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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The European Union has decided to pursue a limited trade deal with the United States after Washington grants it a full exemption from imported aluminium and steel tariffs, reported the EU’s top trade official on Friday, May 4, 2018. "I would say that a more limited agreement would be the easiest one if we want to get results quickly," said EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom in an interview to AFP, a few days after Washington extended aluminium and steel tariffs exemptions on Europe and other allies until June 1, 2018. According to Malmstrom, a US trade deal would be totally different from the attempted and highly ambitious Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal. It will require a lengthy scoping process and unanimous approval of EU member states for the talks to...
Gränges, a leading global supplier of rolled aluminium products for heat exchanger applications, will invest USD 26 million in its aluminium foil production facility in Newport, Arkansas. The investment will upgrade existing rolling mills and equipment. The production at the site will begin in the first quarter of 2019. Gränges CEO Johan Menckel said: "This is a good opportunity for us to upgrade and use the assets we already own, and address an attractive market niche which has been mainly served through imports. We expect the investment to make a positive contribution to earnings in 2019 and beyond.” The aluminium foil facility produced aluminium foil for consumer applications until 2015 and has subsequently been idle with very limited business in surface treatment. The facility was...
Alcoa Corporation, the world’s sixth largest producer of aluminium with corporate headquarters in Pennsylvania, announced on Friday, May 4, 2018, that its Quebec smelter is ready to conduct mediated contract talks with the United Steelworkers union and has also notified provincial labour ministry about it. Alcoa, with an annual production capacity of 430,000 tonnes, has been operating at reduced output capacity by union co-workers since January 11, 2018, as the company had locked out its 1,030 unionised workers on contract expiry. Aluminium markets, on the other hand, were struggling for weeks when the United States slapped the Russian oligarch Oleg-Deripaska-owned UC Rusal with sanctions. However, the situation is now under control since when the US has extended the sanctions deadline to...
Mining conglomerate Vedanta Ltd. has announced its unaudited consolidated results for the fourth quarter of the financial year 2017-18, as well as the full financial year ended March 31, 2018. According to the results, the company has witnessed 22 per cent increase in year-on-year revenue closing at INR 92,923 crore and 13 per cent increase in quarter-on-quarter revenue to close at INR 27,630 crore. The increase was mainly on account of the ramp-up of capacities at Aluminium, record production from Zinc India and improved commodity prices partly offset by currency appreciation and lower sales at Iron ore. The firm has reported a 34 per cent rise in consolidated profit-after-tax (PAT) at INR 5,675 crore for the fourth quarter of FY2017-18, whereas, in the contemporary period last year, it...
Pacific Bauxite Limited has announced that it will raise up to $3.5 million to fund exploration at its Nendo Bauxite Project (Nendo) and South-West New Georgia Bauxite Project (SWNG) in the Solomon Islands. The company has received commitments to raise $2.5 million through a two tranche placement of fully paid ordinary shares and options to sophisticated investors (Placement). Funds will be used to accelerate exploration at its Solomon Islands bauxite projects, as well as for resource estimation work and general working capital. Pacific Bauxite Non-Executive Chairman Mr. John Ciganek commented, “The support we have received for the placement is very encouraging. We have strong belief in the potential of our projects to host significant bauxite orebodies, and look forward to unlocking...
Lincoln Industries, one of the leading provider of metal finishing services and manufactured finished products, has acquired affiliated Wisconsin-based businesses Southwest Metal Finishing and Inventix Manufacturing. Southwest Metal Finishing in New Berlin, Wisconsin is a decorative chrome plating and metal finishing company. Inventix Manufacturing in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin produces zinc and aluminum die castings. Southwest Metal Finishing also has facilities in Texas and Mexico. Together, the companies employ over 600 people. Marc LeBaron, CEO and chairman of Lincoln Industries, says the transaction expands Lincoln Industries capabilities and market reach, and will strengthen relationships with current customers. “The combination of our companies will drive substantial technological...
