Cleaner aluminium depends on three things going right at once: scrap collection, melting it in a furnace without much carbon, and the electricity behind the whole chain not being coal-powered. Developments across North America, the UK, the European Union (EU), Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia and India depict how unevenly those pieces are falling into place. While some markets are losing recoverable metal at the sorting line, others are redirecting cargoes or writing scrap into industrial policy, and a few are lining up green projects to hold primary aluminium production together. Aluminium scrap trade: North America leads, Thailand bans, EU retains The international aluminium scrap market is facing a combination of changing trade flows and growing pressure to secure cleaner, more consistent...
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...
Grow with
AL Circle
Rio Tinto’s aluminium production for the fourth quarter of 2017 stood at 887,000 tonnes, 3 per cent lower compared with the corresponding period of 2016. Aluminium production in 2017 was one per cent lower than 2016. Rio Tinto produced 3.6 million tonnes of aluminium. “Strong operational performances were achieved across most sites, reflecting the implementation of productivity improvements across the business,” it said. “This was offset by production curtailment at the Boyne smelter due to higher power prices in Queensland, and by lower production at the non-managed Sohar smelter due to a power interruption incident in the third quarter.” “Average realised aluminium prices in 2017 were $2,231 per tonne. This includes a $221 per tonne premium for value-added product, which represented 57...
According to the latest report from Aluminum Association, imports of aluminium ingot, scrap and mill products into the U.S. and Canada (excluding cross-border trade) totalled 745 million pounds in November 2017, up 3.2 per cent over the November 2016 total of 722 million pounds. Data shows the total aluminium scrap export by the U.S. stood at about 1 million tonne in 2016. The amount increased about 15% year-on-year to about 1.2 million tonne in 2017. For the first nine months of 2018, the total aluminium scrap export by the U.S. is estimated to stand at about 878,000 tonnes. While export of scrap registered an increase, import registered a drop. The total aluminium scrap import by the U.S. stood at about 589,243 tonnes in 2016. The amount is estimated to be dropped to 491,744 million...
Masdar, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, on Monday unveiled the all-electric Eco-Bus at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2018. A template for future sustainable public transport solutions, the working prototype was jointly developed by Masdar and Abu Dhabi-based Hafilat Industry in collaboration with the Masdar Institute, part of Khalifa University of Science and Technology. Technology partner Siemens provided the bus’s engine giving the vehicle a range of 150 kilometres per charge while minimising the size and weight of its battery. The Eco-Bus will shortly undergo trials at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi as engineers evaluate the performance of its battery and electrical systems in the UAE’s arid conditions. Visitors to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre during ADSW will also be able to...
Mercedes-Benz finally got the veils off from its highly awaited luxury car 2019 G-Class. The SUV made from whole steel and aluminium arrives in a lighter avatar with a modern independent front suspension. Source: www.auto.ndtv.com What’s new in Mercedes 2019 G-Class? Well, almost everything- right from smoother surface and re-designed lamps, to expansive digital display in the cabin and touch-sensitive Touch Control Buttons on the steering wheel, every inch of the luxury SUV wears a signature style statement. Mercedes-Benz has further enhanced the engineering and construction by using aluminium alongside steel. As a result, 2019 G-Class weighs lesser than its predecessors. Mercedes-Benz has been experimenting a lot with aluminium these days. Its E-Class Cabriolet unveiled prior to Geneva...
Rio Tinto’s alumina production for the fourth quarter of 2017 was one per cent lower than the fourth quarter of 2016. The total alumina production stood at 2 million tonnes in Q4 2017. For 2017, Rio Tinto’s alumina production reduced to 8.1 million tonnes. “Alumina production for 2017 was in line with 2016, with a strong performance at Yarwun partially offset by lower production at the Queensland Alumina refinery due to major maintenance,” according to company’s press release. Rio Tinto’s share of production in 2018 is unchanged at 8.0 to 8.2 million tonnes of alumina. “The business performed well in the fourth quarter, and we finished the year in line with guidance across all major products,” Rio Tinto chief executive J-S Jacques said.
