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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France is one of the top aluminium scrap exporting countries in the world. The country’s aluminium consumption is driven by packaging, building and the automotive sector. These sectors generate substantial amount of scrap every year. France exports about 400,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap. Italy and Spain consumes the largest chunk of aluminium scrap export by France. Spain alone imported 114584 tonnes of aluminium scrap from France in 2017 (estimated). France exported around 112028 tonnes and 81280 tonnes of aluminium scrap to Italy and Belgium respectively. As per global export-import data, France is estimated to export 250073 tonnes of aluminium scrap in the half of 2018, up from 245357 tonnes of aluminium scrap in the same period previous year. The total export volume is expected to...
Emirates Global Aluminium announced the completion of the calcination process facility of Al Taweelah alumina refinery after more than 2.4 million hours of work. Al Taweelah alumina refinery is the first to be built in the UAE to secure alumina needs of the UAE’s aluminium industry needs. The calcination process facility contains more than 1,700 instruments, over 100 motors, and some 165 kilometres of cabling. Al Taweelah alumina refinery is expected to produce the first batch of alumina by the first half of 2019. More than 11,000 people are currently working on the approximately $3.3 billion project. 82 per cent of the construction has been completed by now. The completion ceremony was attended by Her Excellency Riita Swan, the Finnish Ambassador to the UAE, EGA’s Managing Director and...
Aluminium Association, the leading voice for aluminium industry representing the US and other foreign-based companies and their suppliers throughout the value chain, right from primary production to value-added products and recycling, has written a letter to US President Donald Trump on April 24, 2018, asking for permanent, quota-free exemptions from imported aluminium tariff under administration’s section 232 for all responsible trading partner countries. In the letter, Aluminium Association president & CEO Heidi Brock says, “As you continue to evaluate and implement the Section 232 remedy, I urge you to grant permanent exemptions – without quotas – for our aluminium trading partners that operate as market economies. I also encourage you to engage China to address structural aluminium...
After a wild week of surging, LME aluminium fell 7 per cent on Monday, its biggest one-day drop in eight years, after the United States had extended the deadline for companies to complete business with sanctions-hit Russian producer Rusal. LME aluminium fell further yesterday and hit a low of US$2,175 per tonne as Rusal’s Kubal smelter in Sweden said it has resumed part of the deliveries and operations. Finally the aluminium contract closed at US$2,222 per tonne on Tuesday April 24. Shanghai Metals Market expects the LME aluminium contract to trade at US$2,165-2,255 per tonne today. As on April 24, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2,221 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2,222 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2221 per tonne, 3-months offer price...
Hydro recorded underlying earnings before financial items and tax of NOK 3,147 million in Q1 2018, up from NOK 2,284 million in Q1 2017.The increase mainly reflects a higher all-in metal and alumina prices that was partly offset by increased raw material costs. The production cut at Alunorte and Paragominas during March had a negative impact on the results for Bauxite & Alumina in Q1 2018. The results were driven by higher realized alumina sales prices offset by higher raw material prices and reduced output at both plants. "The US sanctions on Rusal have caused great uncertainty in the world’s aluminium markets and will impact trade flows and availability of metal and raw materials throughout the aluminium value chain. The Brazilian authorities’ embargo on Alunorte adds to the uncertainty...
Shanghai Metal Market (SMM) believes that the aluminium prices, which fell drastically on London Metal Exchange (LME) on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 following the US eased sanctions on Russia, are going to gain some support from the higher alumina prices. Last week, alumina was traded at US$800 per tonne in Brazil, while in Australia the prices were hovering at US$710 per tonne on Thursday, April 19, 2018, up US$225 per tonne from April 13. 50 per cent production cut at Norsk Hydro’s Alunorte in Brazil since late February and poor supply of Russian alumina due to US sanctions on Rusal and other major producers were the prime reasons for the pick and is estimated to affect around 319,000 tonnes of alumina output each month, according to SMM. The turning point for alumina production is,...
