
Aluminium alloy powder production for additive manufacturing is set to expand through a new technical cooperation agreement between CNPC Powder China Ltd and Xi’an Bright Laser Technologies Co Ltd (BLT). The agreement covers the production and international distribution of BLT-AlAM400, an aluminium alloy powder developed for applications in humanoid robotics, new energy vehicles (NEVs), aerospace and other industrial sectors. Under the agreement, BLT has authorised Shanghai-based CNPC Powder to manufacture BLT-AlAM400 on a contract basis in China and sell the powder internationally. CNPC Powder has also secured exclusive overseas agency rights, excluding BLT’s direct sales network and existing regional agents. With an annual powder production capacity of almost 10,000 tonnes, CNPC Powder...
BorgWarner has won its first commercial order for an electric motor developed with aluminium-wire hairpin winding technology. The US automotive supplier will provide the new eMotor to a major Chinese automaker for use in hybrid vehicles, bringing the technology into its first production application. The motor uses aluminium-wire hairpin winding technology and is designed for hybrid vehicles. Its applications include generator motors and traction motors for auxiliary drive systems, with production scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. Explore AL Circle’s report ALuminium Wires & Cables - Insights & Forecast to 2030 for insights into aluminium applications, industry developments and opportunities across the electrical sector . Compared with conventional copper-wire motors with...
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The Aluminum Association, in cooperation with the Aluminum Association of Canada, reported that primary aluminium production in North America (U.S. and Canada) was at an annual rate of 3,981,466 tonnes during October 2016 which recorded a rise of 13,428 tpy (+0.3%) from 3,968,038 tonnes in September 2016. The production rate in the U.S. dropped 1.4 per cent m/m, while the Canadian production rate was up slightly. The YOY comparison of the North American production in October 2016 shows a drop of 10.3 per cent from 4,438,388 tonnes in October 2015. Actual production during the period from January to October 2016 was 3,362,844 metric tonnes which records a drop of 9.8 per cent below the same period in 2015. The Aluminium Association’s “Index of Net New Orders of Aluminum Mill Products” for...

More than most buildings, contemporary museums are designed with two aims. The idea is to make a memorable visual statement while displaying art in appropriate and flattering ways. The Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, which opened Sunday at UC Davis, is one such contemporary construction engineered following a futuristic design concept. The new facility, at the southern edge of UC Davis in California, U.S., features a striking perforated aluminium canopy held by steel frames, which enhances the sustainability value and aesthetics of the building to a great extent. The museum is just 30,000 square feet, with walls of grey ribbed concrete and gently curving glass. The roof covers 50,000 square feet in all, with the steel frame holding 952 perforated aluminium Vs lined up in grids of varying...
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Noranda Jamaica Bauxite officially changed the ownership of its operations in a “seamless” transfer, announced Jamaica Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Audley Shaw. Noranda Aluminum Holding Corporation, the holding company of Noranda Jamaica Bauxite, received the court approval for sale of its operations to DADA Holdings LLC, under its affiliate, New Day Aluminum LLC. The purchase was sealed at a price of $24.4 million. The Government of Jamaica partially owns the company which presently employs 800 plus employees and has a per annum capacity of 5.2 million metric of premium-grade bauxite. On November 9, Shaw along with Minister of Transport and Mining, Mike Henry, and officials from New Day, gathered at the Discovery Bay operations, where they shared details of the 25-year...

Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer enhanced their performance car portfolio with the launch of the new Audi RS 7 Performance in India. The Audi RS 7 Performance is a combination of dynamism and power. The five-door sportback has a powerful 4.0 TFSI powerful engine. "Even more performance coupled with outstanding efficiency - that is what is behind the new "performance" model designation at Audi, said Mr. Thierry Lespiaucq, Managing Director, Volkswagen Group Sales India Private Limited. The car carries aluminium accents in its design and construction. The sharply sloping rear end represents a distinctive sports car feature and the car is available in two optional styling packages - matt aluminium and carbon. Matt Titanium styling package is also available for the new Audi RS 7...
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LME aluminium prices dipped 0.67 per cent to trade at US$1,765/mt on Monday, November 14, weighed on by a strong US dollar index which broke through 100 with high expectation of the US interest rate hike in December’s Fed meeting. LME Official Cash Buyer price for the metal stands at US$ 1,776.50/mt and 3-months Buyer price stands at US$ 1778/mt. According to Shanghai Metals Market forecast, LME aluminium will test support at the 5-day moving average and swing between USD 1,720-1,760/mt. Other base metals are also expected to diverge today. In China, aluminium traded on Shanghai Metal Exchange closed at US$ 2,245/mt after Monday's night trading. The contract opened at US$ 2,210/mt on Tuesday, November 15. Chinese yuan depreciated in a row, supporting aluminium traded on Shanghai Futures...
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Aleris Corporation reported results for the Third Quarter and first nine months ended September 30, 2016. Though Aleris is making net loss consecutively, net loss decreased to $22 million in the Q2 2016 from $25 million in Q3 2015. Adjusted EBITDA dropped to $53 million from $68 million in Q3 2015. Though rising demand in global aerospace & automotive sector helped in squeezing the net loss, production issues and other bottlenecks stopped them from fully capitalizing on strong demand from the end-uses. Third quarter net loss and Adjusted EBITDA were attributed to a number of factors in the company press release: • A fall in overall sales volumes, below anticipation distributor volume, slow truck trailer volume, production outrage and an unfavourable mix of products sold pulled down the...

