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 city, known for its prodigious business hub or popularly recognised as the economic capital of India - Mumbai witnessed a prestigious One Day National Seminar on Development of Special Alloys and Composites of Aluminum for New India on 16th of March, 2018, organised by Aluminium Association of India (AAI), in association with Hindalco. The seminar was held in one of the plush venues in Mumbai, 18.99 Latitude Banquets, 4th Floor, Trade View building, situated at the prime location of the city, Lower Parel, Oasis Complex, Kamala Mills, Gate No.4. Purpose of the seminar The seminar was held in Mumbai by Aluminium Association of India (AAI), an apex body of all aluminium industries in the country, in association with the primary producers of Aluminium and leading ancillary and Downstream...
Hydro expands the scope of the ongoing independent review of Alunorte by Brazilian environmental consultancy SGW Services to include all interfaces with areas adjacent to the refinery operation. Hydro’s Internal Audit will conduct a full review of all licenses, complementing SGW’s review of Alunorte’s permits and relevant legislation. The decision to expand the scope of SGW’s mandate and to launch an internal audit follows an infraction notice from Pará State Environment and Sustainability Secretary - SEMAS on 15 March. The notice relates to an unlicensed connection between the Alunorte refinery and a licensed drainage canal from the adjacent Albras aluminium plant, leading to discharge of untreated rainwater from the roof of the coal storage shed at Alunorte into the Pará River through...
The Goods and Services Tax (GST), even after being introduced eight months ago, is still stirring a storm among businessmen from all industries, including aluminium. A high rate of the tax, with no provision for refund, has been persistently threatening to demote the aluminium recycling industry, a majority of which are MSMEs, reported by the representatives on Saturday. “The aluminium recycling industry, which is represented by around 5,000 Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, is severely affected by the accumulation of GST due to over-valuation of imports of aluminium scrap by the Customs,” said Mahendra Shah, president of the All India Non-Ferrous Metal Exim Association, an official body of aluminium recycling industry that depends largely on imported metal scrap. Mr. Shah further...
New Zealand has requested US to exempt it from the new tariffs on imported aluminium and steel. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has written to the United States president to grant an exemption from the new import tariffs. "We are awaiting a response, as are many other countries who have sought an exemption as well," Jacinda Ardern said. The country shipped $23 million and $39 million worth of aluminium and steel respectively last year. Ardern said that New Zealand’s aluminium and steel shipments posed no threat to U.S. aluminium and steel manufacturers. "We have what I would characterise as an important and broad relationship with the US, not unlike Australia, so we believe we have a strong case for an exemption,”Ardern said earlier this month. "I think that case is enhanced by the fact...
Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced that it recycled over 96 thousand tonnes of waste in 2017, up from over 77 thousand tonnes in 2016. Today is the first Global Recycling Day, which is being marked worldwide to encourage the economic re-use of waste. The volume waste EGA recycled in 2017 increased as the company reduced stockpiles from previous years having found economically-viable solutions. Salman Abdulla, EGA’s Executive Vice President of Health, Safety, Security, Environment, Quality and Business Transformation, said: “At EGA our long term aspiration is that everything we produce can ultimately be a product with an economic use. We just have to work with other industries to find those uses....
Iran produced over 309,007 tonnes of aluminium ingots in the first eleven months of the current Iranian year (March 20-Feb. 20), according to the data released by the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO). Iran has been following a downward pattern for aluminium export in last three years. It is estimated that the export of aluminium by Iran to decline in both value and volume in 2018.Top importers who have been buying aluminium from Iran include Turkey, China, South Korea, Netherlands and India (2017 data). As shown in the data, Iran exported an estimated 85185 tonnes of aluminium in 2017, down from 99013 tonnes in 2016. For 2018, the aluminium export by Iran is estimated to be about 77568 tonnes. The revenue from aluminium export was US$...
Ever since US President Donald Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminium for reviving unfair business practices within the nation, a series of apprises related to it is crossing our path. Now the latest news is the US Commerce Department is all set to begin accepting requests for product exclusions from President Donald Trump’s new steel and aluminium import tariffs from Monday. However, the agency might take up to 90 days for making the determinations. The Commerce Department mentioned in a notice published on Saturday on the Federal Register website that the effective date would be 19th of March, 2018 for declaring the rules and procedures for the requests. Agency officials also revealed at the weekend that they are anticipating to be receiving around 4,500...
LME aluminium shows some positive gain after a drop last Friday. LME aluminium closed at US$2069 per tonne on Friday March 16, up from US$2062 per tonne on Thursday March 15. LME aluminium gradually fell with resistance at the $2,100 per tonne level, according to Shanghai Metals Market. SMM expects the contract to trade at US$2,075-2,095 per tonne. As on March 16, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2068 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2069 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2088 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2088.50 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 has dropped to 1306150 tonnes. Live Warrants totalled at 1058650 tonnes, and Cancelled...
The escalating development in global automobile sector is poised to generate commendable growth avenues for automotive wheel market in the ensuing years. Automobile producers have been adopting new manufacturing techniques to comply with emission control regulatory norms. Researchers have also been implementing novel product designs and improvised concepts to increase the fuel efficiency of vehicles, which in turn, will boost automotive wheel industry size. Another pivotal factor making a significant impact on the product demand is the rising spending capabilities of consumers. Of late, consumers have been prioritizing comfort, durability, and product design, which has undoubtedly provided a significant impetus to global automotive wheel industry size. As per the estimates, automotive...
