According to data released by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC), China imported 69,800 tonnes of alumina in September 2026, down 80.04 per cent month on month and up 16.26 per cent year on year. September alumina exports stood at 237,800 tonnes, down 44.05 per cent month on month and down 3.50 per cent year on year. The country recorded a net alumina export of 168,000 tonnes for the month, up 122.64 per cent month on month but down 9.85 per cent year on year. For January to September 2026, cumulative imports reached 3.06 million tonnes, up 458.365 per cent year on year, while exports totalled 2.58 million tonnes, up 28.85 per cent year on year. China was a net importer of 486,400 tonnes over the nine-month period, up 133.54 per cent year on...
Bugatti has brought a unique aluminium-bodied Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse back to its original condition through its La Maison Pur Sang restoration programme, reviving the supercar’s distinctive mirror-like exterior more than a decade after its creation. Known as chassis 8.100, the one-off roadster was originally commissioned with a body made entirely of polished aluminium. Its construction required massive aluminium blocks weighing up to 20 tonnes to be delivered to Bugatti’s headquarters in Molsheim, France, before the vehicle was completed in 2014. It was reportedly the most expensive Veyron ever produced at the time. The recent refurbishment was carried out at the owner’s request, with Bugatti returning the car to its original specifications. The process included removing aftermarket...
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With the complete acquisition of the complete shareholding for two major corporate proposals, Maan Aluminium’s strategic course reflects strong confidence from the investors. The measures were put forward at an extraordinary general meeting on November 29, 2025, where the resolutions won 100 per cent approval. The first resolution authorised amendments to the company’s Articles of Association, the document that shapes how Maan Aluminium is governed internally. However, the company refrained from spilling the finer details; the unanimous decision opened avenues for a revamped governance framework or adjustments to operational norms. A second resolution cleared the way for the issuance of equity shares on a preferential basis . The approval clearly indicates that the company is making...
An agreement to pay USD 11.8 million by Harman International Industries, Inc., has surfaced for settling the allegations of violating the False Claims Act and other statutes. This allegation came by evading the antidumping and countervailing duties on goods which are made of extruded aluminium from China. The audio electronics company works for automakers, enterprises globally and consumers. Not only this, the firm’s portfolio brands include Harman Kardon, Mark Levinson and JBL. The allegation time span includes June 1, 2011, through March 31, 2023, which has been resolved with the settlement offer. Harman is alleged to have knowingly imported heat sinks which contained extruded aluminium from the People’s Republic of China without paying the deemed fees. Upon confrontation by the US...
In the 19th century, steel became the backbone of global industrial strategy. In the 20th century, it was oil. And, in the 21st century, it is the rare earth elements. 17 metallic elements from the periodic table, chemically similar and physically unremarkable to the eye, have become the scaffolding of electric vehicles, wind turbines, fighter jets, smartphones, navigation systems, medical devices, modern weapons and everything else that powers clean energy, digital connectivity and national defence. They are the ingredients behind the magnets that spin a wind turbine’s rotor, the catalysts that refine fuels, the phosphors that light an aircraft cockpit, and the polishing compounds that perfect wafer-thin lenses. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports...
Rio Tinto’s New Zealand Aluminium Smelter is preparing for a major shift in how it handles spent pot lining, confirming a USD 50 million investment in a new processing facility for the aluminium byproduct at Tiwai Point. The facility will tackle spent cell liners (SCL) that have, until now, been stored either in covered sheds or within a sealed pad at the site. Its management has long been a point of contention and, at times, controversy. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain One of the defining moments came in 2021, when the global chief executive, Jakob Stausholm, travelled to Wellington to apologise to the Government for the company’s approach to waste handling. The apology followed the 2020 emergency in Mataura, when hundreds...
A refreshed version of the T7, with the Portable SSD T7 Resurrected, as introduced by Samsung, widens the firm’s sustainable approach whilst maintaining the same performance as the previous model. The body of the new drive is made of 100 per cent recycled aluminium, which is certified by TUV Rheinland. Use of recycled aluminium The sourcing of the recycled aluminium is done by using the leftover material from the production of the company’s Galaxy device series. While developing with the T7, Samsung has eliminated the colouring process, aiding in giving the SSD a natural finish as well as reducing the chemical usage. T7 Resurrected packaging is done by utilising 100 per cent recycled paper and ASA-certified soy ink. Implementation of these changes has ensured the firm to nurture a product...