Brazil, the Recycling Capital of the world, recycled 289,500 tonnes of aluminium beverage cans out of the 294,200 tonnes available in the market in 2014 - an all-time highest in the industry since 2001, reported the Brazilian Aluminium Association (ABAL) and the Brazilian Association of Highly Recyclable Cans Manufacturers (ABRALATAS). According to data released by the two entities, 22.9 billion of packs were recycled in 2014. Mario Fernandez, coordinator of Abal's Recycling Market Committee said, the economy already collects a total of around 500,000 tonnes of aluminium beverage cans per year and there is no way to collect much more without resorting to aluminium scrap import. Brazil imported a total volume of 83,521.6 tonnes of scrap aluminium in 2015, up 32.03 per cent from 63,255...

A joint venture between the UAE and Singapore plans to invest $120 million in Abu Dhabi's industrial zone to manufacture aluminium rolled products, the company said on Monday. The United Arab Emirates is investing billions of dollars in industry, tourism and infrastructure as it diversifies its economy away from oil. Emirates Aluminium Rolling (Emiroll), a joint venture between Dubal Holding, Dubai Investment Industries (a subsidiary of Dubai Investments PJSC and Madar Aluminium Rolling Singapore (MARS) said it is setting up the plant in Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Industrial Zone. The plant will produce 65,000 tonnes of aluminium coils annually for use in the oil and gas refining industries, Emiroll said in a statement, adding it will go on-stream by the third quarter of 2017. The UAE was ranked...

The globally leading manufacturer of aluminium alloy wheels for the automobile industry- CITIC Dicastal Wheel Manufacturing Co., Ltd., announced breaking of ground on its expansion project in China's Hunan province, on November 5, reported Shanghai Metals Market (SMM). The large-scale aluminium alloy wheels project to be built at a total investment of USD 5 million will produce 12 million pieces of aluminium wheels in a year, on completion. The plant will also churn out 40,000 tonnes of aluminium castings per annum, reported SMM. CITIC Dicastal Wheel Manufacturing was the first aluminium alloy wheel manufacturer in the Chinese mainland. After almost 3 decades of its inception in 1988, it has now become one of the leading manufacturers of aluminium wheels in the world. CITIC Dicastal is...
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Aluminium stocks in China’s five major markets have been rising steadily recently thanks to recovering shipments from northwest China, SMM learned. Besides, inflows of imported aluminium and arrivals of domestic aluminium by trucks have also helped ease supply tightness, SMM added. It still takes time to digest backlogged aluminium stocks in Xinjiang due to tight rail transport capacity, though, SMM noted. The table below shows details of aluminium stocks at China’s five major markets: Unit: 1,000 tonne
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Moly Mines, one of the most talked about companies on the ASX (for all the wrong reasons though) is reportedly fighting a US$53 million+ battle with Metro Mining for the acquisition of Gulf Alumina's Queensland bauxite operations ownership. Every stakeholder linked to the matter is known to be waiting anxiously for the Gulf Alumina board to come up with its decision on the same; The board is currently reviewing the bid offers made by both the companies. Last week, Moly Mines submitted a revised bid whereby it offered 63c a share in cash or 46c cash plus 1.14 shares in Moly. But the cash consideration is limited to $42 million, which means the cash component would drop to just 46c a share if all Gulf Alumina shareholders accepted the all-cash bid. Moly Mines, in its earlier releases, said...

Hindalco Industries Limited, an Aditya Birla Group of company announced its unaudited standalone results for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 on November 12. PBDT for this quarter doubled to INR 899 crore compared to INR 447 crore in Q2 FY16. The company registered a Revenues of INR 9,562 crore during the second quarter and Net Profit jumped 255% to INR 440 Crore. {newsStudioGallery} For the aluminium segment, the company reports robust operational performance in a challenging macroeconomic environment on account of the improvement in efficiency and lower input costs. The quarter also reported improved visibility over coal sourcing and cost was managed well throughout. The company was able to secure the major part of the coal requirement secured through coal allocation. Hindalco...

