Nimba Mining Company SA has appointed Patrice L'Huillier as Director General and Djiba Diakité as Chairman of the Board of Directors, with both appointments confirmed through separate presidential decrees. The announcement was made on Friday, October 23, 2026, during a national television news broadcast. L'Huillier, a civil engineer specialising in bridges and roads, will serve as Director General for an initial three-year term, which is renewable. According to his appointment decree, he will work under a performance contract with the Ministry of Mines and Geology. The contract will establish his objectives, the methods for assessing his performance and his obligations regarding the transfer of skills to national staff. In a separate decree, Diakité, Minister Director of the Cabinet of...
India’s trade deficit with China crossed USD 100 billion in the first nine months of 2026 as imports continued to outpace exports, with aluminium trade data showing a widening imbalance in the latest available period. While India’s overall exports to China recorded strong growth between January and September, the value of its aluminium exports to the neighbouring country declined year on year through July, even as aluminium imports from China increased. Data released by China’s General Administration of Customs showed that bilateral trade rose 25.4 per cent to USD 144.45 billion between January and September 2026. India’s imports from China increased 23.3 per cent to USD 125.19 billion, while exports to China grew 40.7 per cent to USD 19.26 billion. Despite the rise in exports, the trade...
Grow with
AL Circle
The Indonesian Navy has expressed strong objections to the planned USD 4.9 billion alumina refinery on Singkep Island in Indonesia’s Riau Islands province. Image for referential purposes only The project is being developed by China’s Tianshan Aluminium through its local subsidiary, Tianshan Alumina Indonesia, and has been granted National Strategic Project (PSN) status under the government’s mineral downstreaming agenda. The navy’s concerns stem from the project’s proposed location, which overlaps with a 400-hectare military training zone that has long supported operational readiness. The area has hosted major defence exercises, including the US-led Super Garuda Shield and joint amphibious drills with Australian forces. Navy spokesperson First Admiral Tunggul stated that the site remains...
Yongmaotai Automotive Technology, a Chinese manufacturer of aluminium alloy auto parts, has announced plans to invest CNY 450 million (USD 62.8 million) in a new factory in Mexico. The move aims to help its European and US clients navigate uncertainties in global trade policies. According to a statement released yesterday by the Shanghai-based firm, its two Singaporean subsidiaries will jointly establish a Mexican entity to finance, construct, and manage the facility. The project is expected to take approximately two years to complete, though further details were not disclosed. Yongmaotai Automotive Technology said the Mexico investment is aimed at mitigating the negative impact of shifting tariff policies on the supply chains of its European and US customers. The move is also intended to...
Harnessing a bold fusion of innovation, design, and stewardship, Lenovo is charting a transformative path in circular tech. Gone are the days when green credentials were mere afterthoughts, today, almost every Lenovo products and accessories is being reimagined through a circular lens. With the ambitious target of embedding closed‑loop recycled materials like aluminium, copper, etc., into 100 per cent of its PC lines by FY2026, the company is weaving sustainability directly into the DNA of its products. And this is what Lenovo’s FY2025 ESG Report highlights, pointing out an in-depth look at the company’s continued integration of environmental and social priorities throughout its global operations. It highlights initiatives in sustainable product design, circular economy practices,...
Hind Aluminium, a maker of aluminium and alloy conductors and aluminium wire rods, recently changed their evaluation to reflect a neutral posture in the face of operating performance issues. The company reported a steep year-over-year profit decline of 53.5 per cent, with Q4 FY24-25 profit after tax dropping to INR 4.01 crore (USD 467,706) – a sharp 38.4 per cent contraction over the past six months alone. Image source: Hind Aluminium Industries Limited (LinkedIn) In addition to the numbers, this company's negative EBIT to interest of -8.44 suggests that there are structural impediments to managing available debt vs financial stability. This changes the technical picture to go from a slightly bullish outlook to neutral. In the June quarter of FY2024-25, the company's net profit was INR...
No matter what age we purchase a car, everyone waits for the delivery to be completed and can go for the first drive. But what happens when this gets delayed beyond expectation? A similar backlash is faced by Xiaomi, a Chinese-based multinational corporation, for the delayed delivery of its YU7 electric SUV, which is reportedly over a year behind schedule. Is the company failing to meet the customer satisfaction level of other EV brands? Image source: mi.com The majority of Xiaomi's consumer base has reported delayed delivery of their YU7 electric SUV for an extended period of one year, without prior notification of the delivery issue. As of now, the consumer complaint count has exceeded 400, which the firm plans to address by a livestream after ramping up its production scale. The...