Alba’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Murray said on Tuesday that the company is seeking an exemption from U.S tariff on aluminium. “We are in the process of doing that application,” Murray told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in London. If an exemption is not granted, “Ultimately the tariffs will be passed along in terms of the mid-west pricing... the consumer is going to pay,” he said. The company currently exports 120,000 tonnes of aluminium to the United States. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Mexico, and South Korea were granted temporary exemptions until May 1, 2018. He said: “Alba is currently the fifth largest smelter in the world; I am proud to say that in CRU 2019, Alba will be the world’s largest smelter with an annual production capacity of 1.5...
According to the report by WTO on Monday April 23, 2018, The European Union has formally made a request to join discussions over US imported aluminium and steel tariffs, initiated by China at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). China had initiated the dispute earlier this month amid tensions between Beijing and Washington over US imported aluminium and steel tariffs. Moreover, Trump had introduced extra tariffs on US$60 in Chinese exports over allegations of intellectual property theft. The statement published on Monday reads, "The European Union (the EU) hereby notifies the Government of the United States, the Government of China, and the Dispute Settlement Body that, in the light of its substantial trade interest, it desires to be joined in the consultations requested by China in a...
Mercantile OFM’s A11c per share proportional takeover offer for Bauxite Resources has been extended until May 21, while the company is fighting back, boosting its venture Ceres bauxite deposit in the Darling Range, Western Australia by 48%, a company press release confirmed. The exploration project areas are contained within the Company’s joint venture agreement with HD Mining & Investments Pty Ltd. HDM is funding the exploration activities in Ceres. BRL retains 100% interest in other minerals for these exploration licences. The Company currently has exploration access agreements in place and they need to complete mining access agreements and a mining lease to start mining. The previous resource estimate announced in July 2012 stood at 14.8Mt at 31.7% available alumina. It is assumed that...
The global aluminium powders, pastes, and flakes market is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 5 per cent during 2018-2022, according to Technavio market research analysts. The aluminium paste product segment accounted for nearly 39 per cent of the market in 2017. Asia-Pacific region accounted for 45 per cent of the market share last year. The demand from the construction sector is projected to boost the growth in the global aluminium powders, pastes, and flakes market during the forecast period. As shown in data, Czech Republic imported 3576 tonnes of aluminium powder and flakes in 2016. The total cost of import was USD 10 million. The country imported 3294 tonnes of aluminium powder and flakes in 2017. The country’s import of aluminium powder and flakes is...
AluMore in conjunction with their partner company, Dynamic Concept successfully completed an upgrade to the casting pit at Sierra Aluminum in Riverside, California. Following 3‐D laser inspection of the casting pit, a new guide rail system was installed along with a new casting platen and cylinder mounting system. The project, intended to improve the straightness of the cast product was successfully executed with the collaboration between Dynamic Concept Engineers and the Foundry Maintenance team at Sierra and restarting of production was achieved three days ahead of schedule. AluMore is a casthouse equipment supply company based in Riverside, California focused on the modernization, upgrading and optimization of existing casting facilities. Dynamic Concept is a technology and equipment...
The Indian rating agency ICRA estimates that the sudden surge in aluminium price by 30 per cent over the last two weeks owing to US sanctions against Rusal may impact the Indian automotive industry’s profitability and also the profitability of auto component suppliers as well as OEMs in the near term, leading to a surge in vehicle price, especially of those that are primarily made of aluminium, as vehicle manufacturers would be passing the cost pressure to the customers, as analysed by ICRA. The US sanctions imposed on Rusal is estimated to take away more than 6 per cent of global aluminium supply and 14 per cent outside China, as per the reports. Ashish Modani, Assistant Vice President, Corporate Sector Rating, ICRA said, “Already, automobile industry is grappling with commodity prices...
