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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Anglo-Swiss mining company Glencore will reportedly take delivery of 200,000 tonnes of aluminium, which they had purchased on the London Metal Exchange, from warehouses owned by ISTIM UK in Port Klang, Malaysia. The news came when five sources familiar with the matter revealed the fact. According to the sources, Glencore wants the metal for delivery as a direct challenge to ISTIM, since the latter is preventing companies from taking LME-warranted metal when needed from its warehouses in Port Klang. But the company says it wants the aluminium because it needs to delivery to the clients. Sources said Glencore bought more than 1 million tonnes from Russia’s Rusal last year and took the bulk of production from Century Aluminium. Including all this, Glencore’s agreements to buy aluminium from...
On Sunday, February 17, the United States President reportedly received a report from the Commerce Department that said the US could trigger auto tariffs on imported cars and car parts and intensify tensions with Europe. Much detail about the report is not known yet, as Reuters confirmed that a department spokeswoman refused to disclose any details of the Section 232 national security report submitted to Trump by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. The disclosure of the submission came less than two hours before the end of a 270-day deadline. Trump has now 90 days to decide whether to act upon the recommendations. Auto industry officials expect at least some tariffs to be included on fully assembled vehicles or on technologies and components related to electric, automated, connected and...
Viridor, one of the UK’s leading recycling, renewable energy and waste management companies, will invest £15.4 million in the Masons Materials Recycling Facility near Ipswich. The investment, a part of a 10-year contract renewal between Suffolk County Council and Viridor, will increase capacity from 65,000 tonnes to 75,000 tonnes per annum, with a significant investment in mechanical recovery equipment, including 11 optical sorters. Viridor’s Managing Director of Recycling and Integrated Assets, Paul Brown said: “Viridor has a clear focus on developing the real opportunities to put quality recycling materials back into the economy where they belong. This starts with viewing waste as a resource, rather than rubbish, and, thanks to Suffolk’s commitment to recycling, and this new Viridor...
A local media update from Malaysia today says that the moratorium on bauxite mining activities will be lifted in April 2019. This was announced by the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry of Malaysia. Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar added that the order will require clearance of the existing 435,000 tonnes of bauxite stockpiled at the Kuantan and Kemaman ports by March 31. He had inspected the bauxite mining activities at the mentioned sites in Malaysia on Monday (Feb 18) morning and made the announcement. "We are asking all involved to cooperate with the ministry and the state to get it done in the coming month," he said. Dr Xavier said the Cabinet had agreed to a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which would cover all aspects of bauxite mining sector, from mining to exports....
According to a recent report, unlicensed mining of bauxite is still found continuing on the islands of Angkut, Dendang and Bukit Bati in Bintan, Riau Islands, despite a government call to end the activities. "I do not know why they still continue to mine the bauxite,” said the head of Bintan and Tanjungpinang’s forest management and production department on Sunday. He also said bauxite mining sites in Bukit Batu are located close to the Bintan district administration office, while workers of mining firm CV Gemilang used the main road to transport bauxite to the port and sell it to PT Gunung Bintan Abadi. Per the regulation, no bauxite mining trucks are allowed to use public road to transport bauxite. Earlier, Environment and Forect Ministry forest preservation director Sustyo Iriyono had...
Scientists from London's Brunel University and Tomsk State University made an experiment in which they successfully added nanoscale diamond to melted aluminium to create new aluminium alloy. The researchers said in a media statement that the new alloy would be suitable for maritime transport. This is the first time that aluminium alloys are synthesized with nanodiamonds for a material experiment. "Nanoscale diamond is a powder of diamonds, with a particle size of several nanometers. Master alloys are auxiliary alloys used to introduce other elements into the liquid metal. In this experiment, they are rods that will later be quite convenient and technologically advanced for use in production," the statement said. The aluminium alloy that was produced in the experiment is of high quality,...