Land Rover unveiled its all-new Discovery for the first time in the U.S. in Venice, California ahead of its debut in LA Auto Show. Based on the SUV maker's lightweight aluminium construction, the new Discovery has shed approximately 1,000 lbs from the weight of the outgoing LR4. Still the spacious vehicle offers room for seven, thanks to the optional third row of seats. The engine range of the new aluminium-built Land Rover Discovery includes two V6s, a supercharged 3.0-litre petrol unit with 335hp and a 3.0-litre diesel with 254hp and 440lb-ft of torque, especially for the for the U.S. market. LR claims the vehicle will offer up to 14 per cent greater fuel economy for petrol-powered models. “The Land Rover Discovery is the perfect choice for today’s active consumers who need vehicles...
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LME aluminium is all set to enter another volatile phase this week. The contract, after having recovered from the initial aftershocks of the US Presidential election last week, was traded at US$1,777/mt on Friday, November 11. The market was primarily dominated by capital. Shanghai Metals Exchange analysts say market players will get to see a different movement of LME aluminium during Asian and European trading hours. The lightmetal will swing between US$1,735-1,760/mt on Monday. So, investors should remain on the sidelines today, SMM puts up a caveat. Eight Fed committee members will reportedly speak today. Fed vice-chairman said last Friday a rate hike is nearing. The market expects the Fed to increase interest rate in December, driving up the US dollar index to 99. LME official opening...

Hindalco Industries has announced the unaudited standalone results for the second quarter ended September 30, 2016. The company delivered robust operational performance in a challenging macroeconomic condition. During the second quarter, alumina production (including Utkal Alumina) amounted to 726 KT which recorded 16% increase in comparison to the second quarter of 2015. Aluminium metal production stood at 321 KT and was up 19% on YoY basis. The Utkal Alumina International Ltd. produced 375 KT of alumina during second quarter of FY17 compared to 338 KT in Q2 FY16 which recorded a growth of about 11%. What is noteworthy is the fact that the cost of production of alumina at Utkal Alumina refinery is comparable to the benchmark cost of production around the world. EBITDA for the Utkal...

CBIX was up 2.7% (US$1.3/dmt) on the back of high Value-in-Use (ViU) cargos from Australia and Brazil and the absence of any lower ViU cargos (e.g. from Malaysia) to counter-balance. Although Malaysian prices remain unchanged (US$27.5/dmt FOB un-washed and US$39.5/dmt FOB washed), an increase in exports over the remainder of 2016 is likely, as two more mining companies have cleared all approval hurdles to re-commence clearing their stockpiles. This increase is potentially tempered by the rainy season, with December historically the wettest month. Domestic alumina prices ratcheted up again in China, with the northern price up 2.4% (RMB63/t) to RMB2,763/t and the southern price up 2.5% (RMB65/t) to RMB2,665/t. Driven by higher aluminium prices, a tight situation between alumina supply and...

China's export of aluminium products has barely taken a backseat despite the worldwide hue and cry over aluminium makers losing their markets to the China onslaughts. Time and again various industry bodies have voiced their concern over the alleged ‘non-competitive’ trade initiatives that China is taking resort to; but that has hardly had any effect on the exports. Given the rising capacity addition in the country along with old capacity restarts, it is very obvious that the excess output will go out of the country to the international markets after meeting domestic demand. The restraint which the Chinese government and aluminium makers should have shown in dealing with the capacity rise and overflow of aluminium products, however, has not been there. China’s export of aluminium...

Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba) presents its financial results for Q3 2016 on Sunday November 13, 2016. Q3 2016 Alba Highlights: • Alba boosted its sales volume by 3.1% YoY and production by 2.4% YoY • Alba value-added sales volume was an average 58% of total shipments • Alba saves US$56 per ton YTD on Project Titan Phase II development work, which is on track • Alba continued with their work safety ethics with the launch of Safety Campaign ‘Safety at the Heart of Alba’ • Line 6 quarterly update: o Closing of US$1.5 billion syndicated term-loan facility o PS5 EPC contract awarded to GE and GAMA Consortium o L6 Power Distribution System (PDS) awarded to Siemens Total sales for Q3 2016 dropped 5% YoY to BD 174.3 million (US$ 463.5 million) compared to BD 184.4 million (US$ 490.4 million) in...