After witnessing a marginal rise from RMB 14870 per tonne to 14940 per tonne on April 23, 2018, the average A00 aluminium ingot price reversed its course to close at RMB 14480 per tonne today April 24, 2018, according to Shanghai Metal Market. The prices are expected to range between RMB 14460 per tonne and RMB 14500 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 50 to RMB 90 per tonne. To say the truth, aluminium ingot price has been oscillating at an interval over a period of time following the production cut at aluminium plants across the globe due to unavailability of alumina, owing to 50 per cent production curtail at Norsk Hydro’s alumina refinery. On 20 th of April, 2018, the aluminium ingot price had plunged considerably from RMB 15070 per tonne to RMB 14870 per tonne and just...
LME aluminium registered the biggest one-day decline in history and lost close to 10 per cent. The metal tumbled to a low of US$ 2,237 per tonne following the US Treasury Department’s announcement to extend the time limit for US and non-US citizens to wind up business with Rusal, according to SMM. LME aluminium closed lower at US$ 2452 per tonne on Monday April 23. The US Treasury on Monday said that it would consider lifting the sanctions if Russian aluminium giant Rusal’s major shareholder Oleg Deripaska ceded control of the company SMM expects LME aluminium to remain weak in the near term and test support at the 20-day moving average with a trading range of US$ 2,170-2,270 per tonne. As on April 23, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2451.50 per tonne, LME official settlement...
Hydro has notified Rusal it may be necessary to declare force majeure on certain contracts, as the company could be prevented from upholding its obligations due to the US sanctions list issued on April 6, at least from June 5. Hydro estimates the potential impact on its production and customers would not be significant, neither upstream nor downstream. As a global aluminium company active throughout the value chain and present in around 40 countries throughout the world, Hydro interacts commercially with all the main companies in the industry. Hydro will utilize its strong market presence to mitigate potential impact arising from the US sanctions, aiming to minimize the effects on its customers. The US sanctions list has caused uncertainty in world aluminium markets since it includes...
According to Iran’s annual performance report of aluminium sector FY2017-18, released by Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIRDO) today April 23, 2018, about 340,000 tonnes of aluminium ingots were produced over the year, with the production capacity of 487,000 tonnes and estimated to rise to 780,000 tonnes by 2020 and 1.2 million tonnes by 2025. However, the country’s aluminium ingot production accounted for 18,300 tonnes in the one-month period. Iran’s three leading companies Iranian Aluminium Company (IRALCO), Al-Mahdi Aluminium Corporation (AAC) and Hormozal produced 337,608 tonnes of aluminium ingots in the 12-month period, down 1 percent less year-on-year. In the meanwhile, the demand for aluminium in Iran stands at about 500,000 tonnes....
Chinese aluminium giant Chalco reported a 19.4 per cent drop in the first quarter net profit due to lower aluminium prices. The company’s net profit declined to 308.6 million yuan ($48.94 million) in the first three months of 2018 as against 382.9 million yuan in the corresponding period last year. The company said in a filing to the Shanghai stock exchange that it generated revenue of 36.7 billion yuan, down 10.5 per cent, according to a report published by Reuters. The price decline continued in January-March period, with Shanghai aluminium futures falling 10.6 per cent, the worst quarter since the middle of 2010, as Chinese inventories rose, Reuters reported. According to a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company produced around 3.61 million tonnes of...
According to Shanghai Metal Market report on April 23, 2018, the secondary aluminium industry is being hit hard by tight raw material supply and sluggish demand following the US-China trade war started in March 2018. Aluminium scrap prices have been staying high since then, due to the lack of specialised invoice in the Chinese domestic market and country’s restrictions on imports. Invoice tax point has also increased to 12 per cent due to this, up 2.5 to 3 per cent compared to the same period last year. The maximum impurity content of imported materials which was lowered from 2 per cent to 1 percent on March 1 has driven the price surge of aluminium scrap, in addition. The supply is also tight as secondary aluminium producers in China have stopped sourcing aluminium scrap from the US...
