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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After a gain on Tuesday to US$ 2073 per tonne, LME aluminium resumed its downward trends and closed at US$ 2056.5 per tonne on Wednesday 21 March. As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, LME aluminium met resistance at the 10-day moving average and lacked strong support overnight. SMM expects the contract to trade at US$2,065-2,095 per tonne today. As on March 21, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2056 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2056.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2078 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2079 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2127 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price is US$ 2132 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock has dropped to1283025 tonnes. Live Warrants totalled at 1049625 tonnes, and Cancelled...
Located at Cleveland, the reputed aluminium firm Aleris International, Inc. announced its result for the final quarter of 2017, as well as the full year. Both the results indicated an overall downfall. Certain tax items, peak start-up expenses, and write-offs from the sale of the company aluminium recycling business bear criticisms for the fall, among many other factors. Results for 4QFY17 The firm shipped 184 thousand tonnes of finished products in the final quarter of the year, slightly low year-on-year from the contemporary period of the prior year totalling 189 thousand tonnes. However, the revenue in the fourth quarter 2017 saved the predicament by attaining US$694 million, up from last year’s fourth quarter total of US$613 million. The commercial margin increased as well in the...
Novelis has supplied premium aluminium to the new London Electric Taxi. London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) has developed an all-new zero-emissions capable taxi, the TX, with an aluminium frame. The company’s lightweight aluminium sheet is incorporated into the design of the TX to help reduce weight and increase the driving range. Image Source: Novelis “Many automakers and particularly those like LEVC that sell urban vehicles are allocating more time and resources to electrification and lightweighting as a way to increase the performance of the vehicle and reduce CO2 emissions,” said Michael Hahne, Vice President, Automotive, Novelis Europe. LEVC wants to create cities that are cleaner and greener for everyone and by incorporating more infinitely recyclable and lightweight aluminium...
Nalco has firmed up plans to form a joint venture and Ontario (Canada) based Almex at the upcoming Angul Aluminium Park in Odisha for the production of auto-grade aluminium. The unit with INR 25 billion investment will be set up on 50 acres at the park. “Almex has responded to our EoI (Expression of Interest). Our JV with them is aimed at production of auto-grade aluminium and also of special alloys that find applications in aerospace. In India, aluminium makes its way into barely 300 applications compared with over 3,000 applications worldwide. Nalco will have the majority equity in the JV. Financial institutions could also have stake in the project,” said T K Chand, chairman and managing director of Nalco. Angul Aluminium Park is a joint venture between Navratna firm National Aluminium...
Rio Tinto has asked Swiss investment bank UBS to explore a possible public listing of its Pacific Aluminium smelting business on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), two industry sources said on Friday. The mining group has tried to sell the division many times without success, including in 2017, when it added two alumina refineries in Australia to the portfolio to make it more appealing, the sources said. The addition of QAL and Yarwun alumina refineries, however, doubled the $1 billion price tag and interest waned, they added. “Rio Tinto wasn’t satisfied with the level of the offers, so they decided to appoint UBS to try and do an IPO,” one of the sources said. “There were three bidders left at the end of the process: U.S. producer Century Aluminium, private equity firm Apollo...
After China and Russia, UAE holds a significant position as an aluminium exporter to the US. Being the third largest exporter, the nation is now seeking an exemption from the new aluminium, steel tariffs imposed by the Trump government on imported aluminium and steel. Countries like Bahrain, New Zealand, and Japan have already been asking for an exemption and now UAE joins them. A senior government official reported on Tuesday that UAE is asking Washington for an exemption from the tariffs and believes that it should be granted sooner or later. Since the United States has exempted its neighbouring countries Canada and Mexico and ready to exclude some of its allies too from the imposition of the tariffs, which levy 10 per cent on aluminium and 25 per cent on steel, UAE is hoping high for...
Germany imported EUR 89.7 billion worth of goods in January 2018, up 6.7 per cent from a year earlier. Germany’s import of aluminium powder and flakes increased in volume in 2017 when compared to 2016 data. Russian Federation is the top supplier of aluminium powder and flakes to the country. Germany imported an estimated 11445 tonnes of aluminium powder and flakes last year. Germany bought the maximum amount of aluminium powder and flakes from Austria, the United Kingdom, Poland and Bahrain (2017 data). The global import-export data shows, Germany imported 30463 tonnes of aluminium powder and flakes in 2017. The total import was valued at US$14 million. In 2016, the country had imported 29543 tonnes of aluminium powder and flakes with total value estimated at US$74 million. In 2018,...
Emaar Industries & Investments (EII) has acquired a stake in Gutmann Systems Middle East, a supplier of architectural aluminium glazing systems. The strategic partnership with EII will be a game changer for our operations in the region, according to Gutmann Systems Middle East. Nael Afieh, Managing Director of Gutmann Systems Middle East, said: “The strategic partnership with EII will be a game changer for our operations in the region, as we continue to grow our footprint and business.” “Across the MENA region, there are significant investments in infrastructure development. This forms an ideal market for our solutions that have demonstrated their high standards of quality. We aim to build long-term value through this association and look forward to the informed guidance and strategic...
