Storvik has won a contract to operate and maintain the automated anode rod repair system at Alcoa's Mosjøen aluminium smelter in Norway. The agreement extends a partnership that began in 2016, when the company introduced its In-Line Rod Repair (ILRR) system at the plant. Storvik Mosjøen, a subsidiary of Storvik group will now handle the operation of the robotic repair line and maintenance of the anode yokes processed through it. Storvik Engineering built the system, with both companies working together on its installation and commissioning. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: " Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price Outlook " Anode rod assemblies are essential to primary aluminium...
Rio Tinto has secured a five-year operating arrangement for its Bell Bay aluminium smelter in northern Tasmania, backed by a government support package worth USD 200 million. The agreement includes a commitment to maintain a minimum level of employment at the 71-year-old facility until at least 2031, easing concerns over its future amid uncertainty about electricity costs. Rio Tinto's aluminium chief executive Jérôme Pécresse confirmed the employment commitment but did not disclose the number of jobs covered. The guarantee is understood to cover around 500 positions. Bell Bay currently employs about 550 people and supports a further 1,200 jobs, with its future previously uncertain as the company sought a new power agreement. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of...
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India, yet again, reportedly extended the retaliatory tariffs deadline on 29 US products till April 1, as on Tuesday, February 26. According to the report, the commerce ministry asked its finance counterpart to defer the implementation of duties, as discussions for a proposed trade package is still going on between India and the US. A notification said that implementation of increased customs duty on specified imports originating in USA has been postponed from March 2, 2019 to April 1, 2019. This is the sixth time that India has deferred the retaliatory tariffs deadline on US products, including almond, walnut, and pulses. June 2018 was the first time when India had decided to impose tariffs in response to the United States’ additional duties on certain aluminium and steel products....
Emirates Global Aluminium announced that the final major piece of equipment for its under-development bauxite mining project has arrived in Guinea. The Barge Loader will now be installed at the end of the mining project’s 1.5 kilometre pier, where it will load bauxite ore into self-propelled barges for transport to waiting bulk cargo ships offshore. The Barge Loader, which is the height of a four-storey building, is the last in a series of massive pieces of equipment for the project to arrive in Guinea. The equipment was shipped to Guinea from ThyssenKrupp’s fabrication facility in India Abdulla Kalban, EGA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, said: “All the major pieces of equipment for our Guinea project have now safely arrived, completing a series of challenging engineering...
Rio Tinto announces record returns of US$13.5 billion including final dividend of US$3.1 billion and special dividend of US$4.0 billion to its shareholders for 2018. Commenting on the announcement, Rio Tinto chief executive J-S Jacques said “We have once again announced record cash returns to shareholders of $13.5 billion on the back of $18 billion of underlying EBITDA and a Return on Capital Employed of 19%. These strong results reflect the efforts of the team to implement our value-over-volume strategy as we continued to strengthen the portfolio and invest in future growth.” “Our world-class portfolio and strong balance sheet will serve us well in all market conditions, and underpin our ability to continue to invest in our business and deliver superior returns to shareholders in the...
Shanghai Metals Market found brisk spot aluminium trading in east China this morning, February 27, as the state-owned Aluminium Corporation of China (Chalco) made purchases close to 10,000 tonnes. In south China, Chalco purchased over 5,000 tonnes. In Shanghai, Wuxi, and Hangzhou, spot deals were mostly found at RMB 13,620 per tonne to RMB 13,640 per tonne, learned SMM, while traded prices increased by about RMB 30 per tonne from the previous morning. Spot discounts in Shanghai were narrower than yesterday at RMB 60 per tonne to RMB 40 per tonne, against the front-month March aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange. This was because of the aluminium giant’s large purchase as it prompted sellers to raise their offers. Buyers, however, did not feel comfortable with the prices....
Hungary’s aluminium stranded wire export grew in 2018. The figures showed a significant surge in volume and value last year. Aluminium stranded wires and cables are used in overhead power transmission and distribution applications in modern residential and industrial constructions. {newsStudioGallery} Germany, the top importer of aluminium stranded wire from Hungary, imported 9745 tonnes in 2018. Other top importers who have been buying aluminium stranded wire from Hungary manufacturers and sellers include Czech Republic, Sweden, Norway, and Romania among others (2018 data). International trade data shows that Hungary’s estimated exports of aluminium stranded wire was up 105 per cent year on year or 6969 tonnes to 13628 tonnes in 2018. Exported aluminium stranded wire from Hungary were at...