According to the global export-import data, Sweden’s aluminium scrap export is estimated to extend its plunge even this year. From 127,018 tonnes of export in 2018, Sweden in 2019 is likely to ship 124,719 tonnes in total, down 2 per cent. This would mark the second consecutive year of plunge in aluminium scrap export from Sweden, as because in 2018, the country’s export had pegged at 127,018 tonnes after plunging from 130,249 tonnes in 2017. {newsStudioGallery} Germany is the country where Sweden exports the maximum amount of aluminium scrap. But in tandem with the year-on-year drop, Sweden this year is expected to ship a lesser amount of aluminium scrap to Germany. In the year last, Sweden had shipped around 54,416 tonnes while this year it is estimated to export 54,069 tonnes. In 2017,...
Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland reiterated Canada’s stand on USMCA and U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Canada on Saturday. In a call with media she cleared that in a meeting with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the Munich Security Conference; she discussed the importance of lifting of tariffs from Canada. She emphasised that though Canada is focusing on its domestic ratification process for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal, it remains strongly against the tariffs. The fact that Canada has peacefully concluded the USMCA process, remains the key reason for lifting the punitive tariffs, she said. “We spoke a lot about the [Section] 232 steel and aluminium tariffs and I explained why Canada is so strongly opposed to them and why...
Social inventories of primary aluminium across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, increased 33,000 tonnes from Thursday February 14, to 1.65 million tonnes as of Monday February 18, Shanghai Metals Market data showed. For the same period, stocks in Wuxi, Jiangsu and Nanhai, Guangdong increased by 10,000 tonnes and 17,000 tonnes to stand at 618,000 tonnes and 311,000 tonnes. Inventories in Shanghai rose by 1,000 tonnes to 313,000 tonnes, while stocks in Gongyi, Henan reduced by 4,000 tonnes to 141,000 tonnes. The below chart indicates the current status of the primary aluminium inventories across China: In another update from SMM, China’s East Hope will construct facilities that can produce 3.2 million tonnes of alumina per year in Guizhou Province. The signing...
The US dollar weakened on Friday after the indication that the central bank may hold off on raising interest rates in 2019. LME base metals traded higher across the board on Friday and aluminium gained 0.3%. SHFE base metals performed similarly on Friday night and aluminium advanced 0.8%. LME aluminium closed Friday’s trading at US$1828.50 per tonne and then the contract gained 0.3% overnight and closed at US$1,855.5 per tonne. It is expected to trade at US$1,850-1,870 per tonne today. As on February 15, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1828 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1828.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1862 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1863 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2008 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), soon to be the largest aluminium smelter in the world, announced that its flagship Line 6 Expansion Project is progressing as per schedule with the successful testing of 40 pots which are now fully operational. Alba Chairman Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa, said: “We are delighted to have started Potline 6 ahead of schedule on 13 December 2018 and to have successfully started the first 40 pots. Alba is targeting Line 6 full ramp-up within Q3 2019 which will further position us to take advantage of the growing demand in global aluminium consumption.” One of the most remarkable achievements for the company on this landmark Project is the Extreme Ownership on Safety by Alba employees and contractors. Alba’s Line 6 Smelter clocked more than 32...
The A00 aluminium ingot price has once again recorded a rise today, on February 18, by RMB 70 per tonne to stand at RMB 13,410 per tonne, found Shanghai Metals Market. This marks the fourth back-to-back growth and the highest in comparison with the previous three price rise. The aluminium ingot price, as of today, also stands the highest this month. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 13,390 per tonne and RMB 13,430 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 60 per tonne to RMB 20 per tonne. As the ingot price growth has touched upon all the major markets in China, the markets in the east (Wuxi and Hangzhou) have witnessed price rise by RMB 65 per tonne and RMB 50 per tonne to settle at RMB 13,385 per tonne and RMB 13,390 per tonne. In the southern and northern...