China, being one of the most aspiring aluminium producers, targets new highs every year; while this year is no exception either. As reported by Platts, China’s Yunnan Aluminium has declared on Monday that it is aiming at producing 1.4 million tonnes of aluminium in the year 2018, up by 65.1 per cent as compared to the realized output in the prior year. This high target is particularly in reverence to the ramp-up of the newly commissioned expansion project. While the alumina and aluminium semi-producer secured a 3.4 per cent year-on-year hike in 2017, alumina output registered 847,800 tonnes in its annual report, filed to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on Monday. It is believed that the company’s commencement of its trial production of 600,000 tonnes per year second phase alumina capacity...
Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange increased further to close at US$2073 per tonne on Tuesday, March 20, up from the previous day’s close at US$2070.5 per tonne. LME aluminium continued to consolidate and is expected to trade at US$2,070-2,095 per tonne today, according to SMM. The Federal Reserve’s decision on an interest rate hike will give more guidance to the market. As on March 20, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2072 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2073 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2093 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2093.50 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2142 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price is US$ 2147 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock has dropped to 1288675 tonnes. Live Warrants...
Japanese aluminium buyers have agreed to pay producers premiums for supplies of the metal during the second quarter that are 25 percent higher than the first quarter, reflecting surging spot premiums in the United States, five sources directly involved in the quarterly pricing talks said. The two sides agreed to a premium PREM-ALUM-JP of $129 per tonne for metal to be shipped during the April to June quarter, up from $103 in the first quarter. The premium is the highest in three years and marks the second consecutive quarterly rise. Japan is Asia’s biggest aluminium importer and the premiums for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price set the benchmark for the region. The latest negotiations began last month between Japanese...
Japanese trade minister updated on Tuesday that there is a high chance of some Japanese steel and aluminium products to be exempted from the new US tariffs; reason being the products are not quickly replaceable. “I think there is a high chance that Japanese steel and aluminium products would be exempted from the new tariffs on a per-item basis, as they contribute greatly to U.S. industries and many of them have little substitute,” the minister told a news conference. While US President Donald Trump has proclaimed to impose 25 per cent import tariffs on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium, he, at the same time, has released Canada and Mexico from the tariffs and proposed the same offer to other allies. Trump’s proclamation has also allowed importers to appeal for an exemption on some of...
The imposition of 10 per cent tariff on import of aluminium into the USA would not have any major impact on the current dynamics of the global aluminium industry, according to rating agency Icra. This is primarily due to the fact that the global market is currently in a deficit, following key regulatory steps taken by the Chinese Government to curb production from its polluting and “illegal” aluminium smelters. Hence, the world, outside the USA, can absorb the aluminium metal, which is currently being exported from the countries that are going to be impacted by the tariff. The expectation, however, does not take into account the impact of retaliatory trade measure, if any that may be taken by affected countries against the USA. Says Jayanta Roy, senior vice president and group head,...
A group calling itself the Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape has urged Ghana government to rescind plans to mine bauxite in the Atewa Forest Reserve. Three major river bodies, Ayensu, Densu and Birim, will be affected if bauxite mining activities are allowed in the region, citifmonline reported. Atewa Forest Reserve provides water more than 5 million people in Greater Accra Region, Eastern Region and some parts of the Central Region. “Water supply to some 5 million people is at stake and we cannot afford that because we want to do bauxite mining at all cost at every place, so whether it is good or bad, we will do it. We don’t always have to mine every place because we need to mine. There are certain development measures we have to put in place,” according to Concerned Citizens of...
Birmingham-based ExtrudaSeal has launched a new high-performance lock housing mechanism with easy to fit Eurogroove cover for aluminium bi-folding door systems. Developed in response to fabricator demand, the rigid PVC-U extrusion delivers an exacting and flush fit inside the sash frame, minimising adjustment of locking mechanisms. Paul James, sales director, Extrudaseal explained: “In developing a lock-housing which sits flush with the frame but most importantly tight within it, we’re able to eliminate any movement. “The major innovation is that the housing features two additional legs, which reinforce and deliver far greater structural integrity to the profile. “When its fixed within the frame with fixing screws there’s no movement whatsoever and because it’s also flush with the frame...
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced tariffs exclusion process for aluminium and steel. “These procedures will allow the Administration to further hone these tariffs to ensure they protect our national security while also minimizing undue impact on downstream American industries,” said Secretary Ross. “Secretary Ross, in consultation with other Administration officials, will evaluate exclusion requests, taking into account national security considerations. In that evaluation, the Secretary will consider whether a product is produced in the United States of a satisfactory quality or in a sufficient and reasonably available amount,” according to U.S. Department of Commerce press release. Only individuals or organizations using steel or aluminium articles identified in Presidential...
There is already a long queue of companies and associations in US, urging the government to withhold steel, aluminium tariff plans on China. In a very recent time, Forty-five US trade associations, representing some of the largest companies in the country, have also joined the queue and signed a petition to Trump administration to halt plans to levy tariffs on China. They even urge in the petition to President Trump to join hands with other nations and press Beijing to end restrictions on foreign firms. This petition is signed after a careful analysis that the imposition of steel, aluminium tariffs on China may particularly harm the US economy and consumers. Forty-five US trade associations have also warned the President in the letter about the adverse effect on financial markets, a price...
Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange increased further to close at US$2070.5 per tonne on Monday, March 19, up from the previous day’s close at US$2069 per tonne. According to SMM, there will be limited downward room for the US dollar if interest rates increase. This may give little support to LME aluminium to stand firmly at the $2,100 per tonne level. SMM expects the contract to trade at US$2,075-2,100 per tonne today. As on March 19, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2070 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2070.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2090 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2092 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2138 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price is US$ 2143 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock...