LME aluminium saw a firm uptick on November 28 across cash, 3-month and December 2026 contracts, while exchange inventories posted a mild decline. On November 28, the LME aluminium cash bid price stood at USD 2,825 per tonne, rising 0.77 per cent from USD 2,803.5 per tonne on November 27. The cash offer price increased 0.78 per cent to USD 2,826 per tonne, compared with USD 2,804 per tonne a day earlier. The 3-month bid price climbed 0.80 per cent, reaching USD 2,850 per tonne on November 28 from USD 2,827.5 per tonne on November 27. The 3-month offer price rose 0.85 per cent to USD 2,852 per tonne, up from USD 2,828 per tonne previously. Prices for the longer-dated contract also strengthened, with the December 2026 bid price increasing 0.87 per cent to USD 2,887 per tonne, compared with...
India is exactly in the middle of energy transition, with its non-fossil fuel capacity exceeding 50 per cent of the national power mix. By 2032, the aim is to achieve 68 per cent of renewable and nuclear power capacity of the total energy mix. With this, the wake-up call for energy-intensive industries becomes explicit that the adoption of renewable energy is no longer optional. Particularly for the aluminium industry, which is one of the most electricity-hungry industrial sectors, the implications are sharp, but the path is far from straightforward. India’s reliance on coal and why so Not judging, but Indian aluminium industry is still heavily reliant on coal-fired electricity for its operations. Reasons are many, such as the need for round –the-clock power supply. An aluminium smelter...
ABx Group’s subsidiary ALCORE has secured full funding to go ahead with its hydrogen fluoride pilot plant in Tasmania. The plant, planned for the ALCORE Technology Centre beside Rio Tinto’s aluminium smelter in Bell Bay, will demonstrate a process to extract hydrogen fluoride from the by-products of aluminium smelting. This is indeed the next major step in ALCORE’s effort to commercialise a technology that has been under development for several years. ALCORE secured the lease for the Bell Bay facility in early 2025, giving it a 500 square meter industrial site directly adjacent to the smelter that will provide the by-product feedstock. The project’s financial base was further strengthened by a conditional loan from the Tasmanian Government and federal support through the Modern...
Premier Energies’ joint venture, Premier-Green Aluminium, is on the road to invest INR 600 million (USD 6.7 million). This investment will be rolled out in rounds of funding to push the use of aluminium frame projects, aiming to enhance the country’s solar module manufacturing. To achieve this vision, the firm has issued 25 thousand equity shares with each valued at INR 10 (USD 11), which marks the total value of the shares to be INR 250 thousand (USD 2,793.61) for Nuevosol Energy, its joint venture partner. After allotting the equity shares, Premier Energies will hold a total of 80 per cent ownership, and Nuevosol Energy will hold the remaining 20 per cent. To produce solar module frames which are purely made of aluminium and its alloys, Premier-Green Aluminium was formed. At present,...
The United States should be living through a renaissance in aluminium. Data centers, electric vehicles and the wider clean-energy buildout are pulling unprecedented volumes of the metal into server racks, cooling systems, power grids and vehicle frames. Prices have strengthened, and shares of Alcoa and Century Aluminum have rebounded after last spring’s tariff shock. Yet the companies behind the country’s remaining smelters say the boom is slipping away from them just as demand surges. The problem is electricity. Turning alumina into metal requires vast, steady power — roughly 14 megawatt-hours for every tonne of aluminium. A single modern smelter draws as much energy as a mid-sized American city. For decades, the economics worked only when smelters locked in long-term power at around USD...
Alspec, Alspex, and Rio Tinto have recently come together to enhance a closed-loop aluminium recycling programme, aimed at supporting local industry with raw materials, help them reduce emissions, and strengthen low-carbon supply chain in Queensland. The initiative is called 20-13 as the aluminium content in the final product is supposed to be a minimum of 20 per cent. As part of the initiative, all the aluminium scrap generated from Alspec and Alspex would be collected and sent to Rio Tinto’s Boyne Smelters Limited (BSL) in Gladstone for the manufacture of aluminium billets with 20 per cent recycled content. These converted billets would then be destined to Alspex for being extruded into new aluminium profiles, and finally transported to local manufacturers for making windows, doors, and...