The US-based aluminium shipbuilder Breaux Brothers Enterprises reportedly christened its latest vessel Half Moon Clipper on February 14, 2019, in Loreauville. The ship is 105-foot long and weighs 94 tonnes when empty and 154 tonnes when loaded with fuel, water, and becomes absolutely ready for work, said Breaux Brothers’ co-owner and Vice President Vance Vic Breaux. The ship is built for Holland America Lines with a total passenger capacity of 193 people. The vessel will serve as a crew boat for the company’s employees and guests visiting Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. Holland America Manager of Marine Services/Fleet Operations Larry Bischoff said “It will carry people, food and beverages to the island, and then unload them using the crane on the back deck. They will bring supplies for the...
AMAG,a leading Austrian premium supplier of high-quality aluminium cast and flat rolled products, announced that its newly constructed cladding station was officially commissioned on Monday, February 11, 2019. Helmut Wieser, Management Board Chairman (CEO) of AMAG, said: "The new plants expands our technological expertise and boosts our competitive strengths. With special multi-layer material composites made of aluminium, we are meeting the future requirements of our customers, especially from the heat exchanger and aviation industries." AMAG supplies aluminium products to the aircraft, automotive, sports equipment, lighting, mechanical engineering, construction and packaging industries. The new facility forms part of the "AMAG 2020" expansion project, which – together with the new cold...
Australia-based metals and mining company South32 has reportedly maintained its production guidance of alumina and aluminium in the fiscal years 2018-19 (July-June) and 2019-20. The company projects volumes in the coming fiscal tipped to be marginally higher. For 2019-20, South32 flagged total alumina production of 5.335 million tonnes, 15,000 tonnes more than 5.32 million tonnes forecast for the current fiscal year. South32’s share of alumina production from the Worsley Alumina mining, refining, and port operations in Western Australia is expected to be steady at around 3.965 million tonnes per year during the two fiscal years. Out of an annual 4.6 million tonnes of Worsley’s alumina production, South32 accounts for 86 per cent control. Contribution from the Alunorte alumina refinery to...
After the lifting of sanctions on Rusal, the leading global aluminium producer has announced change in Board of Directors. Sergei Popov has resigned as an executive director with effect from 14 February 2019 due to the election to the legislature of one of Russian regions. The Company has announced through a press release that Evgeny Kuryanov has been appointed as an Executive Director of the Company and Maxim Poletaev, Randolph N. Reynolds, Kevin Parker, Christopher Burnham and Nick Jordan have been appointed as independent non-Executive Directors of the Company with effect from 14 February 2019. Randolph N. Reynolds has also been appointed as a member of the Corporate Governance & Nomination Committee, while Nick Jordan has also been appointed as a member of the Remuneration Committee...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, China produced 6.13 million tonnes of alumina (metallurgical grade) in January, an increase of 7.4% from a year ago. The average daily output stood at 198,000 tonnes, down 1,000 tonnes from 199,000 tonnes in December 2018. Gas installation issues at Chiping Xinfa, rectifications for ultra-low emission at Chinalco Huaxing, and environmental renovation on furnaces at Shanxi refinery affected daily production. Chinalco Shanxi produced in lower gears, and environmental curbs in Henan province affected alumina production in January. Tight supplies of natural gas in the heating season at Shanxi, Henan, and Inner Mongolia also accounted for the decrease in production in January SMM expects average daily output of alumina to increase to 200,000 tonnes in...
Hind Aluminium Industries Limited, a manufacturer of aluminium & alloy Conductors and aluminium wire rods for power transmission and distribution applications, announced financial results for the quarter ended on 31st December, 2018. The company reported net sales of INR130.48 crore in Q3 FY2018-19, down 29.96 per cent from INR186.30 crore in Q3 FY2017-18. On a quarterly basis, net sales dropped 2.28 per cent from Q2 FY2018-19 total of INR133.53 crore. Net profit stood at INR 0.39 crore for the December quarter 2018, from INR 1.59 crore for the December quarter 2017. Data shows a decline of 75.4 per cent year-on-year. On a quarterly basis, net sales dropped 82.11 per cent from Q2 FY2018-19 total of INR2.18 crore. Hind Aluminium’s EBITDA stood at INR 3.59 crore, down 42.47 per cent from...
