
India’s aluminium beverage-can industry has fallen around 300 million cans short of its planned additional production, as rising demand and supply constraints continue to challenge domestic manufacturers. The government has extended the mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification deadline for aluminium beverage cans to 2027, giving manufacturers more time to expand production and secure packaging supplies ahead of the summer season. The revised deadlines, notified last week according to an industry executive cited by The Economic Times, replace the earlier October 31 deadline. Large enterprises must comply from April 1, 2027, small enterprises from July 1, 2027, and micro enterprises from October 1, 2027. The extension comes as beverage brands, including Diet Coke and some...
The US aluminum industry is placing renewed emphasis on workforce safety, domestic production, and material recovery, with the Aluminum Association’s sold-out Casthouse Safety Workshop in Charlotte, North Carolina, highlighting the importance of safe molten aluminum handling. The program trained more than 120 industry workers and has been running for over 30 years, with the Association describing it as a global benchmark for casthouse operators and supervisors. The workshop comes as the industry continues to focus on strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities and supply chains. Alongside workforce training, the Aluminum Association has called for bipartisan permitting reform to accelerate investment in US aluminum production, arguing that faster approvals could help unlock the...
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Victoria Falls stands as one of Zimbabwe's premier tourist destinations, drawing over a million visitors annually and serving as a pillar for the country's tourism industry. While this influx benefits the local economy, it's also resulted in a significant increase in plastic waste, particularly single-use water bottles. Addressing this challenge, the Victoria Falls-based startup EcoDrop has introduced a practical and sustainable alternative, a reusable aluminium water bottle embedded with QR codes. Victoria Falls is facing mounting challenges due to a surge in single-use plastic waste, mainly from the vast number of tourists. The local waste management systems are struggling to keep up and the consequences are already visible. Wildlife, including elephants, have been found ingesting...

Thane police in Maharashtra are probing a big theft, with aluminium plates worth INR 3.95 million (around USD 45,000) being robbed from a construction site in the Bhiwandi district. The theft reportedly happened in early April but was officially reported by the general manager of the construction company on September 1, almost five months after the incident. This delay has added another mystery to the case. Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/ Also read: Outlook for the Indian Aluminium Idustry As authorities try to track down the unknown culprits, the multi-million-dollar heist highlights the rising price and demand for aluminium, especially in India's thriving construction and infrastructure industries. The plates form an essential part of contemporary construction, utilised in...

Canyon Resources is strategically pushing forward in the global bauxite market, with its Minim Martap project in Cameroon taking centre stage. CEO Peter Secker describes this project as "the largest high-grade undeveloped bauxite deposit worldwide". The company is positioning this asset as a prime opportunity for investors aiming to get a piece of the aluminium supply chain, especially as demand from the electric vehicle and aerospace sectors keeps ramping up. The Minim Martap bauxite project stands out for over a billion tonnes of reserves, each grading at 51.2 per cent alumina with less than 1.7 per cent silica. That's impressive by any industry standard. Compared to other projects in the global market, these numbers give Minim Martap a solid edge. The Minim Martap project has been on...

China’s aluminium story has always been a study in contradictions. On paper, the country dominates the industry. It produced nearly 43 million tonnes of primary aluminium in 2024, more than half the world’s supply. Yet in the same year, it imported over 3 million tonnes of primary aluminium, largely from Russia. Even more puzzling, China simultaneously exported about 6 million tonnes of semi-manufactured aluminium products, making it the world’s largest exporter of value-added aluminium. Image source: https://www.omfif.org/ Watch exclusively on AL Circle: Aluminium and Other Base Metals: Understanding Risk Management and Hedging by Jorge Eduardo Dyszel The paradox raises pressing questions as to why the world’s biggest producer and consumer of aluminium needs to import. Why does it...

After a sharp decline on September 4, the London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price gained momentum. However, the price of aluminium platts further fell from the previous day by USD 1.23 per tonne. On September 5, both the LME cash bid and offer price gained by USD 10 per tonne or 0.38 per cent, where the bid went up from USD 2,605.5 per tonne to USD 2,615.5 per tonne and the offer went up from USD 2,606 per tonne to USD 2,616 per tonne. The 3-month bid and offer price also saw a steady upward movement, where the bid went up by USD 12 per tonne or 0.46 per cent, totalling to USD 2,612 per tonne, up from USD 2,600 per tonne. Similarly, the offer price grew by USD 11 per tonne or 0.42 per cent, adding up to USD 2,613 per tonne from USD 2,602 per tonne. December 26 bid and offer price...

Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), a financial regulatory body, has approached Swiss-based energy and commodity trading firm Mercuria over its unusually large aluminium holdings on the London Metal Exchange (LME). Two witnesses who were familiar with the matter said the position has distorted near-term aluminium prices. It has left manufacturers in the transport, packaging and construction industries exposed to volatility and lacking transparency. Image for referential purposes only While no rules appear to have been broken, the FCA wants to understand why Mercuria is holding so much metal. It also wants to know what it intends to do with it and when it might release stocks. “As per its policy relating to position management, the LME has a number of arrangements in place to...

Campbell Soup Co . said Wednesday that new tariffs will weigh heavily on its results for fiscal 2026, with profits expected to fall short of Wall Street forecasts. Image for representational purpose The New Jersey-based company estimates tariffs will add about 4 per cent to its cost of goods sold next year. Executives said they expect to offset roughly 60 per cent of that hit through price hikes and internal savings, but the remainder will squeeze margins. The added strain comes at a time when packaged food makers are already grappling with slowing demand, as consumers pull back on discretionary spending. Chief Executive Mick Beekhuizen noted that shoppers are becoming more selective and are opting for more at-home meals, adding pressure to the company’s profitability. Also read:...

Precision engineering company Drurys Engineering, part of the manufacturing and engineering business Amcouri Group, has taken a decisive step towards reducing waste and boosting recycling revenue. At its Hitchin base, the company has installed a new centralised swarf processing system from J&S Engineering. The machine is built around the iSwarf50 briquetting machine supplied by German manufacturer Hocker Polytechnik. Image source: https://jandsengineering.com/ Metal swarf Metal swarf has long been a costly burden for many manufacturers. Storage skips eat up space, fluids are lost, and recycling returns fall short of potential. Drurys faced all these issues until the new system was commissioned. With the installation, the company has reduced waste but also unlocked new efficiencies,...

Ardagh Group has announced it will be exhibiting at Drinktec 2025, a leading international event for the beverage and liquid food industry. The trade fair takes place in Munich from September 15 to 19. The firm's participation in the event underscores its ongoing commitment to innovation and industry leadership. The company is set to present its latest metal and glass packaging innovations to customers, partners and key players in the industry. They're putting their newest developments front and centre, making sure everyone in the business gets a look at what's next. Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP) and Ardagh Glass Packaging (AGP) will both be on display at the event, highlighting their leadership in sustainable, high-quality packaging. Attendees can expect to see a broad selection of...

The European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) has recently had a meeting with the European Commission to extend the scope of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism to include solar trackers, photovoltaic modules, and similar other finished solar products in its portfolio. The concern is that while raw materials like aluminium fall under CBAM, finished imports escape scrutiny – undermining EU producers. Expanding coverage and promoting the use of green aluminium could close this loophole and cut carbon leakage. ESMC authorities believe that leaving these products outside the CBAM portfolio can have a credibility impact on the EU manufacturers, and at the same time, it will be a disadvantage for the business in the long run. The loophole CBAM is dealing with at present As of now, CBAM...

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) announced on Monday that the deadline for comments on the proposed aluminium recycling plant in Benson has been extended. Originally set to end on August 21, the new deadline is now September 16, following requests from community members for more time to review the draft permit materials in greater detail. This plant, which is being developed by Aluminium Dynamics, Inc., a subsidiary of Steel Dynamics, will be a significant recycling operation capable of processing up to 300,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap annually. Also Read: Comment period ends for Benson aluminium recycling project The 174,000-square-foot facility will be situated on a 200-acre site and is designed to produce recycled aluminium ingots for downstream users across...