The Indian Union Cabinet is providing a total of INR 7,280 crore (USD 815.0 million) scheme, which is designed to promote the country’s manufacturing prowess of rare-earth permanent magnets. The country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has given his approval for the initiative, popularly known as “Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets.” The main agenda of the scheme is to boost domestic production, reduce dependency on imports and uphold sectors like electronics, automotive and renewable energy. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters, “The scheme will promote the manufacturing of rare-earth permanent magnets. The aim is to create a capacity of 6,000 MTPA (metric tonne per annum)." Within industries like electric vehicles,...
Norsk Hydro has revealed its plans for a major restructuring of its European Extrusions business, putting forward a proposal to close five manufacturing sites across the region. The company says the move is intended to consolidate its footprint and reinforce competitiveness in what it describes as a challenging market environment. Image for representational purposes only Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain As per the official disclosure by the brand, operations would cease at Hydro Extrusions’ plants in Cheltenham and Bedwas in the UK, Lüdenscheid in Germany, Feltre in Italy, and Drunen in the Netherlands. Consultations with employee representatives are set to begin immediately, and if the plans are confirmed, the facilities will...
JPMorgan expects aluminium price may get close to USD 3,000 per tonne in early 2026, helped by stronger copper prices and a market that, for now, looks reasonably tight. But several analysts say the outlook becomes much less straightforward once Indonesia’s new supply starts landing, and that may happen faster than the market is prepared for. For years, Indonesia has talked about becoming a major aluminium producer. What’s different now is that many of the long-promised projects are actually close to starting up. Smelters, refineries and upstream investments are advancing at the same time, creating a level of momentum that could reshape the regional market. Two of the projects — backed by Bintan Alumina Indonesia and Borneo Alumina Indonesia — are pushing the country’s alumina output...
Norsk Hydro entered its 2025 Investor Day with a clear message: the company is prepared to navigate tougher markets while staying on course with its long-term plan for a greener aluminium value chain. Over the past year, Hydro has continued executing its 2030 strategy despite unpredictable demand patterns, relying on a mix of cost cuts, capacity reshaping and renewable investments to secure future growth. The centrepiece of this year’s update is a major tightening of the Extrusions footprint in Europe. Hydro plans to close five plants across the region as part of a consolidation effort designed to improve capacity utilisation and trim operating costs. The move carries an estimated restructuring charge of NOK 1.9 billion ( USD 190 million) but is expected to deliver NOK 0.5 billion ( USD...
An Asian automotive giant has leveraged aluminium-wound motor technology designed by Newcastle-based Advanced Electric Machines (AEM) for potential use in high-volume passenger vehicles, following the vulnerable copper supply chain affecting the global EV industry. Where performance and price once dominated decision-making in the EV industry, procurement considerations have now taken centre stage. The volatility in the mineral geopolitics has made the situation even more vulnerable. Copper, which has so far been a default choice for motor windings, has now become a point of vulnerability, with almost 50% of copper’s global refining capacity being concentrated in one region. This has exposed automakers to strategic blockage and price concerns. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business...
Recent UK research conducted by Every Can Count (ECC), a recycling not-for-profit organisation, has revealed a shocking generational divide in recycling awareness and support for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). Despite Gen Z’s (from the age group of 16 to 28) reputation for having a strong voice for environmental well-being, they are found to be less responsive to the DRS system. The survey, ahead of the launch of the UK’s own DRS system in 2027, shows only 59 per cent of Gen Z are supportive of Deposit Return Schemes (DRS), compared to 77 per cent of boomers, falling in the age group of 55 to 74. This finding is astonishing, especially at a time when Gen Z are considered to be the flag bearer of climate protection and sustainability. Moreover, they are the ones more willing to pay a...
This week, the aluminium downstream sector has presented a mix of progress and challenges across global markets. In Europe, a rise in foil demand and some exciting new production technologies have surfaced. Meanwhile, the US is grappling with operational hurdles, Asia is experiencing a rollercoaster of market sentiment and South Africa is pushing forward with strategic modernisation efforts. Each region is at a pivotal moment. On top of that, global extrusion forecasts and India’s import-duty issues are adding more layers of complexity to the sector’s short-term outlook. All these developments paint a picture of a week filled with strategic changes, competitive pressures and shifting market signals, setting the stage for what could be a crucial time for aluminium’s value-added segments...