Metro Mining Limited plans to expand bauxite production its Bauxite Hills project in Far North Queensland by 17% to 3.5 million wet metric tonnes (wmt) during 2019, a news report from proactiveinvestors AUSTRALIA says. In its half-yearly report for the period ending December 31, 2018, the company announced its plan to implement a series of low-cost operational improvements and upgrade initiatives to carry out the expansion.The company has already started working on implementing the changes required to achieve the expanded production forecast. The expansion work is being done during the wet season shut down and hence will not affect the restarting of operations in April 2019. The existing plant and infrastructure at Bauxite Hills has already been designed in such a way so that they can...
DECO, the Australian manufacturer of aluminium building products, has reportedly launched a new decorative aluminium finish DecoCrete. The new finish offers an effortless concrete look, but without the weight, inflexibility and onsite logistics of real concrete. This natural aesthetic look is what makes the new finish ideal for diverse applications. Owing to high durability and natural concrete look in a textured and gloss finish, DecoCrete is fit for the use in any aluminium extrusion, flat sheet and architectural building product featured in the DECO range. It is currently available in three colours that lends an urban industrial look to any project. Similar to DECO’s DecoWood and DecoRoccia finishes, DecoCrete utilises the same advanced photo imaging sublimation technology. DecoCrete’s...
The US dollar slid to a three-week low on Tuesday. LME base metals traded mixed on Tuesday and aluminium rose 0.7%. SHFE base metals also saw mixed performance overnight and aluminium lost 0.2%. LME aluminium contract fell to US$ 1870 per tonne during the day’s closing yesterday despite the dollar loss; however, it regained some losses during night trading. The three-month LME aluminium rebounded from a session low of US$1,891 per tonne to finish Tuesday 0.7% higher at US$1,917 per tonne. The unwinding of short positions accounted for the majority of Tuesday gains in LME aluminium. LME aluminium is expected to trade at US$1,900-1,920 per today. As on February 26, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1869 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1870 per tonne;...
Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Berhad reported net profit of RM156.41 million in Q4 2018, up 4% from RM150.19 million in Q4 2017.For the full year of 2018, net profit rose 6.2% to RM629.98 million compared with RM593.38 million in the previous year. Quarterly revenue increased from RM2.13 billion in Q4 2017 to RM2.25 billion in Q4 2018, representing an increase of RM120.55 million or 5.67%. This was mainly due to the completion of Leader Universal Aluminium Sdn. Bhd. (which has subsequently changed its name to Press Metal Aluminium Rods Sdn. Bhd. or “PMAR”) acquisition on 30 March 2018. PMAR’s revenue has since been consolidated into the Group revenue thereafter, it said. For the full year of 2018, revenue increased by RM982.39 million or 12% to RM9.16 billion from RM8.18 billion in 2017....
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the A00 aluminium ingot price extends its growth today, February 27, yet again to stand at RMB 13,620 per tonne. Yesterday, on February 26, the ingot price was at RMB 13,610 per tonne, which indicates that today the price has risen by RMB 10 per tonne. This is the sixth consecutive rise of the A00 aluminium ingot price since February 20. Over the week, the price grew from RMB 13,390 per tonne to RMB 13,620 per tonne. The average prices today are expected to range between RMB 13,600 per tonne and RMB 13,640 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 80 per tonne to RMB 40 per tonne. Today’s A00 aluminium ingot spot price stands highest since December 27, 2018, when the price was hovering at RMB 13,540 per tonne. In the east (Wuxi and Hangzhou), the...
A Dutch shipbuilding company Heesen Yachts reportedly announced that it began the construction of a new 50-metre yacht named Aquamarine (YN 18950), a new addition to its Aluminium Class of yachts. According to the shipyard, the yacht is expected to be ready for delivery by January 2021. For this new model, Heesen has developed a new hull together with the hydrodynamic gurus at Van Oossanen Naval Architects. A raised transom shape and propeller tunnels have been incorporated into the design to optimise performance while reducing the vessel’s draft to a mere 2.15 metres; ideal for island hopping in the Bahamas and exploring uncharted bays in the Mediterranean. Aquamarine is an all-aluminium motor yacht that not only features a fresh design style by Omega Architects and Heesen’s...