About 30 percent production of alumina refineries and aluminium smelters was cut in many parts of China, including Henan, during November 2017 to March 2018 for bringing the air pollution in check. March 15 was the date they were looking forward to for restarting the alumina production after clearing all the environmental and legal pre-requisites. But now, a new hindrance seems to have interrupted their initiation. The rising costs and meagre supply of raw material bauxite may delay the restart of the Chinese alumina refineries in Henan province, as reported by Antaike. This slower than expected return of alumina production in China has brought in a new anxiety among the country’s aluminium smelters, for whom alumina is an essential feedstock. The latter may have to contend with higher...
Altech Chemicals Limited is pleased to provide an update on funding for its proposed Malaysian high purity alumina (HPA) plant and associated kaolin mine in Meckering, Western Australia (the Project). Senior Debt Package On 2 February 2018, the Company announced that it had executed a commitment letter together with agreed terms and conditions formalising the US$190 million senior debt package with German government owned KfW IPEX-Bank. The path to finance close and the ability to draw-down on the senior debt package involves the Company satisfying various conditions precedent, which includes securing a balance of funds for the Project. The options and proposals currently being assessed by the Company include introducing an additional amount of mezzanine debt (unsecured and subordinate to...
Equistone , one of Europe's leading mid-market private equity investors, announced it will acquire a majority stake in BOAL Group, a manufacturer of high-performance aluminium greenhouse roof and side-wall systems for glass and poly greenhouses in the Netherlands. No financial transactions were disclosed. The deal is expected to close in April 2018. Ronald Boers, CEO of BOAL Group, commented: "The greenhouse industry is growing rapidly, a development from which BOAL Group is set to benefit enormously. Equistone is the perfect partner for our ambitions and together we will continue to drive the company's growth plans forward. We can rely on our long-term strategic partnerships with our customers and our long-standing experience and core competence in the extrusion of high-quality aluminium...
We have already celebrated aluminium’s performance as one of the best performing industrial metals of 2017 with significant gains in benchmark traded prices. The positive turnaround of 2017 has influenced the entire value chain along with its equipment and technology suppliers and allied industries and built a strong foundation for constructive growth in 2018. With this edition, we are analysing how the significant developments of 2017 are shaping up the industry value chain in 2018. AlCircle Aluminium Industry Outlook 2018 looks at the current market situation and aims to analyse the way aluminium value chain is expected to grow this year. We are touching upon the factors like the world aluminium capacity, demand & supply of the major raw materials, price movements; China’s capacity cut...
President Trump’s new steel and aluminum tariffs may have an effect on one of our city’s most near and dear industries — craft brewing. The tariffs, which exempt Mexico and Canada, add a 10 percent tariff on aluminum and a 25 percent tariff on steel. They could result in a blow to companies that use these materials, breweries included. “It’s definitely something we are watching very closely right now,” says Todd Baldwin, president and founder at Red Leg Brewing Company. “We buy about 200,000 cans a year, so obviously it’s going to affect us as some level.” Aluminum is the most visible metal in the industry, and much of it used for canning in Colorado Springs breweries comes from wholesale suppliers such as the Ball Corporation, located in Broomfield, and CanSource, located in Longmont....
As an update on the 50% production cut orders at Hydro’s Alunorte alumina refinery by Brazilian authorities and judiciary, Norsk Hydro says that it is looking at securing alternative sources of alumina to substitute the closed supply at its Brazilian plant on priority basis. Hydro’s Chief Executive Svein Richard Brandtzaeg told this to Reuters. After the court orders Hydro declared force majeure with no time set to restart production. Alunorte produces 5.8 million metric tonnes of alumina per year, according to Norsk Hydro’s website. In a telephone interview to Reuters, Brandtzaeg did not specify any date when full production would resume but, he said that the company is undergoing “very constructive” discussion with the Brazilian authorities. He confirmed that Alunorte had supplies that...
Hungary’s exports of aluminium stranded wire declined in 2017. The figures showed a decrease in volume last year. The country’s exports of this product will see an increase in volume in 2018. Aluminium stranded wires and cables are used in overhead power transmission and distribution applications in modern residential and industrial constructions. The largest part of aluminium stranded wire is exported to Germany. Germany imported about 5238 tonnes of aluminium stranded wire last year. Other top importers who have been buying aluminium stranded wire from Hungary manufacturers and sellers include Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia and Norway (2017 data). As shown in the data, Hungary exported 8473 tonnes of aluminium stranded wire in 2016. The revenue from the export of this product reached...
China's winter heating season ended on Thursday February 15 with less than expected results. China's aluminium production fell 1.8 per cent in January-February from a year earlier, as the country's pollution crackdown and supply-side reform kicked in. However, an estimated 4.4 million tonnes of new capacity are expected to be online in 2018. Stocks of aluminium have grown noticeably in last two months creating fears of subdued demand and a supply glut. Though downstream demands are expected to pick in April, the market is still sluggish with no sign of price improvement. Input costs have also dropped considerably in recent times. Amidst the tension of trade war and climbing capacity, domestic aluminium ingot prices are hovering at the lowest since 2016. Average A00 Aluminum Ingot prices...
Continuing with its downward pressure, London aluminium plummeted to its lowest since late December on Thursday on expectations of a supply gut as China's winter pollution controls expire, as the winter cuts did not have a substantial effect on China’s mounting inventory. Metal prices also came under pressure amid mounting investor concerns that growing trade tensions would hurt the equilibrium in the global economy. According to SMM, as exports from China increased and the US dollar strengthened, LME aluminium saw weaker performance than its SHFE counterpart. LME aluminium finally closed at US$2062 per tonne on Thursday March 15 and expected to trade at $2,075-2,100 per tonne today. As updated by Reuters, London Metal Exchange aluminium was trading flat at $2,089 a tonne by 0728 GMT,...
