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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According to an independent news source, Hill End Gold Limited of Australia is close to releasing a maiden estimate of resource for its high-purity alumina project at Yendon, in the Central Highlands of Victoria. The ASX-listed mineral exploration company is 100 per cent stakeholder of the Pure Alumina Pty Ltd High Purity Alumina (HPA) Project on tenements at nearby Lal and Pittong. The site is known for its rich kaolin deposits. High purity alumina demand is growing exponentially all over the world. The high-value material fetches $US25-$US40 per kg depending on the purity level and the specific area of application. The specialized mineral is used in lithium-ion batteries, LED lighting solutions, and scratch-resistant sapphire glasses of smartphone screen and lenses. With increasing...
The Jamaican government has signed an agreement with China's Gansu Provincial government to develop a $6 billion industrial park and Special Economic Zone around the JISCO/ALPART alumina refinery in Nain, St Elizabeth so that they can generate optimum revenue from their bauxite reserves. A press release from the Transport and Mining Ministry said the investment would be the first and largest in a foreign country by the Gansu provincial government. "The size of the investment for this contemplated development is of major significance for both Jamaica and China, in that it is the largest investment ever contemplated in Jamaica and it’s the first overseas investment for Gansu Province," the release from the Mining Ministry stated. Jamaica has the world’s fifth largest reserve of bauxite at 2...
Sluggish trading ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday next week is keeping the Chinese market inactive. There is no such significant movement in the prices of commodities and the raw materials other than the primary ingots that is continuously falling with occasional signs of upward movements. After the fall on last week’s closing, as seen by Shanghai Metals Market, average aluminium Ingot prices dropped further to RMB 100 per tonne today to stand at RMB 13,870 per tonne. The prices are expected to move within a range of RMB 13,850-13,890. Spot discount will range within RMB 220-180 per tonne today. Average A00 ingot prices saw the biggest drop in South China market at RMB 165 per tonne. Post holidays, however, prices would still fall as aluminium supply would ramp up, even if at a...
National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco) has published its financial results for & upto third quarter ended December 2017. The company has registered a record net profit of INR 722 crore, from INR 144 crore in the corresponding quarter of previous fiscal. The company has been able to break the highest-ever net profit figures in a quarter during the last ten years. Net sales in the third quarter were INR 2,360 crore. For the 9 months ended December 2017, net profit increased 171% to INR 1,085 crore, against the corresponding figure of INR 400 crore for the previous fiscal. Net sales stood at INR 6,538 crore as compared to INR 5,071 crore in the corresponding period of the last financial year. Nalso has produced 54.40 lakh tonnes of bauxite during the first nine months of the current...
Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange edged further lower on the last trading day of the week ending February 9. Surging aluminium exports from China pressured down LME aluminium prices to US$2,142 per tonne on Friday from US$2,168 per tonne the previous day. Shanghai Metals Market said that LME aluminium is likely to trade at US$2,100-2,135 per tonne range on Monday, February 12. As on February 9, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,141.50 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,142 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,143 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,144 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,195 per tonne, and Dec1 Offer Price is US$2,200 per tonne. LME aluminium opening stock stands at 1097100 tonnes, total Live...
Derbyshire-based waste management company Ward announced £1 million investment in environmental improvements at its recycling facility in Chesterfield. The company recycles ferrous and non-ferrous metals such as steel, cast iron, cars, stainless steel, aluminium, copper, zinc and lead. The new building, which was officially opened by Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins earlier this month, includes a 15 metre high wall which acts as a sound barrier that significantly reduces noise levels from the site. The company said that the investment is intended to bring more sustainable jobs to the area. Donald Ward, Head of Technical & Recycling at Ward, said: “Over 50,000 tonnes of waste material is recycled at our Chesterfield site each year and we employ 40 people locally. We wanted to bring the old...