After the successful launch of Aluminium Industry Recap of 2018, AlCircle is now coming up with a comprehensive Aluminium Industry Outlook 2019. The year 2018 saw the global output of primary aluminium being impacted by various factors including constraints in supply of raw materials and imposition of various trade restrictions and sanctions by the US Government. Prices saw some highs and lows and a trade war between the U.S. and its allies created concern in the international market. {newsStudioGallery} In 2019, however, most of these issues surrounding the aluminium industry are expected to be resolved and supply as well as the price is expected to stabilise during the course of the year. The start of 2019 has already witnessed the lifting of sanctions on Rusal by the US Government and...
In a significant push to the Central government’s ambitious plan to switch to electro-mobility by 2030, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has initiated a process to set up and open electric vehicle charging stations for the public in various places in Delhi. The civic agency has already installed 25 charging stations at multiple locations across Lutyens’ Delhi. The charging stations are set up at CP, Gole Market, Jor Bagh, Sarojini Nagar Market and Yashwant Place. These charging stations will be open to the public by the first week of March. These 25 stations will cater to the electric cars manufactured in India. This is for the first time that a civic agency has established e-vehicle charging stations for the public use in an Indian city. NDMC had signed an MoU with Energy...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, spot aluminium sellers and buyers in east China were locked in stalemate this morning, February 26, as bullish outlooks led sellers hold their offers firm and high prices sidelined buyers. In Shanghai and Wuxi, spot deals mostly occurred at RMB 13,590 per tonne to RMB 13,610 per tonne while that in Hangzhou at RMB 13,600 to RMB 13,610 per tonne, SMM research found. Traded prices barely change from the previous morning. Spot discounts in Shanghai, against the SHFE 1903 contract, stood at RMB 80 per tonne to RMB 60 per tonne, almost flat when compared with Monday morning. The state-owned aluminium giant, the Aluminium Corporation of China (Chalco), purchased around 2,000 tonnes of spot aluminium in eastern markets this morning. Spot trades in Guangdong,...
Aluminium scrap imports by Turkey have been found increasing over the past couple of years; and according to the global export-import data, this year is expected to be no exception. Per the available data, Turkey in 2019 is estimated to import 122,879 tonnes of aluminium scrap, compared with 104,319 tonnes in 2018. The data thus indicate that Turkey's aluminium scrap import in 2019 is likely to grow 18 per cent from the previous year. {newsStudioGallery} As you can see in the above graph that in the years 2016 and 2017, Turkey’s aluminium scrap import was at 46,748 tonnes and 80,846 tonnes respectively. This means the year 2017 saw a 73 per cent rise in Turkey's aluminium scrap import from 2016, and 2018 witnessed an increase of 29 per cent year-on-year. In tandem with the continued...
In a positive development, President Trump said he would extend a deadline to impose tariffs on more Chinese goods beyond this week. This indicated "substantial progress" in the latest round of trade talks that ended on Sunday in Washington. “The U.S. has made substantial progress in our trade talks with China on important structural issues including intellectual property protection, technology transfer, agriculture, services, currency, and many other issues,” Trump said in a Twitter posting late Sunday. “As a result of these very productive talks, I will be delaying the U.S. increase in tariffs now scheduled for March 1,” he added. Trump also indicated anther meeting with and China President Xi Jinping to conclude an agreement. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office is expected to issue...
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative announced that Slim Aluminium S.p.A. has become a new Production & Transformation member of the ASI. Slim Aluminium S.p.A, located in Cisterna di Latina, near Rome,is a vertically integrated plant with cast house, rolling mills and finishing lines, manufacturing flat rolled aluminium products. The facility has a maximum capacity of approximately 92,000 tons per year. “The objectives and strategic plan of “Aluminium Stewardship Initiative” perfectly fits with our mission and values. Therefore we are glad to join this association with the aim to receive support and offer our contribution as we believe that as part of a global group we can be stronger in spreading the sustainability of aluminium in all its uses and applications along its whole lifecycle,”...
Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) has reportedly started shipping alumina from Kazakhstan into northwest China’s Xinjiang region. The news came after four people with knowledge of the matter said last week. However, purchases of alumina from Kazakhstan are a rare occurrence in China. According to customs data, China did not import any alumina from the Central Asian country in 2017 or 2018. As per the Reuters report, over 10,000 tonnes of alumina arrived at Xinjiang Tianlong Mining Co, having travelled by rail via China’s border city of Alashankou. Xinjiang Tianlong Mining Co. has a 250,000 tonnes per year aluminium smelting capacity. One of the four people said that initially, Tianlong had signed a deal to take a total of 12,000 tonnes of alumina from Astana-based ERG. The source also said:...
