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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LME aluminium continued downward trend and closed lower at US$ 2227 per tonne on May 23 Wednesday from US$ 2265.50 per tonne on previous closing. The contract fell below the 40-day moving average to a low of US$2,239 per tonne last night as the US dollar gained. It then rebounded above the five-day moving average and registered a high of US$2,277 per tonne. Its overall trading range has moved downwards this week. Shanghai Metals Market expects it to be trading at US$2,245-2,275 per tonne today. As on May 23, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2226 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2227per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2240 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2240.50 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2228 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price...
Novelis Inc. will invest approximately $180 million to double its production capacity at its Changzhou facility in China. The aluminium rolling and recycling manufacturer will begin expanding its automotive aluminium body sheet plant in 2018 in order to be operational by 2020. "Novelis has always had great commitment to the Chinese market and this investment is key to leading the next-phase of market development here," said James Liu, Managing Director of Novelis China, and Vice President, Automotive, Novelis Asia. "By adding not just manufacturing capacity, but also design and innovation capabilities, Novelis will be even more customer-centric and deeply devoted to promoting aluminium applications in the Chinese market." The company said the investment will be a continuous annealing...
The Chinese market has been reported witnessing a steady downstream consumption against fewer deliveries to warehouses over a period of time. As a consequence of which, primary aluminium inventory is incessantly recording a plunge, indicating a balance maintained between production, supply, and consumption in the market. According to Shanghai Metal Market on May 24, 2018, China’s inventory of primary aluminium, including SHFE warrants has seen a further dip to 2.08 million tonnes, 40000 tonnes lowered from 2.12 million tonnes on Monday, May 21, 2018, and 60,000 tonnes lowered from 2.14 million tonnes a week ago. The week-on-week decline is thus, slightly higher today than the decline of 58,000 tonnes last Thursday. The current inventory status in the major Chinese cities is as follows: On...
China’s Ministry of Finance declared on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, that the country is going to slash tariffs on most imported cars to 15 per cent, with effect from July 1, 2018. This will include the current 25 per cent tariff levied on 135 items and 20 per cent on four items, down 40 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. This announcement came in soon after China’s Vice Premiere Liu He and US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin led negotiations ended with a mutual agreement to withdraw a trade war. Import tariffs on 79 auto parts, including car bumpers, doors, and seat belts will also be reduced to 6 per cent from the current level of 8 to 25 per cent. The average tariffs on vehicles, after the cut, will stand at 13.8 per cent and 6 per cent on car parts. According to the ministry, slashing...
The mining conglomerate Vedanta Resources has reported rising cost pressures despite an increase in annual profits on the back of higher commodity prices. As announced on May 5, 2018, the company, controlled by Indian tycoon Anil Agarwal, witnessed a 21 per cent rise in consolidated profit-after-tax (PAT) at INR 13,692 crore in the financial year 2017 to 2018 ended on March 31, 2018, higher from INR 11,319 crore in FY2016-17. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation rose 27 per cent to close at US$4.1 billion, while revenue jumped 3 per cent to US$15.4 billion in FY2017-18. Despite, the London-listed company has reportedly experienced higher costs pressures, particularly in aluminium business. In this respect, Kuldip Kaura, company’s acting chief executive said in a...
According to the latest figures released by the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA), the first quarter of 2018 saw an export-led increase in aluminium foil deliveries in Europe, rather than improved domestic demand, in sharp contrast to Q1 2017. Overall production for the quarter was up 1.8% from 230,000 tonnes in 2017 to 234,000 tonnes in 2018. Domestic shipments dropped slightly by 2.2%, while exports of aluminium foil to non-European markets surged by 36%. The bullish trend in export started at the last quarter of 2017 when overseas demand went well above 30 per cent and it continued through Q1 2018. Shipments of thinner gauges, used mainly for flexible packaging and household foils; increased by 3.7%, in continuation with the steady demand recovery seen in the previous year....
