
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,...
Grow with
AL Circle

After reporting a great weak-on-weak decline on Thursday, May 24, 2018, China’s primary aluminium inventory shrinks further today on May 28, 2018, including SHFE warrants, from 2.08 million tonnes to 2.05 million tonnes on fewer deliveries to warehouses at major markets in China, Shanghai Metal Market learned. The inventory today was down 25,000 million tonnes from Thursday, May 24 and 70,000 down from Monday, May 21, which indicates a faster weak-on-weak decline than the previous Monday. Almost all the major Chinese markets witnessed a drop as well like in Wuxi and Jiangsu, the inventory dipped from 853,000 tonnes, as on Thursday, to 844,000 tonnes on Monday and Shanghai saw a plunge from 448,000 tonnes to 446,000 tonnes. Other major cities also saw a decline in inventory because of...

Japan’s leading manufacturer of chemical products and industrial materials, Showa Denko and its group companies and their cooperative companies continued to perform aluminium can recycling activity in fiscal 2017, ended on 31 st of March, 2018, by collecting approximately 4.81 million cans, which are equivalent to about 76 tonnes of aluminium when converted at the rate of 15.7 grams of aluminium per can. Showa Aluminium Can Corporation, a consolidated subsidiary of SDK had begun the can recycling activity in 1972, which later on, spread across the Showa Denko Group in 2001 and continuing until today. Employees of the group companies and cooperative companies collect the cans for recycling from households and workplaces, and then report the total number of cans collected. In fiscal 2017, a...

Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska has stepped down as director of Rusal to protect the interests of the company and its shareholders. The announcement came a day after the company said its chief executive and seven board members had resigned in an effort to seek relief from U.S. sanctions. "In furtherance of the efforts that have been made by the management of the Group to protect the interests of the Company and its shareholders since the OFAC Sanctions were imposed, Mr. Oleg Deripaska, non-executive director of the Company, has tendered his resignation as a director of the Company with effect from 25 May 2018”, the company’s statement said. The US Treasury last month said that it would consider lifting the sanctions if Rusal’s major shareholder Oleg Deripaska ceded control of the company....

According to the latest update by Shanghai Metal Market, the first stage of a hydropower project to produce and process aluminium in Zhaotong, in Yunnan province, is expected to start from June 1, 2018. A large number of aluminium companies are keen to tap Yunnan’s extensive hydropower capacity to replace their current coal-fired plants for securing power required during the electric-intensive smelting process. According to Jackie Wang, an aluminium analyst at consultants CRU in Beijing, this hydropower capacity, an alternative to coal-fired power generation will help smelters to produce green metal. While the first phase of the aluminium hydropower project is forecast to begin operations this June, the entire project is estimated to start in 2018, with an investment of 3.5 billion yuan....

The winners of the ET Foundation’s 2018 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition were announced during Extrusion Design University – EDU ’18 held May 15-17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. Seven designs were recognized, including two professionals and five students, for designs that showcased the versatility and advantages of products using aluminum extrusions. Awards were announced by Jason Pickering, Vice President of Operations at Bonnell Aluminum in Newnan, GA; the AEC member company sponsored the 2018 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition. The competition received 72 entries; 58 student entries from 16 schools, including design/technical schools, universities and high schools from 7 different countries and 14 professional entries from 9 different countries. The Grand Prize of $3,500 was...

It is expected that Oman’s exports of aluminium bar rods and profile will be more than imports in 2018. The country is home to some of Middle East’s leading aluminium extrusion manufacturers. As shown in data, Oman imported an estimated 22150 tonnes of aluminium bar rods and profiles in 2016. The total cost of import was USD 62 million. In 2017, the country imported an estimated 24339 tonnes of aluminium bar rods and profiles and the cost of import was USD 61 million. Oman’s import of aluminium bar rods and profiles is expected to increase slightly in 2018. The country is estimated to import 24525 tonnes of aluminium bar rods and profiles in this year. The value of import is estimated to stand at USD 63 million by the end of the current year. United Arab Emirates and India imported the...

As a development on the tariff issues between the US and India, both the countries will hold high-level bilateral talks between June 10 and 14. The talk is designed to elaborate on and find out a suitable solution for the steel and aluminium tariffs imposed by Trump administration. Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu will meet US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in the US. New Delhi threatened to retaliate with counter duties of 5%-50% on 20 items imported from the US, including almonds and motor cycles. India said that the country will levy duties worth $165.56 million — equivalent to the effects on India’s trade due to the US before June 21 if the US goes ahead with the tariff duties on steel and aluminium. “India is hopeful that the matter would be settled between the...

Amidst prevailing tensions due to the United States imported aluminium and steel tariffs, Trump administration weighed slapping tariffs on imported cars on Thursday, May 24, 2018, over national security concerns. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Wednesday, May 23, that he had initiated a so-called Section 232 investigation on auto trade to determine whether the car imports were weakening the internal economy or impairing the national security of the US. He even said that this would provide him the legal rights to impose tariffs on finding US national security at risk, but certainly after consulting Donald Trump on this matter. The European Union, which had been lobbying with the US for a permanent reprieve from US imported aluminium and steel tariffs, expressed annoyance at this...

Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska has asked the Russian government to start buying aluminium produced by Rusal, said a government source on Thursday, who spoke on condition of anonymity, according to Reuters report. Russia's aluminum producer Rusal also announced that its chief executive and seven board members had resigned in an effort to seek relief from the sanctions. The company said the resignations were part of the efforts that had been made by the management of the Group to protect the interests of the company and its shareholders since the OFAC sanctions were imposed in April. On April 6, the United States announced sanctions on Deripaska and Rusal. Deripaska has also asked for state support for car maker GAZ, which has been affected by the sanctions, the source said. The US Treasury...

