ASSA ABLOY has agreed to acquire Brazilian aluminium solutions manufacturer Rometal, strengthening its manufacturing presence in Latin America while expanding its portfolio of door systems, furniture fittings and aluminium products. Announced on November 12, 2026, the proposed acquisition would bring an established Brazilian business with approximately 500 employees into the Swedish group's Americas Division. Rometal recorded sales of approximately BRL 332 million (USD 59 million) in 2025, equivalent to approximately SEK 580 million (USD 57.57 million) in ASSA ABLOY's announcement. The purchase price has not been disclosed. ASSA ABLOY described the company's EBIT margin in 2025 as strong and expects the transaction to be accretive to earnings per share from the start. Rometal acquisition...
Finland-based renewable heat technology developer Coolbrook has joined Australia’s Heavy Industry Low-carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre (HILT CRC) as an affiliate partner, bringing its electrified heating technology into research aimed at decarbonising alumina refining and the wider aluminium industry. The collaboration would explore how high-temperature electric heating can support next-generation alumina refineries, reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Coolbrook would work alongside major alumina and aluminium producers, including Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), Alcoa, Rio Tinto, South32 and Hydro, as well as research organisations of CSIRO and Adelaide University. Initially, it would focus on HILT CRC’s Alumina Refineries’ Next-Generation Transition (AlumiNEXT) project,...
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An automotive trade group believes that US’ tariff of up to 25 per cent on imported passenger vehicles if imposed, will likely cost domestic consumers US$45 billion annually or US$5800 per vehicle. Gloria Bergquist, the national spokesperson for auto industry on environmental and safety matters, said, “Nationwide, this tariff would hit American consumers with a tax of nearly $45 billion, based on 2017 auto sales. This would largely cancel out the benefits of the tax cuts.” On Tuesday, June 26, the automotive trade group reported that it would warn the Trump administration about the passenger vehicles price hike on the imposition of imported vehicle tariff. “The alliance of automobile manufacturers, a group representing General Motors Co, Toyota Motor Corp, Volkswagen AG and other major...
Guyana, one of the world’s leading bauxite producers, has delivered about 1.45 million tonnes of bauxite to the global market in 2017. The country’s bauxite shipments increased 36 per cent year-on-year last year. Guyana’s main exports are: sugar, gold, bauxite, aluminium, rice, shrimp and timber among others. Ukraine and the USA were the top importers of bauxite from Guyana in 2017. Guyana exported about 947830 tonnes and 200467 tonnes of bauxite to Ukraine and the USA respectively. Other importers in 2017 were Canada, Irelands, Netherlands and Italy. As per global export-import data, Guyana is estimated to export 672208 tonnes of bauxite in the half of 2018, up from 662461 tonnes of bauxite in the same period previous year. The volume is projected to decline to 727117 tonnes in the...
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the Bahrain-based international aluminium smelter, has commissioned the state-of-the-art Batch homogenizer in Casthouse 3 for specialised billet requirements. The company said that the new Batch homogenizer was supplied by Hertwich Engineering, a company of the SMS group. Image Source: Alba Batch homogenizer is the best-suited technology for the heat treatment of various 6xxx, 1xxx and 3xxx billet alloys for automotive and precision tubing applications, it said in its press release. The advanced technology of reverse air circulation, fully automated controls for step heating and controlled cooling boosts company’s capabilities to achieve outstanding metallurgical aspects in its products and improved productivity of billets. Alba’s Chief Executive Officer Tim...
All 60 electrolysis cells are now in operation at the Karmøy technology pilot, where Hydro aims to industrialize the world's most climate and energy efficient aluminium electrolysis technology. "Our aim is to be the global leader in technology and innovation in our industry, and the Karmøy pilot helps advance that ambition and ensures that the Norwegian technology cluster remains the global leader in sustainable aluminium production" says Hydro president and CEO Svein Richard Brandtzæg. The technology that is being tested at Karmøy will have the lowest CO2 footprint and will use 15% less energy during production compared to the world average in aluminium production. The technology consists of 48 cells with 12.3 kWh/Kg HAL4e technology and 12 cells with 11.5-11.8 kWh/kg HAL4e Ultra...