The Sas Al Nakhl campus of the UAE’s Khalifa University of Science and Technology recently got their aluminium recycling project featured in the Universities Innovation Zone at the 5th edition of EcoWASTE that is part of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) 2018, being held in Abu Dhabi from January 15-18. The project is among the ten promising energy and sustainability-based research projects, which have made it to the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2018 organized by the university research wing in the Gulf country. Source: Norsk Hydro Sas Al Nakhl’s project aims to develop a technique that would maximise recovery of secondary aluminium from recycling of laminated aluminium packaging waste. Dr Tod Laursen, Interim President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: “Our...
The world’s biggest aluminium producer China Hongqiao Group Limited will raise HK$6.24 billion (US$800 million) through sale of shares to reduce debt, Reuters reported Tuesday. The Group having US$16.6 billion (approximately) liability will use 70 per cent of the raised money to pay off debt this year. The balance amount will be used as working capital, it said in a filing. The decision to sell shares comes after China Hongqiao faced a defamatory issue last year when Emerson Analytics, a market research group, said in their report that the company had exaggerated its profits and understated costs. China Hongqiao was asked to suspend trading for almost a year, after which it rebounded back with 28.3 per cent rise in share price. As per filing, China Hongqiao Holdings Ltd, China Hongqiao’s...
As reported by Shanghai Metals Market, Average A00 ingot price dropped RMB 250 per tonne today to stand at RMB 14,700 per tonne and expected to move within a range of RMB 14,680-14,720. Spot discount will range within RMB 120-80 per tonne today. Aluminium ingot prices registered a drop in all individual markets in China. The following table shows the trend in ingot price in the domestic markets: Average prices of aluminium alloys have registered a drop in all markets today following the fall in A00 ingot price. Average Aluminum Alloys (ADC12) price stands at RMB 16150 per tonne. Aluminium Alloy (A356) prices dropped to RMB 15,400 per tonne and Aluminium Alloy (A380) prices dropped to RMB 16,900 per tonne. SMM observes that the December operating rates of aluminium sheet, strip and foil...
Global miner Rio Tinto today announced production results for the fourth quarter and full year 2017. Rio Tinto’s bauxite production in 2017 was six per cent higher than 2016. The company produced 50.8 million tonnes of bauxite in 2017. “Production at Gove was 23 per cent higher than 2016, benefitting from the planned production ramp-up associated with de-bottlenecking of capacity, whilst production at Weipa was five per cent higher than 2016,” it said. Rio Tinto’s bauxite production in fourth quarter was 14 per cent higher than the corresponding quarter of 2016. Bauxite production was 13.8 million tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2017. The third party shipments of 32.3 million tonnes were achieved in 2017, ten per cent higher than 2016. Fourth quarter shipments were 25 per cent higher than...
LME aluminium traded higher by 0.9 per cent at US$2,233 per tonne on Monday, January 15, as demand remained high. The light metal contract later came down to close at US$2,227.50 per tonne, still higher than previous week’s close at US$2,215 per tonne. Shanghai Metals Market forecasts that LME aluminium will trade higher in the range of US$2,220-2,250 per tonne on Tuesday, January 16 supported by positive fundamentals. As on January 15, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,227 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,227.50 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,231 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,231.50 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,2295 per tonne, and Dec1 Offer Price is US$2,300 per tonne. LME aluminium opening stock stands...
India’s National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX) has sought permission from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to launch options trading in aluminium. The online commodity exchange wants to introduce options trading in non-farm items including select base metals, NCDEX MD and CEO Samir Shah confirmed media. "Our main focus is on options now. We want to launch non-agri items especially nickel and aluminium. It will all depend on the Sebi's approval. We have sought permission," Shah told PTI recently. Sebi has given a nod to futures option trading as underlying. According to Investing Answers , an options contract is an agreement between a buyer and seller that gives the buyer the option and/or the right to buy or sell a particular asset at a future date (any...
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) made a unanimous preliminary determination on 12 January that unfairly-traded imports of common alloy aluminium sheet from the People’s Republic of China (“China”) are causing injury to U.S. producers. The determination assured the proceeding of the antidumping and countervailing duty cases against imports from China. The USITC’s unanimous preliminary injury determination follows the announcement by Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, in November 2017, of the Commerce Department’s self-initiation of antidumping and countervailing duty investigations of common alloy aluminum sheet from China. This action by the Commerce Department marked the first time in more than 25 years that the agency has exercised its discretion to self-initiate unfair...