President Trump is continuing to keep several countries on toes, especially China, with imported aluminium and steel tariffs and at the same time, keeping workers like Charles Cesmat, a parts manager at a Boeing plant in Renton, Washington in dismay. Boeing is perhaps one of those American companies that ride on a super healthy relationship with China. It ships one of every four planes that it assembles to China. So, every time Mr. President slaps Beijing with a new set of tariffs, Mr. Cesmat winces. “I’m concerned a potential trade war could affect work for our members and work for me,” Mr. Cesmat said. “Thousands of people’s jobs rely on a working relationship with China.” According to a Seattle consulting firm, Boeing’s trade with China supports 40 per cent of all jobs in Washington...
China’s alumina imports hit a record low of 8,145 tonnes in March, down 98 per cent from the same period previous year. SMM reported that non-metallurgical grade alumina accounted for most of the imports in March and the volume of metallurgical grade was zero. SMM believes that tight global supplies and a bigger price gap between Chinese and overseas alumina will drive China to import less and export more. Data Source: metal.com Chinese alumina imports dropped 80 per cent from the same period previous year, according to China's customs data. China imported 184,905 tonnes of alumina from the global market in the first three months of 2018. China’s alumina imports from Japan were up 39 per cent YoY in March 2018. Japan exported 2,531 tonnes of alumina to China. France exported 2,417 tonnes...
The Greek Industrial Group reported on Thursday, May 3, 2018 that Mytilineos, a Greek-based industrial conglomerate whose companies are active in the sectors of metallurgy, energy, and EPC, is expecting a positive prospect for its alumina business in Greece despite surging alumina prices last month on the face of US sanctions against Russian aluminium companies including UC Rusal. The scarcity of alumina due to partial production shutdown at Norsk Hydro’s Alunorte’s alumina refinery in Brazil, following the bauxite output cut at Hydro’s Paragominas mine, had also created a buzz across the world. Nevertheless, amid all the muddles in the alumina sector across the world, Mytilineos is keeping hopes on its alumina business. As it reported in a first-quarter trading update, it has...
LME aluminium surged high during yesterday’s trading and closed at US$2,349 on Thursday May 3, from US$2269 per tonne on Wednesday May 2. LME aluminium traded around the 20-day moving average overnight and we expect it to trade at US$2,260-2,320 per tonne today. As on May 3, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2348 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2349 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$2340 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2342 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$2297 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price stands at US$ 2302 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock stood at 1319300 tonnes. Live Warrants totalled at 871825 tonnes, and Cancelled Warrants were 447475 tonne. LME aluminium 3-months ABR price is hovering low at US$ 2325.36 tonne....
Century Aluminium Company, a global producer of primary aluminium, reported a net loss of $0.3 million for the first quarter of 2018. The adjusted net loss for the first quarter of was $3.5 million compared to adjusted net income of $24.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. Sales for Q1 2018 were $454.5 million compared with $433.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. Shipments of primary aluminium were 187,238 tonnes compared with 189,000 tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2017. Century reported adjusted EBITDA of $21.8 million in Q1 2018, from $60.2 million Q4 2017. The decrease was due to higher raw material costs, partially offset by higher LME and regional premiums. The company’s cash position at quarter end was $130.8 million and revolver availability was $160.9 million. Michael...
According to Shanghai Metal Market, China’s aluminium spot market witnessed a significant rise in trading, especially in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Wuxi on Thursday, May 3, 2018. The reason was more and more traders wanted to stockpile aluminium due to tight market supply. Transactions in Guangdong, however, remained flat due to sluggish downstream demand. In Shanghai, while the transactions for cargoes with May invoices stood at RMB 14400 to RMB 14410 per tonne with discounts of RMB 50 to RMB 40 per tonne against the 1805 contract, in Wuxi and Hangzhou, the transactions were heard at RMB 14400 to RMB 14410 per tonne and RMB 14420 to RMB 14440 per tonne respectively. Most of the transactions were from traders since downstream demand remained low. Guangdong, on the other hand, had a quieter...
