capacity, published its consolidated and separate financial full-year 2018 results. The company’s net profit decreased from RON 318 million in 2017 to RON 226 million in 2018. The adjusted net profit registered RON 227 million in 2018, from RON 355 million in 2017. ALRO reported primary aluminium sales of 153,000 tonnes in 2018, up from 151,000 tonnes in 2017. The processed aluminium sales slightly decreased to 78,000 tonnes in 2018, from 82,000 tonnes. ALRO Group’s net profit stood at RON 235 million in 2018, down from RON 391 million in 2017. The Group registered the adjusted net profit of RON 250 million. Turnover increased to almost RON 3 billion in 2018. EBITDA margin was above 16%, with a...
Braidy Industries has extended its deadline for its stock sale. The company launched a roughly US$500 million worth of stock offerings in September 2018 in order to raise money to build a $1.7 billion aluminium rolling mill in Eastern Kentucky. The sale which was supposed to end in November has been extended twice to Dec. 31 and then to March 31. According to a company update Braidy has extended it further to June 15. The announcement also mentioned about an anticipated investment by a potential strategic investor though the company has not divulged any detail about it. The community of Ashland, Kentucky has been looking forward to Braidy Industries building an aluminium plant in the area which is expected to create employment and boost the economy. After Braidy’s announcement to build an...
MWheels, one of Europe’s leading wheel specialists and distributors of commercial vehicle wheels for a wide range of sectors, has expanded its Xlite and Xbrite forged aluminium wheels range with the introduction of next generation 9.00×22.5 wheels. Xlite and Xbrite forged aluminium wheels are five times stronger and 40 percent lighter than the standard steel wheel equivalent. The 9.00×22.5 wheels are designed for295/60R22.5, 315/60R22.5, 315/70R22.5 and 315/80R22.5 tyres, with a load capacity of 4,125kg. The 26mm stud hole variant weighs 25.9kg and the 32mm weighs 25.7kg. Xlite, spin-forged aluminium wheels, comes with a machined and polished finish. Xbrite is treated to deliver the highest levels of corrosion resistance and shine. These new wheels have a strengthened transition area from...
According to a recent report, Hilco Industrial, in partnership with Die Cast Machinery LLC, will conduct an online-only auction of more than 1000 lots of die cast equipment, CNC machining centres, quality assurance, and support equipment. The auction will open for bidding on April 4, with a 2-day closing on April 10 and 11. Major die cast assets that will be available for auction include four die cast machines from 600-850 tonne, with upgraded controls and proportional short systems, and five Lindberg MPH holding furnaces to 2,300-Lb. The CNC machine tools that cut aluminium only will include twenty-four Brother CNC vertical machining centers and Brother drilling & tapping machines – as new as 2015, seven Mori Seiki CNC vertical and horizontal machining centres, and sixteen Takisawa &...
Hydro updates with a press release that the company is slowly moving towards normal operations. Normal operations are running at four out of five business areas with the help of manual systems. Extruded Solutions, the worst affected business area in the attack is also slowly approaching normal production levels. Hydro reiterates that currently the company aims at restarting operations in a safe and secure manner, getting production back to normal, and limiting any further impact on customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. The cyber-attack has also impacted some of its internal administrative processes like systems for payroll, treasury and reporting. Hydro is also working towards restoring the IT systems in these departments. Currently operations at Energy, Bauxite & Alumina, Primary...