India, a net importer of aluminium tubes and pipes, will continue to import more of the downstream semi-finished product in 2018. From the trend extrapolation forecast method it is observed that the import of aluminium tubes and pipes from the country will surpass export by around 4,987 tonnes. However, import of aluminium tubes and pipes by India is projected to drop more (year-over-year) in comparison to export (by volume) in 2018 from a year-ago period, shows data. India’s aluminium tubes and pipes import jumped from 9483 tonnes in 2016 to 10121.41 tonnes last year. Exports too rose from 1644.43 tonnes in 2016 to 2435 tonnes in 2017. Three-year trend analysis suggests that aluminium tubes and pipes import by India will drop to 7091.08 tonnes while export will drop to 2103.72 tonnes in...
Taiwanese hardware and electronics brand Acer has unveiled Swift 7 laptop at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018.The Acer Swift 7 sports a 14-inch full HD resolution with an all-aluminium chassis. At 8.98-mm thickness, Swift 7 is powered by 7th gen Intel Core i7 processor. This updated laptop includes a fingerprint sensor powered by Windows Hello. Acer’s Swift 7 laptop has 8GB LPDDR3 RAM and a 256GB of PCIe SSD storage. Jerry Kao, President of IT Products Business of Acer Inc, said, "We're extremely proud to make the world's thinnest laptop even thinner with the new Swift 7. Building on the engineering breakthroughs from the previous generation, the new Swift 7 steps up the game with an even slimmer chassis, powerful performance and always-on 4G LTE connectivity for professionals on...
AlCircle has added a new exclusive report - a sector focus to its portfolio- “Aluminium Dross Processing: A Global Review.” The first report of 2018 from the Virtual Aluminium Platform promises to provide a deep insight into the world aluminium dross processing industry that is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. In the wake of rising aluminium demand globally, recycling of aluminium scrap has come under focus lately; along with it, aluminium dross has moved into limelight. With the advancement in technologies, recovery of secondary aluminium from dross is being considered as an economically viable process with proven sustainability advantages. AlCircle Research and Analysis team has estimated that aluminium industry comprising primary, recycled and downstream sectors,...
Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest aluminium company in the United Arab Emirates has announced that a record 34,419 ideas were submitted by individual employees through its suggestion scheme in 2017, leading to AED 36 million in cost savings in the year. EGA has been operating an employee suggestion scheme since 1981, based on the belief that individuals related to a work process are the best people to spot required improvements in the process and implement simple solutions. The cost savings from such suggestions are shared with the concerned employees who propose them and the best suggestions are recognized and implemented in the company. Abdulla Kalban, EGA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, said: “Continuous improvement is a foundation of our global success and we...
Spot alumina price in China is struggling to stay afloat in the face of slow demand. Today’s average alumina price stands at RMB 2875 per tonne and expected to move within a range of RMB 2875 – 2875 per tonne today. SMM forecasts alumina prices are likely to rally ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday in mid-February to just below RMB 3,000 per tonne before downward pressure returns. The average price of Chinese domestic alumina in four major regions stood at RMB 2,850 per tonne earlier this month, down 23.6% from RMB 3,730 tonne in November, according to SMM data. Chalco Alumina and imported alumina prices remain unchanged today. The price trend in the domestic markets can be seen in the following table: Shandong Weiqiao has started to execute its long-term contracts since the beginning...
Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry said Friday that the private JIS certification body cancelled Mitsubishi Aluminium’s certification for some aluminium products at its plant in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture. The ministry said that the company’s quality control system did not meet the required standard, and hence, Japanese Industrial Standards certification was suspended. The aluminium products were delivered to the manufacturers of cars, machinery, building materials and others. “We are deeply sorry for causing a lot of trouble,” the company said. “We will handle the matter sincerely and do all we can for our customers.” Mitsubishi Aluminium Co. is a manufacturer and seller of aluminium, aluminium alloy mill products and fabricated products. The company is one of the core...