Aleris has signed a multi-year contract with Boeing to supply aluminium plate and sheet for the production of its various airplanes. With this contract Aleris' has reassured its status as a key supplier of aluminium rolled products to all major airplane manufacturers worldwide. Aleris has been supplying to the aerospace industry for more than 30 years. Aleris’ innovative materials are designed to meet the industry's highest quality standards. The aluminium plate and sheet supplied by Aleris will be used in applications across Boeing's commercial airplane models. Sean Stack, Aleris Chairman and CEO commented on the agreement, "Our strength lies in the combination of strategically located production facilities and a continuous focus on enhancing our product offering." "We are committed to...
Local stakeholders of bauxite operations owned by Russian company UC Rusal is beaming with utmost joy since the United States has amended sanctions which it had imposed on key figures in Russia. The month of May thus began with the best positive move ever by putting an end to the blacklisting of the international aluminium giant. Not only is this decision expected to bring in a gust of positive sentiment in the metal market by eradicating aluminium supply scare but should also provide a lifeline for the employees and communities that benefit from the operations of UC Rusal-owned West Indies Alumina Company (Windalco) in St Catherine and Kirkvine works in Manchester. Hugh Graham, the replacement of Robert Pickersgill for the future general elections in North West St. Catherine constituency...
AMAG Austria, a leading Austrian premium supplier of high-quality aluminium cast and flat rolled products reported results for Q1 2018. The market environment was positive during the first months of 2018; despite various developments like US import tariffs on aluminium, alumina production cut at Alunorte Brazil and US sanctions against Russia affecting price and supply. AMAG Austria Metall AG revenue grew by 2 % to EUR 263.2 million due to the higher aluminium price, although shipments by the AMAG Group were down by around 6 % year-on-year to 101,000 tonnes, mainly due to the planned upgrades in the Casting Division. EBITDA stood at EUR 38.9 million, down compared with EUR 43.4 million in the first quarter of 2017, due to higher start-up costs associated with the site expansion programme....
Italy imported US$452.2 billion worth of goods from around the globe last year. According to available export-import data, the country will import 23 per cent more alumina in the first half of 2018, compared to the same period last year. The market for high purity alumina witnessed growth during the past few years and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.7 per cent in terms of volume during the forecast period 2017-2023. The market is expected to garner $5,293 million by 2023, according to Allied Market Research. As per global export-import data, Italy is estimated to import 87411 tonnes of alumina in the half of 2018, up from 70866 tonnes of alumina in the same period previous year.In H2 2018, the country is estimated to export 80435 tonnes of alumina, up from 68971 tonnes in the...
New Zealand to be slapped with aluminium and steel tariffs if they want to export to the US – declared the Trump government. While on one hand, the United States has reached agreements for permanent exemptions for some of its allies including Australia and extended reprieve for the EU, Canada, and Mexico until June 1, 2018; on the other, the country excluded New Zealand, South Africa and Japan from the relief. Although the decision did not appear as a big surprise to the New Zealand government, yet it felt like "a kick in the guts", said Employers and Manufacturers Association chief executive Kim Campbell. Expressing disappointment, he also said, “What we have trouble trying to figure out is the rather random nature of the countries that have been made exempt.” "It seems our closest...
Although the average A00 aluminium ingot price witnessed a dip to RMB 14330 per tonne on 2nd of May, 2018 from RMB 14430 per tonne on 27th of April, it restored and secured a marginal growth to RMB 14390 per tonne just a day after i.e. on 3 rd of May, 2018. The price was up from May 2 but down from April 27, according to Shanghai Metal Market. The prices are expected to range between RMB 14370 per tonne and RMB 14410 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 70 to RMB 30 per tonne. Amidst the oscillating phase on the face of Rusal’s sanctions and dicey availability of alumina for the production due to output cut at Hydro’s refinery, a little hike in A00 aluminium ingot price in China left a gust of positive sentiment in the market for the sellers, as well as for the producers. Major...