Guinea's bauxite exports witnessed a 39 per cent surge in Q1 2025, valued at 48.6 million tonnes, despite ongoing setbacks concerning the cancellation of the licenses of major operators. The majority of Guinea's bauxite in Q1 2025 was exported to China, where aluminium production further recovered, already reaching 18.59 million tonnes in the first five months of 2025. The current bauxite industry of Guinea According to the SMM report, Guinea's bauxite sector has received significant attention in recent years, with production reaching almost 137 million tonnes annually, alongside mining and infrastructure projects. Substantial contributions to this effort were made by Kebo Energy SA, GAC, EGA, Arrow Minerals, and Trans-Guinean Railways. Shortly, the Guinea military-led government began to...
Canyon Resources Limited recently announced that Peter Secker has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, effective from July 1, 2025. Peter Secker has over 40 years of experience in global mining. He has previously served as a strategic advisor to the Minim Martap Bauxite Project of central Cameroon, a large-scale, high-grade bauxite deposit being developed by Canyon Resources. Source credit: Seetao Mr Secker is expected to guide Canyon through its transition from development to production of the first bauxite shipment, which is expected to commence in the first half of 2026. This particular development is expected to make a significant contribution to the aluminium industry by providing a reliable and high-quality source of bauxite, a key ingredient in aluminium production. The...
Alcoa Corporation has announced the successful closing of its sale of a 25.1 per cent ownership interest in the Ma’aden Joint Venture to the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden), by a binding share purchase and subscription agreement. Through this transaction, Alcoa has received proceeds of approximately 86 million Ma’aden shares, valued at around USD 1.2 billion, along with USD 150 million in cash, which will be used primarily to cover related taxes and transaction expenses. Alcoa expects to record a gain of roughly USD 780 million in other income in the third quarter of 2025, and consistent with its practice for non-core asset sales, will reflect this as a special item. As stipulated by the agreement, Alcoa is required to retain its Ma’aden shares for a minimum of three years. It will...
California-based Brimstone is advancing plans to establish the first alumina refinery in the US in more than five decades, which is a major step toward restoring the domestic aluminium supply chain. The company has signed a letter of intent with Oklahoma’s Dolese Bros. Co . to supply raw material for the proposed Rock Refinery, which will co-produce smelter-grade alumina , Portland cement, and supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) . Image for representational purposes only Brimstone selected Dolese Bros following a competitive review of over 23,000 quarries across the country. In April 2025, primary aluminium imports fell by 20 per cent year-on-year to approximately 281,500 tonnes, down from 352,538 tonnes in April 2024. The rock for Brimstone’s refinery will come from Dolese’s...
On Tuesday, July 1, Formosa Smart Energy (FSET) announced the completion of Taiwan’s first integrated demonstration line for recycling LFP batteries (Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries), uniting front-end physical crushing with back-end chemical extraction. As the global surge in energy storage systems and electric vehicles (EVs) leads to a growing number of retired batteries, recovering valuable metals like lithium, nickel, cobalt, aluminium, etc., through recycling has become an essential strategy for strengthening supply chain resilience and ensuring resource security worldwide. By establishing its own demonstration line, FSET has successfully produced battery-grade lithium carbonate suitable for direct use in lithium battery manufacturing. This achievement supports national policies...
In a move that underscores the growing importance of advanced process analytics in metals manufacturing, Iceland-based metals analytics specialist DTE has announced a strategic collaboration with Arconic Corporation, a global leader in aluminium products, including sheets, plates, and more. The partnership aims to elevate process efficiency and product quality by integrating DTE’s cutting-edge molten metal composition analysis technology into Arconic’s operations. The collaboration kicks off with a pilot project at a selected Arconic facility in North America. This initiative will utilise DTE’s advanced LP-LIBS™ Analyser, designed for real-time chemical composition analysis of molten aluminium in furnace operations. The technology enables precise process control, boosting throughput,...