According to the data from China Passenger Car Association, China produced 2.32 million units of passenger cars in January, up 12.7% from January 2017. The volume, however, was 10% lower from output seen in December. Passenger Car Sales in January amounted to 2.25 million units, up 6% year on year but down 19% month on month. New-energy vehicles accounted for 30,000 units. China is the world's largest auto market currently and also the fastest-growing market for New Energy Vehicles (NEV) because of government's preferential policies to boost clean energy use to curb pollution. The CPCA expected passenger vehicles sales to grow by about 4 per cent in 2018. As observes by Forbes, after 15 years of high-growth period, China’s auto industry began to transition in 2017 to a stage where growth...
The Final USITC hearing on antidumping and countervailing duty investigations by the U.S. International Trade Commission on aluminium foil imports from China took place on Thursday February 8. Aluminum Association President and CEO Heidi Brock, along with other industry leaders, testified during the hearing before the U.S. International Trade Commission. “The relief we seek will help ensure that the U.S. aluminium foil industry can compete fairly in the U.S. market,” Brock said in her testimony. She insisted that the Aluminum Association is committed to fight unfair trade practices and maintain a level playing field in international market. She urged the U.S. government to enforce its trade rules to help US companies to innovate, invest and grow with confidence. In March of 2017, The...
At a time when India’s foundry sector stands worried at the possible outcome of electric vehicle revolution in the country, Association of Indian Forging Industry President Muralishankar Sambasivam assured that hybrid cars too will make a space in the marketplace; and that would help maintain the automotive industry demand for the forging sector. But it will then have to move to aluminium forgings from the now widely used ferrous and ferro-alloy forgings. Source: www.autocarpro.in Sambasivam said that along with EVs, hybrid cars too will make foray into Indian auto market. In fact, talking in terms of the current infrastructural state, hybrid cars have a fairer chance to click than EVs in India. Yoichiro Ueno, President and CEO of Honda Cars India said a few days back, "... we believe it...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) released its operating and financial results for the full-year and fourth quarter of 2017 during a meeting of the Company’s Board of Directors on Thursday February 08. Alba closed 2017 with a strong financial performance reflecting its resilience in achieving quick recovery of Line 5, which was driven by superb management performance. The Company reported total sales of US$ 2.3 billion in 2017, up 28% from US$ 1.8 billion in 2016. For Q4 2017, total sales stood at US$ 672.2 million, up 39% from US$ 483.0 million in the same period in 2016 – both driven by favourable LME prices. The Company generated a net income of US$ 245.9 million in 2017, up 91% from US$ 128.7 million in 2016. For Q4 2017, Alba posted a net income of US$ 62.4 million, up 72% from US$...
China’s aluminium alloy export volumes increased by 5.31 per cent year-on-year in December, according to China’s customs data. The country shipped 44,369 tonnes of aluminium alloy last month. Image Source: Shanghai Metals Market Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam were the top importers of country’s aluminium alloy in December. Japan imported substantial amount of this product from China. Exports totalled 27,532 tonnes, an increase of 0.07 per cent year-on-year. China exported 8,062 tonnes and 2,291 tonnes of aluminium alloy to Hong Kong and Vietnam respectively in December. For the twelve months of 2017, China’s exports of aluminium alloy rose 8.52 per cent year-on-year to 536,880 tonnes. Japan, the top importer of Chinese aluminium alloy, imported 337,072 tonnes of aluminium alloy last year,...
As per Reuters’ reporting, Chinese Jiuquan Iron and Steel Group Co (Jisco) has confirmed the arrival of its first alumina cargo, from Alpart alumina refinery, at Lianyungang Port, China. The shipment from the recently reopened St. Elizabeth plant left Port Kaiser in Jamaica on December 29 last year and reached the east China port on February 5. The alumina cargo weighed 34,200 tonnes, and it made a 30-day plus voyage from the Caribbean to reach its destination port. The arrival of the alumina shipment coincides with the lifting of winter restrictions by the Chinese government on aluminium smelters, which will be now resuming operations from mid-March onward. JISCO Alpart Jamaica , which was closed for last eight years, was purchased from UC Rusal by the Chinese-owned Jiuquan Iron and...