Japan's import of aluminium alloy from China declined in the first three months of 2018. The country imported 73,393 tonnes of aluminium alloy in January-March, down 5 per cent YoY. The trend is expected to continue through 2018. As seen by Shanghai Metals Market, the prices of ADC12 aluminium alloys exports to Japan dippedUS$20 per tonne to stand at US$2,050-2,060 per tonne in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai area on Tuesday May 22 after prices in the Guangdong area lost US$20 per tonne to stand at US$2,050-2,060 per tonne fob on Monday May 21. The prices of ADC12 aluminium alloys to Japan surged in the last two weeks after China categorised the China Certification and Inspection Group (CCIC) in North America under an A-level risk alert. The month-long operation suspension of China...
LME aluminium stood rangebound and closed lower at US$ 2265.50per tonne on May 22 Tuesday from US$ 2278.5 per tonne on previous closing. The US dollar index dipped from its five-month high to close at 93.59 last night after US-Sino trade tension eased down. Base metals saw mixed trading overnight. According to Shanghai Metals Market LME aluminium lost upward momentum and dipped to a low of US$2,256.5 per tonne overnight. As alumina prices continued to fall, LME aluminium is expected to weaken further and trade at US$2,245-2,280 per tonne today. As on May 22, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2265 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2265.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2273 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2274 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price...
European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, that European Union has still no clarity about the United States’ decision over imported aluminium and steel tariffs exemptions, while the permanent exemption deadline is about to expire on June 1, 2018. The bloc has so far been given only temporary exemptions and now, it has only until the end of the month time to negotiate for a permanent exemption from the tariffs. Last week, the European Union leaders had decided at a summit that the bloc would be willing to offer talks on trade liberalisation should the United States grant a permanent and unconditional reprieve from the imported metal tariffs. The EU stands ready to deepen trans-Atlantic energy cooperation, notably on liquefied natural gas, improve...
The growing use of lightweight materials for the development of new energy vehicles is driving demand for aluminium alloy in China and around the world. At the last Auto China show alone, leading brands showcased 174 new energy models and it is predicted that by 2020, the number of new energy vehicles in China will reach 2 million. This rapid growth in both production and sales is underpinned by government policies and high market demand. Aluminium China 2018 in Shanghai, from 11-13 July, will offer a major international platform for the growing range of new lightweight materials and production solutions. In particular, the event will highlight the vital role of aluminium in the future of the new energy automotive industry. 32 new energy auto-related policies were launched in China in...
According to data updated by Shanghai Metal Market, spot aluminium discounts stood firm and thus, traders and downstream consumers in the spot aluminium market made stable procurements in east China on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. SHFE 1806 contract also traded weakly range-bound in the morning. Transactions in east China stood at RMB 14590 per tonne to RMB 14600 per tonne in Shanghai with discounts settled at RMB 80 to RMB 70 per tonne against the SHFE 1806 contract. In Wuxi and Hangzhou, transactions were mostly heard at RMB 14590 per tonne to RMB 14600 per tonne and RMB 14610 per tonne and RMB 14630 per tonne respectively. In Guangdong, on the other hand, transactions were mostly heard at RMB 14600 per tonne to RMB 14610 per tonne with Guangdong-Shanghai price spreads at RMB 10 per tonne....
With the growing focus on using sustainable resources and cutting down carbon footprints, recycling of resources have become imperative to the global manufacturing sector. Aluminium being one of the most energy intensive industries, demands more focused R&D on the recycling sector. AlCircle continues to deliver reports on industry specific topics based on its research and analysis and day to day rendezvous with news from the global aluminium industry. The Virtual Aluminium Ecosystem has added a new Sector Focus Report – “World Recycled Aluminium Market Analysis - Industry Forecast to 2022” to its 2018 portfolio. The report promises to provide a deep insight into the world aluminium recycling market that is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. Nearly 75 per cent of all...