Trump administration’s tariff on the imported aluminium and steel and the counter tariff by China on scrap imported from the US are going to have an effect on US scrap recycling sector. Jeff Padnos, the CEO of Holland, Michigan-based scrap recycling firm Padnos points to China’s aluminium scrap tariff, among other aspects of trade disputes which is concerning scrap recyclers in the US. He pointed out several detrimental effects of the growing global trade dispute during an interview. In the interview with National Public Radio (NPR), Padnos pointed that China’s 25 per cent tariff on imported aluminium scrap and its sudden decision to halt inspections in the US has affected his family business. “We still have some material that we shipped that has not been able to clear through and get to...
A Luxembourg-based producer of glass and metal products Ardagh Group has produced a taller sleek shaped aluminium aerosol can for Nivea, one of the world’s most popular deodorants. Image Source:Ardagh Group Bernhard Meier, Commercial Director at Ardagh’s metal division said: “With our long-standing customer, Beiersdorf, we investigated various technologies at the cutting edge of aerosol can production. As a result, we believe we have set new standards for high quality metal packaging for today’s consumer.” Beiersdorf has designed aluminium aerosol can for Nivea’s female range. The sleek shaped can was developed to meet advanced technical requirements and customer specifications. The aerosol aluminium can is 9mm taller than its predecessor, and is produced at Ardagh’s specialist aerosol...
After rallying at RMB 2786 per tonne for two days in a row on June 25 and 26, alumina spot price plunged to RMB 2745 per tonne in China today, on June 27, 2018, according to Shanghai Metals Market. The average price is expected to hover at RMB 2745 per tonne. In the east, the alumina price dropped to RMB 2765 per tonne today after hovering at RMB 2805 per tonne on June 25 and 26, while the average prices are expected to range between RMB 2750 and RMB 2780 per tonne. In the central, on the other hand, the price dipped to RMB 2765 per tonne from RMB 2790 per tonne from June 19 to 26, with average price same as in the east. In north and south, the prices declined from RMB 2785 per tonne to RMB 2730 per tonne and from RMB 2770 per tonne to RMB 2725 per tonne. The average prices are expected...
LME aluminium dropped from the previous closing of US$ 2172 per tonne and closed at US$ 2152 per tonne yesterday June 27. The US dollar index was up 0.4% at 94.66 on Tuesday. Most base metals rebounded overnight. LME aluminium surged over 2% recovering all the losses this week and rebounded to between the five- and 10-day moving averages overnight. Aluminium still faces strong pressure as the US dollar stays strong. Shanghai Metals Market expects LME aluminium to trade at US$2,170-2,195 per tonne today. As on June 26, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2151 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2152 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2142 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2143 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2160 per tonne, and Dec 19...
According to a report from Trinidad Guardian citing a “secret” Ministry of Energy document, Trinidad and Tobago could expect $23 billion in investments in the downstream energy and aluminium sector over the next four years. The projects have the potential to create thousands of jobs during construction and open up more permanent jobs during operations. The document indicates six projects that National Energy is actively pursuing and is planning to complete. The downstream projects are in the field of methanol, polyolefin, aluminium and melamine. The projects list includes an aluminium ingot processing wire and cable plant and an aluminium ingot processing plant to make flat rolled product complex. The list also includes a solar park cluster comprising four plants and wind mills. The...
The US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) plans to issue a license to its new discovery of aluminium-based nanogalvanic alloy powder. When combined with water or any water-based liquid, this alloy powder reacts to produce on-demand hydrogen for power generation without a catalyst. "This powder-based alloy includes material that disrupts the formation of an encapsulating aluminium oxide layer, allowing for the continuous production of hydrogen that can be used at the point of need to power a wide range of devices via fuel cells and internal combustion," said Dr. Anit Giri, a scientist with the lab's Weapons and Materials Research Directorate. "The powder can be easily manufactured to scale, and can be conveniently and safely transported via tablets or vacuum pouches, thus eliminating reliance...
As updated by SMM, buyers in the spot aluminium markets in east and south China held back from purchasing on Monday June 25 as future prices fell in the morning. Transactions in Shanghai were mostly heard at RMB 14,080-14,110 per tonne with discounts of RMB 50-40 per tonne against the SHFE 1807 contract. In Wuxi and Hangzhou, transactions were done at RMB 14,080-14,110 per tonne and RMB14,130-14,140 per tonne, respectively. Below table shows today's ingot prices in the major China markets: In Guangdong, most transactions were heard at RMB 14,200-14,230 per tonne with Guangdong-Shanghai price spreads at about RMB 140 per tonne. Increased orders from downstream processers in Guangdong in comparison to east China led to such better pricing. Downstream processers in south China market have...