A major customer of billionaire Wes Edens’ New Fortress Energy Inc . has taken the company to arbitration, alleging delays in natural gas deliveries and seeking nearly 376 million reais in damages. Image for representatioanl purpose The dispute was disclosed in a regulatory filing on Friday. According to the company, Alunorte Alumina do Norte do Brasil SA — one of the world’s largest alumina producers — initiated arbitration in the first quarter. Alunorte is demanding 375.7 million reais (USD 68.9 million as of 30 June) over what it says were delays in gas supplies at the Barcarena import terminal. New Fortress Energy, which has been under pressure from mounting debt and cash flow constraints tied to project delays, said it intends to contest the claims. In its filing, the company stated...

Egypt and Bahrain are currently in discussions to jointly develop an alumina refinery, a project that will be co-owned by both nations. Alumina, or aluminium oxide, is a key feedstock in the production of aluminium. This initiative is part of a broader set of 22 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed by the two countries during an investment forum held in Cairo on Wednesday. The MoU for the alumina project was signed by the Egyptian Aluminium Company (Egyptalum) and Bahrain's Alba aluminium company. Also Read: Alba chooses Egypt for its first alumina refinery; here’s an explanation to why Egypt According to the agreement, the two parties will conduct a feasibility study for the construction of the alumina refinery in Egypt, according to a statement from Egypt's cabinet. Egyptalum, the...

Aditya Birla Group's subsidiary has shaken hands with automotive circular economy firm The Future is Neutral, an entity of the Renault Group and SUEZ that provides comprehensive circular economy solutions for the automotive industry, covering every stage of a vehicle's life, to drive innovative, sustainable solutions for end-of-life vehicles. The collaboration aims to transform the way decommissioned cars are managed, turning environmental challenges into new business opportunities. Sustainability is front and centre for the Aditya Birla Group; it's not just a box to tick for them. Novelis, its flagship in the metals sector, is taking real action, aiming for at least 95 per cent recycling in its automotive aluminium operations, speaking volumes about its commitment. By joining forces with...

India’s ambitious shift towards clean energy could face unexpected challenges from the weather. A new study led by UK meteorologists reveals that combined solar and wind generation can plunge during certain weather events, creating so-called “renewable energy droughts” lasting up to nine days. These droughts, the research shows, are most likely during the winter months between November and February. The study examined historical weather data between 1979 and 2022 to assess how India’s solar and wind grids might behave under different meteorological conditions. Periods when combined solar and wind output fell below a set threshold were classified as renewable energy droughts. Hannah Bloomfield, Academic Track Fellow at Newcastle University and one of the study’s authors, says such work is...

A strategic partnership has recently taken shape where Landscape Capital Management L.L.C., an investment management firm, has acquired a brand new position in the shares of the Ball Corporation in the first quarter, as reflected in most of the filings conducted with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The acquisition held 15,423 shares of the firm's total shares, which is valued at USD 803,000 in the current trading session. Multiple large investors have recently changed their positions in the company. Importantly, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory L.L.C. purchased a new stake in the firm in the first quarter, for about USD 32,000. External shareholding Strengthening Families & Communities L.L.C. greatly expanded its position in the company during the first quarter by 72.4 per...

The Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) has fined a factory in Sungai Kapar Indah, Malaysia, a total of RM3,000 (USD 630) for generating smoke and dust pollution. The facility is known for processing aluminium scrap into ingots. Following an inspection by the Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) on Tuesday (Sept 2), a factory that sorts, cleans, and shreds scrap aluminium before melting it into ingots was found to have breached multiple by-laws. On Wednesday (Sept 3), MBDK issued three compounds against the operator. MBDK Corporate Communications Department director Norfiza Mahfiz confirmed the action following ongoing public grievances. According to MBDK Corporate Communications Department director Norfiza Mahfiz, the Health Department fined the factory under By-Laws 17 (MBDK) 2007 for failing to...

The Italian cycling brand, Miche has unveiled its new X2 RD chainrings, built on a simple idea: don’t waste a single watt of rider effort. The chainrings combine CNC-machined AL 7075-T6 aluminium with a 3K carbon structural layer, a mix that delivers a rare balance of lightness, stiffness, and responsiveness. Image for respresentational purpose This fusion creates a chainring that is exceptionally rigid yet lightweight and highly responsive, enabling every pedal stroke to be transformed directly into speed. The design also guarantees full compatibility with cranksets both with and without power meters, ensuring that cyclists can achieve peak performance in any setup. Two versions of the system Compatibility was a key part of the design. The X2 RD works seamlessly with cranksets with or...