National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco), a Navratna CPSE under Ministry of Mines, is looking out to tap the waste-to-wealth model using Chinese tech for processing mineral wastes and commercialising them, which in turn would help the company boost its bottom line. The company believes that by pursuing this out-of-the-box idea, it can recover 15 to 20 per cent of hidden alumina from its inventory of 60 million tonnes of red mud at captive bauxite deposits, located atop Panchpatmalli hills in southern Odisha’s Koraput district. Dr. Tapan Kumar Chand, Chairman of Nalco said, “For alumina extraction technology, we are discussing with a few IITs and the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT), Bhubaneswar. Nalco is keen to commercialize this alumina after extraction.” Over the...
In comments filed with the Department of Commerce regarding the recently implemented tariff on imported aluminum, the Beer Institute requested that the Department work with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to address potentially anticompetitive activities in the aluminum market that are driving up aluminum prices. “Just as the president has said he wants to protect American manufacturers, investigating the possible manipulation of our nation’s aluminum market will guarantee America’s more than 5,000 active breweries have greater predictability when purchasing aluminum to package their beer,” said Jim McGreevy, president and CEO of the Beer Institute. “We hope that the administration will do everything in its power to defend the more than 2.2 million American jobs...
Lian Li has recently launched Bora Lite RGB fans which are similar to the original Bora RGB family. The only exception is that the new fans are housed in CNC milled aluminium frames instead of plastic. "The Bora Lite 120's most iconic feature is its aluminium frame. The CNC milled frame adds a touch of modern, industrial feel whilst also improving the overall look of the case fans thanks to its metallic and reflective properties," Lian Li says. RGB Bora Lite 120 fans are available in two versions – RGB Bora Lite 120-3A S and RGB Bora Lite 120-3B. Both of them use aluminium frames of two different colours - black and silver to lend a distinctive premium look. The fans are rated to work at a speed range of 900 to 1500RPM with airflow of 45-50CFM. While the minimum expected noise from these...
Vimetco Group, which owns 84% stake in Alro, and controlled by Russian investor Vitaliy Machitski, is exploring strategic options for a potential decrease of its ownership stake in Romanian aluminium producer Alro Slatina. “The Company has been informed by its majority shareholder – Vimetco N.V., which currently holds 84.1898% of the Company's share capital (Vimetco) – that Vimetco is exploring strategic options for a potential decrease of its ownership stake in the Company and is reviewing any available options depending on market conditions, including a secondary public offering of shares on the Bucharest Stock Exchange,” Alro said. The review is ongoing and no decision has been yet made, according to the company. Further announcements will be made as and when a firm decision is made....
Australia's aluminium industry is a highly integrated sector of mining, refining, smelting and semi-fabrication centres. It has four major aluminium smelters- all operated by the biggest names in the global aluminium industry. Raw aluminium accounts for 19 per cent of the total exports of the country, according to 2016 data. Australia exports considerable amount of aluminium scrap to Japan. Japan alone imported 397711 tonnes of aluminium in 2017, according to recent statistics. Other major countries where Australia exports its aluminium include South Korea (183501 tonnes), Vietnam (163469 tonnes), Thailand (103440 tonnes), the USA (99268 tonnes) and Taiwan (87506 tonnes). As the data shows, in H2 2017, Australia exported 567848 tons of aluminium globally. The aluminium export delivered...
The UAE-based world’s leading manufacturer of copper and aluminium wire and cable products, Ducab, has broken ground on its new global headquarter at Jebel Ali free zone in Dubai. The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by leading Ducab officials including Chairman Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri, the Vice Chairman Dr. Ahmad bin Hassan Al Shaikh, Board Member Mabkhoot Al Menhali, and Managing Director Andrew Shaw. The new Ducab headquarter will be a three-storied building with a total built-up area of 4,053 square metres and a roof deck garden, the company revealed. The company also revealed that the headquarter is designed to be environmentally responsive and built to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Gold Certification when completed in 2019. The ground-breaking...