The U.S. beer industry has been hit hard by more expensive aluminium after President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported aluminium and steel came into effect. Experts predict that import tariffs could even lead to job losses across the beer industry. Image Source: The Beer Institute John Decker, Briggs Distributing Company in Billings, MT said that new 10 per cent tariff on aluminium will impact the prices of its products. “Aluminium is a huge portion of what we sell. Sixty percent of our business is aluminium can and about nine percent of it is keg business which is steel. So, they both have an impact on how much our product will cost eventually and cost the consumer,” he said. “Well, not only does it impact us, but it impacts the farmers that grow Coors barley and other barley here in...
An American motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson announced that its plans to shift its US manufacturing base to overseas in order to avoid burden of European Union tariffs. Last week, the European Union, in retaliation to U.S. tariffs on EU aluminium and steel exports, imposed tariffs on US products including bourbon, motorcycles and blue jeans. Harley-Davidson exported about 19 per cent of its products to Europe in the first quarter of FY 2018, according to the company's earnings release. Harley-Davidson said: "To address the substantial cost of this tariff burden long-term, Harley-Davidson will be implementing a plan to shift production of motorcycles for EU destinations from the US to its international facilities to avoid the tariff burden." President Donald Trump has expressed...
LME aluminium rebounded with the dipping of US dollar and closed Monday’s trading at US$ 2172 per tonne. LME aluminium was dragged down by its SHFE counterpart to close at a low of US$2,149.5 per tonne last night. It is expected to recover some losses and move close to the five-day moving average during the day. Shanghai Metals Market sees the trading range at $2,140-2,165 per tonne. As on June 25, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2171 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2172 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2165 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2167 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2183 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price stands at US$ 2188 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock slightly dropped to 123700 tonnes. Live Warrants...
The primary aluminium inventory in China, including SHFE warrants, saw a slower decline over the weekend as environment probe deterred downstream consumption. As of June 25, 2018, primary aluminium inventories across eight major consumption areas in China shrank 15,000 tonnes to stand at 1.87 million tonnes, compared to 1.88 million tonnes on last Thursday, June 21, 2018, Shanghai Metals Market observed. This indicates a drop of 32,000 tonnes recorded on last Tuesday, June 19, 2018, when the inventory was at 1.89 million tonnes. While in Wuxi and Jiangsu, the inventory dropped from 795,000 tonnes, as of June 21, to 789,000 tonnes on June 25; in Shanghai, the inventory remained unchanged and hovered at 433,000 tonnes. Other major Chinese cities like Nanhai and Guangdong and Linyi and...
The US dollar index dipped and closed at 94.52 last Friday. LME aluminium rebounded to a high of US$2,188.5 per tonne last Friday night after closing the day’s trading at US$ 2166 per tonne as the US dollar dipped. It closed at highs at US$2,176.5 per tonne during night trading with open interests declining 188 lots to 670,000 lots. Shanghai Metals Market sees it trading rangebound around the five-day moving average at US$2,170-2,190 per tonne today. As on June 22, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2165.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2166 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2171 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2172 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2193 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price stands at US$ 2198 per tonne. The LME...
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) announced it has received first shipment of 61,450 tonnes of bauxite from Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée for the commissioning of its under-construction Al Taweelah alumina refinery. Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée will supply some five million tonnes of bauxite each year once the alumina refinery is at full production. Image Source: EGA Abdulla Kalban, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: “Alumina refining will be a new industrial activity for the UAE, so this shipment of bauxite is the first ever to our country. Thousands of people are currently working hard to bring the construction of Al Taweelah alumina refinery to completion, and we look forward to producing our first alumina during the first half of next year.” More than...
The Government of the Russian Federation announced on Tuesday, June 19, that it requested to join consultations between the European Union and the United States at the World Trade Organisation over the US imported metal tariffs. The request was submitted in an official letter, dated June 15, 2018. The letter revealed that Moscow wanted to be included in the proceedings as a third party since the measures at issue are applied to the Russian aluminium and steel exports as well. A statement in the letter reads, “The application by the United States of the challenged measures has significant detrimental effect on Russia's trade interests." Should the Russian Federation receives third-party status, it will have the right to send representatives to attend the talks, listen, and present own...