LME aluminium climbed up after three consecutive falls and closed higher at US$ 2270 per tonne on May 24 Thursday from US$ 2227 per tonne on previous closing. The contract climbed up further and touched a high of US$2,293.5 per tonne as most base metals gained last night. Shanghai Metals Market sees it facing pressure today at US$2,250-2,290 per tonne as Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska resigned from its board. As on May 24, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2270 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2271per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2270 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2270per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2253 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price stands at US$ 2258 per tonne. Currently, 3 months LME aluminium and LME cash price settle...

Today, May 25, 2018, is the second day in a row that average A00 aluminium ingot price witnessed a surge from RMB 14570 per tonne, as on May 24, 2018, to RMB 14670 per tonne, according to Shanghai Metal Market. The prices are expected to range between RMB 14650 per tonne to RMB 14690 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 80 per tonne to RMB 40 per tonne. Primary ingot prices registered a growth of RMB 10 to 100 per tonne across all domestic markets. While in the east, the ingot price soared from RMB 14610 per tonne, as on May 24, to RMB 14670 per tonne on May, 25; in South and North, the prices grew from RMB 14615 per tonne to RMB 14695 per tonne and from RMB 14595 per tonne to RMB 14660 per tonne respectively. The below table shows the aluminium ingot price movement in China...

The news UC Rusal resumed shipping aluminium to some consumers last week has taken the internet by storm. The Russian aluminium giant recommenced the shipment soon after the United States extended the sanctions deadline further from June 5 to October 23, 2018, for companies to wind down contracts with the Russian firm under US sanctions, sources said. The sanctions extension detailed in General Licence 14, issued late April, effectively meant that aluminium produced and sold by Rusal would be free from sanctions until October 23, so long as the deal to buy was signed before they were imposed. A metal industry source reported, “Aluminum is being shipped. Parties who have existing contracts are starting to take deliveries.” The existing deals include those such as Swiss-based mining giant...

First Bauxite Corporation announced that its subsidiary, Guyana Industrial Minerals Inc. (GINMIN), has received additional orders from customers in China and Europe for bauxite ore. The Company expects the first bulk shipment to Europe of 5-10,000 metric tonnes to occur in June/July 2018 and the second bulk shipment to China of 10,000 metric tonnes to occur in September 2018. The orders are a result of the Company’s product and market development initiatives to sell its high-quality bauxite ore in an improving market to produce sintered refractory grade bauxite. The Company's recently completed trial production tests indicate the final sintered product will have an Al2O3 content > 92.0%, a Fe2O3 content < 0.5% and a BSG > 3.25/g/cm³. As disclosed previously, the Company was granted...

Kingfisher Windows, a manufacturer of aluminium products, has announced the addition of a new Reynaers CP 130 aluminium lift and slide doors to its existing product range in order to meet the trend for large areas of glass. The latest Reynaers CP 130 aluminium lift and slide doors offers U-Values of 2.35 W/m2K, watertightness of 750 Pa, windload resistance of 1600 Pa and airtightness of 600Pa, and complies with Burglar Resistance class 2. Image Source:www.kingfisherwindows.co.uk Deborah Beeley, Sales and Marketing Manager at Kingfisher Windows stated: “Kingfisher lift and slide doors are perfect for installers who have customers looking for an alternative to bifolds. The doors can offer up to nine metre spans of glass and heights up to 2700mm, which means they are suitable for almost all...

More than 135 design, engineering and extrusion professionals attended Extrusion Design University, or EDU ’18, the new event produced by the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC), held May 14-16, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. EDU ’18 included more than 25 hours of educational sessions, a general session, the EDU Expo, networking opportunities and co-located workshops covering various aspects of the extrusion process. Members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) were able to choose from 12 hours of AIA registered classes over the course of the event, potentially earning them a significant portion of their required continuing education learning units. In addition, educational sessions were potentially eligible for engineering professional development hours. Early feedback has been...

South Korea, one of the leading aluminium scrap importers in the world, imports aluminium scrap and recycles them for making aluminium alloys. The country’s automotive sector is a major consumer of aluminium products. South Korea imported about 736338 tonnes of aluminium scrap from the global market in 2017. South Korea has been importing a major chunk of aluminium scrap from the USA and Japan. The country imported about 175557 tonnes and 89151 tonnes of aluminium scrap from the USA and Japan in 2017. Aluminium scrap export from Japan to South Korea declined in March last year. The export was reduced as South Korean prosecutors had started an investigation on the aluminium procurement practices of Hyundai Motor Group and aluminium alloy suppliers. In 2018, South Korea’s aluminium scrap...

After the Council of Ministers has voted for the amended Waste Directives of the Package, European Aluminium has said that Europe now has the proper framework to make the Circular Economy work in the true sense. The 28 EU Member States would now start delivering on reducing landfill of household waste to maximum 10% by 2035, promoting the use of reusable and recyclable materials. European Aluminium believes that aluminium is already contributing positively towards the European circular economy with impressive aluminium recycling rates of over 90% in transport and building and over 60% in packaging sector. But the association feels the Member States need to improve on the existing packaging, collection and sorting infrastructure in order to meet the new ambitious recycling targets....

After almost two months, Tasmanian miner, Australia Bauxite Ltd. has made a significant progress with its bauxite refining project ALCORE. In our previous news, we had reported that engineering and cost study for the first stage was finished, including the construction of an engineering validation plant in New South Wales. Now, the update is company board of directors has approved the incorporation of ALCORE limited as a wholly-owned subsidiary to fund and manage the project, leading to the construction of ALCORE production plant to produce annually 50,000 tonnes of aluminium fluoride and core products. The recent developments also include ALCORE to start ALCORE technology for converting raw bauxite worth approximately US$50 per tonne into bauxite products worth more than US$1,000 per...