The aluminium processing industry experienced a marked downturn in June 2025, with the composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) dropping to 40.1 per cent. This decline of 9.7 percentage points from May and 1.5 per cent year-on-year firmly placed the index in contraction territory below the critical 50-point mark. The drop signals a broad-based deceleration across all aluminium processing sub-sectors, driven by a complex set of challenges. Image Credit: unsplash.com A confluence of factors contributed to this downturn. Seasonal weakness was more acute than usual, intensifying the traditional off-season effect. Aluminium prices remained elevated at around RMB 21,000 per tonne, limiting the purchasing capacity of downstream sectors. Domestic demand weakened further due to sluggish cargo...
Patriot Aluminum is relocating from its former facility in Denton, Maryland, to a new site on Whitehurst Drive near Seaford, Delaware. The company has purchased a 45,000-square-foot warehouse and is investing $4.8 million to equip and upgrade the facility for the production, assembly, and distribution of metal fencing products. The move brings 20 existing jobs from Maryland, with an additional 19 full-time positions to be created at the Delaware location over the next three years. According to a release from the Delaware Prosperity Partnership (PPP), these roles will span both skilled and unskilled positions, including sales, administrative, and managerial jobs. “Patriot Aluminum is excited to relocate and be a part of Seaford’s rebirth,” said Patriot Aluminum Controller George Hufnagel...
In a continent where 40 per cent of the world’s natural resources lie beneath the surface, only 30 per cent have been thoroughly explored. But the challenge isn’t just geology. It is in its governance. More specifically, it’s the invisible curtain shrouding Africa’s geological survey data that may be deterring billions in potential investment. Image for referential purposes only (Source: https://www.bruker.com/) At the recent London Indaba, Mark Cutifani, Chairperson of Vale Base Metals and a mining heavyweight formerly at Anglo American, struck a chord during his opening keynote, as he shared, “Malawi is the first, and I believe Nigeria is the second.” He wasn’t talking about mineral production, infrastructure milestones, or new critical mineral discoveries. He was referring to a...
Neveah Limited has officially commenced operations at its advanced aluminium and copper recycling facility in Ogun State. During its inaugural production run, the plant successfully delivered its first batch of aluminium ingots achieving a notable purity level of 85.1 per cent, a strong reflection of the high-quality standards Neveah aims to maintain as it scales up operations. Neveah Limited’s recycling facility in Ogun State is set to produce ADC 12-grade aluminium ingots for both domestic and international markets. Sourced from recycled aluminium scrap such as used car engine parts and beverage cans the ingots will be exported to destinations across Asia and beyond, supporting a global circular economy. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the facility ensures each ingot complies...
Amidst growing concern over the future of UK automotive manufacturing, British sports car maker Lotus has moved to reassure the government that it remains committed to its Norfolk roots. At an urgent meeting on Sunday, the company confirmed to Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds that it has no plans to close its Norfolk factory despite preparing to resume production following a reduction in US tariffs. In a statement on X, it said, "Lotus Cars is continuing normal operations; there are no plans to close any factory," 1,300 UK jobs saved The meeting was prompted by reports that Lotus was considering shifting sports car production to the US, an option that could have put 1,300 UK jobs at risk and marked a significant setback for the country's car industry. Lotus's Chinese parent company,...
Despite India’s exports reaching a record USD 824.9 billion in FY 2024–25, aluminium exports declined sharply by 10.79 per cent, revealing sector-specific challenges amid an otherwise strong trade performance. Image for representational purposes only According to the Ministry of Commerce, total exports grew 6.01 per cent year-on-year, rising from USD 778.1 billion in FY 2023–24, driven primarily by robust growth in services and non-petroleum merchandise exports. The overall surge in India’s exports was supported by a 13.6 per cent rise in services exports, which reached a record USD 387.5 billion, and a 6 per cent increase in non-petroleum merchandise exports, which hit an all-time high of USD 374.1 billion. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman acknowledged the resilience of Indian...
The US beverage can industry aims to offset its manufacturing cost inflation by using recycled aluminium, which is exempt from the 50 per cent tariff on aluminium and steel. By using recycled aluminium, the entire industry would shield nearly 70 billion cans, an industry valued at USD 36.95 billion in 2024, from potential financial threats and loss. Recently, the Trump administration has applied a 50 per cent tariff on imports of consumer packaged goods made from aluminium and steel, creating a robust tension among manufacturers. However, this created a nudge towards using recycled aluminium for beverage can packaging. US beverage can production According to the IMARC report, the aluminium beverage can production in the US in 2024 was 155.8 Billion Units and is expected to reach 209.7...