Sluggish trading ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday next week is keeping the Chinese market passive and there is no such significant movement in the prices of commodities and the raw materials. According to Shanghai Metals Market, China’s social inventory of refined aluminium including SHFE warrants stood at 1.78 million tonnes SMM on Thursday February 8, up 17,000 tonnes from a week ago due to buyers’ unwillingness to invest. The inventory status in the major Chinese cities is as follows: SHFE aluminium is expected to get stronger with the approaching of Chinese New Year holiday. The contract outperformed its nonferrous peers yesterday, registering a 0.28% increase. SMM believes this is mostly due to investors pricing in the weak fundamentals of aluminium much earlier on. Some...
High Court on Thursday has cancelled ministry of lands and natural resources minister John Peter Amewu’s revocation of bauxite mining lease of Exton Cubic. The Accra High Court’s decision indicates that the company can now explore bauxite in the Ashanti Region. Justice Kweku Ackah-Boafo said that the minister has no power to revoke mining licenses. Exton Cubic Group Limited led by Ibrahim Mahama had filed an application at the High Court for revoking its Nyinahini mining lease. “The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources acted ultra vires [beyond] his statutory powers when he revoked Exton Cubic Group Limited mining leases,” according to company. In September 2017, Exton Cubic’s bauxite mining lease was revoked by the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry.
Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange dropped further to close at US$2,168 per tonne on Thursday, February 8, down 0.59 per cent from the previous day’s close at US$2,181 per tonne. Thanks to the recent share market volatility, most of the components in the LME base metal complex were able to hold grounds, except aluminium. Shanghai Metals Market predicts that LME aluminium will trade range-bound at US$2,158-2,193 per tonne range on Friday, February 9, with support at the 60-day moving average. As on February 8, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,167.50 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,168 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,162.50 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,163 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,213...
UC RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer, is pleased to announce that it intends to complete the development of a feasibility study in 2018 for the construction of a scandium oxide production unit at one of its Russian operations. Such a development adds to the Company completing another series of pilot-scale tests in 2017 to recover scandium oxide from red mud on its new unit constructed at the Urals Aluminium Smelter (UAZ). The technology encompasses processing red mud from alumina refineries and making scandium oxide as a by-product. This advancement boasts a fundamental difference from attempts by other companies’ at starting an economically feasible production of scandium. At RUSAL, the red mud processing technique was embedded into the conventional alumina production system; it...
Industrial Magnetics Inc. (IMI), Boyne City, Michigan that designs, engineers and manufactures industrial magnets has published a new tool on its website which is designed to help plant managers calculate potential revenue loss from their existing used beverage can (UBC) recovery lines. The user has to upload information like cost of aluminium per pound, cans missed per minute, hours worked per day, days worked per week and weeks worked per year and the tool calculates the total income gains. “Reclaiming aluminium cans typically involves the use of an eddy current magnetic separator, which repels the can as it passes through the magnetic field. In this way, the aluminium is ‘thrown’ and separated from the rest of the waste stream for recycling,” the press release from IMI says. The...
An optimistic forecast of import based on global trade data suggests that Middle East will import 1.4 per cent more alumina in 2018 than last year. The key Middle East countries which have been taken into consideration are- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Egypt and Iran. These are the countries having primary aluminium smelting operations. Barring Iran and Saudi Arabia no other country has its own alumina refining unit. UAE and Qatar top the list of alumina importing countries in the Gulf region. But while Qatar’s alumina import is estimated to rise form 1.14 million tonne in 2017 to 1.35 million tonne in 2018, UAE’s alumina import is estimated to drop from 1.11 million tonne to 836203.6 tonnes this year. However, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the largest...
