Aluminum investment has been spreading across the entire value chain, from primary smelting and alumina refining to recycling, rolling, extrusion and battery foil, building more integrated and higher-value supply chains. During the past 5 years, the US and Canada in North America and China in Asia have been grabbing headlines pertaining to the aluminum industry. These updates have involved growth stories or have shed light on volatile market situations. How have these headlines contributed to a greater picture for the benefit of the aluminum industries of the two continents? Between 2021 and 2026, major projects across North America and Asia have targeted new primary capacity, lower-carbon production, recycled aluminum and higher-value downstream products. But the investment pattern is...
Nautor Swan has unveiled new details and official renderings of its 43.5-metre Swan Alloy 44, the Finnish yacht builder’s first aluminium supermaxi, with construction now underway in the Netherlands. The yacht is being built at Gouwerok Shipyard, where hull and deck construction are currently in progress. Once this stage is completed, the vessel will move to Viareggio, Italy, for final outfitting, launch and delivery, which is scheduled for 2028. The project will also become the largest yacht ever built by Gouwerok Shipyard and its first all-aluminium supermaxi. Although construction is taking place outside Finland, Nautor Swan’s team will continue to oversee key aspects of the programme, including its design philosophy, performance studies and supply-chain coordination. The Swan Alloy 44...
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India's electricity mix underwent a notable shift in July as record renewable energy generation reduced coal's share of power production to its lowest level in a year, even as overall electricity demand continued to climb. Government data showed renewable energy generated 36.25 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) during the month, marking a 30 per cent increase from July last year and raising its share in the country's power mix to 20 per cent. At the same time, coal's contribution declined to 65.7 per cent from 69 per cent in June, according to Reuters calculations based on daily data from Grid-India. The changing generation pattern coincided with a rise in overall electricity production, which increased 10.4 per cent year on year to 181.79 billion kWh in July. Solar and wind drive the demand...
India may be the world’s second-largest producer of primary aluminium, but for thousands of small manufacturers further down the value chain, access to domestically produced metal at globally competitive prices remains a pressing concern. The issue has returned to the centre of India’s aluminium policy debate, with import-parity pricing and the effective 8.25 per cent import levy on primary aluminium increasingly being cited by downstream manufacturers as factors raising their raw material costs. The concern is growing as primary aluminium can account for as much as 80 per cent of the production cost of downstream manufacturers. For micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) operating on thinner margins, even relatively small movements in the cost of metal can therefore have an outsized...
Adani Group and Abu Dhabi-based International Holding Company (IHC) are moving ahead with plans to build one of India's largest integrated aluminium manufacturing complexes in Odisha. The project will be powered by a combination of a 4,000 Adani's proposed USD 11.5 billion aluminium project in Odisha to adopt hybrid power model MW captive power plant and a 400 MW renewable energy unit. The project returned to focus after Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, accompanied by Karan Adani, visited Rayagada to review land availability, transport connectivity and infrastructure for the proposed facility. Hybrid energy model to support aluminium production The project will be developed through a 50:50 joint venture between Adani Enterprises and IHC's subsidiary, International Resources Holding...
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) reported a sharp increase in revenue and profit for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, driven by higher aluminium prices and improved operational efficiency. The state-owned aluminium producer also recommended a final dividend of INR 1 (USD 0.011) per equity share for FY26, taking the total dividend for the year to INR 11.50 (USD 0.12) per share. On a standalone basis, revenue from operations rose 39.28 per cent year-on-year to INR 53 billion (USD 557 million) from INR 38 billion (USD 400 million), while total income increased 39.30 per cent to INR 54.8 billion (USD 575 million). Profit before tax climbed to INR 26.45 billion (USD 278 million) from INR 14.3 billion (USD 150 million) in the corresponding quarter last year, while profit after tax...
The Aluminum Association today welcomed President Trump's memorandum calling for strengthened domestic supplies of recoverable critical minerals and materials. The memo directs the Commerce Secretary to take “all appropriate action under section 101 of the [Defense Production] Act” to “secure the supply of recoverable Critical Minerals and Materials.” Aluminium is one of only a handful of materials included on every government critical minerals list. The Aluminum Association has called for targeted scrap export controls to keep more of this vital material in the United States. Aluminium scrap exports are growing, and much of this metal is ending up with strategic rivals including China, either directly or through third-party countries. The association encourages the Commerce Department to...
Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited has opened its first full reporting chapter as an independent listed aluminium producer with record production and sharply higher earnings. For the quarter ended June 30, 2026 (Q1 FY27), the company reported profit after tax (PAT) of INR 65.97 billion, up 205 per cent year-on-year and 33 per cent sequentially, alongside its highest-ever quarterly aluminium production. The numbers put both scale and profitability at the centre of Vedanta Aluminium’s post-demerger story. Revenue climbed 45 per cent year-on-year and 13 per cent quarter-on-quarter, supported by higher volumes and improved realisations. EBITDA more than doubled from the year-ago period, surging 134 per cent . Compared with Q4 FY26, EBITDA increased 24 per cent. The company’s EBITDA margin...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), the world's largest aluminium smelter on one site, has achieved another significant safety milestone by becoming the first aluminium smelter in the Middle East to join the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) Accredited Training Scheme (ATS), cementing its position as an industry leader in workplace safety, operational excellence and workforce development. The achievement places Alba among the region's pioneering organisations authorised to deliver LEEA-approved training programmes and issue internationally recognised certifications to employees who successfully complete the training. The programmes are designed to strengthen the competencies of crane operators and personnel involved in lifting operations while ensuring alignment with globally...
Vedanta Ltd has appointed Hindustan Zinc Chief Executive Officer Arun Misra as its new Chief Executive Officer for a one-year term beginning August 1, as the diversified mining company reported a 72 per cent year-on-year increase in consolidated net profit for the June quarter, supported by higher metal prices across its key businesses. Misra, who currently heads Hindustan Zinc, will step down from that role to lead Vedanta following the board's approval of his appointment. The strong quarterly performance follows similar earnings growth across Vedanta Group companies. Hindustan Zinc recently reported more than a twofold increase in quarterly profit, while Vedanta Aluminium reported more than a threefold rise in profit for the June quarter, supported by higher aluminium prices. To learn...
London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium prices moved lower on July 31 after recording gains in the previous session. Both cash and forward aluminium contracts declined, while warehouse inventories continued to fall. In contrast, the LME alumina Platts price increased. The LME aluminium cash bid price fell 1.05 per cent to USD 3,195 per tonne from USD 3,229 per tonne on July 30 , while the cash offer price declined 1.08 per cent to USD 3,196 per tonne from USD 3,231 per tonne. Explore- Most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report — Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price Outlook The three-month aluminium bid price also edged down 0.20 per cent to USD 3,178.5 per tonne from USD 3,185 per tonne. The offer price also edged down by...
Futures: The most-traded SHFE aluminium 2609 contract closed at RMB 23,665 per tonne, unchanged from the previous day's settlement price, with a change of 0.00 per cent. The intraday opening was RMB 23,600 per tonne, and it fluctuated within a range of RMB 23,550-23,695 per tonne. The price traded above MA5 (23,519.00), MA10 (23,371.00), and MA30 (23,142.83), but below MA60 (23,787.83). The medium and long-term moving averages as a whole maintained a bearish alignment and continued to press downward. A consolidative repair structure at low levels emerged, with the 60-day moving average above acting as a key resistance. On the MACD indicator, the DIF (19.3006) stood above the DEA (-78.0446), and the MACD histogram bar value was 194.6903. Bearish momentum continued to weaken, while bullish...
Oil price shocks are traditionally associated with their impact on transportation, aviation, paints and chemicals, tyres, rubber, and fertiliser industries, while the ripple effects on metallurgy often remain overlooked. The recent Middle East geopolitical crisis has renewed attention on aluminium’s strategic importance as a critical global metal supplier, but what about the impact of the oil price surge linked to the conflict on aluminium’s cost structure? Indeed, the aluminium industry does not consume crude oil directly in the smelting process. Still, it does through petroleum coke and carbon anodes used in the smelting process, which creates a significant connection between global oil markets and aluminium production costs. Between crude oil and aluminium – the petroleum coke...
Recently, China's aluminium bar sector has been challenged by the off-season impact coupled with high temperatures, leading to shrinking orders and declining operating rates at downstream enterprises. The industry's overall operation has shown a slow, sluggish pace, which in turn has directly caused the bar market to struggle. In June, stimulated by both falling aluminium prices and supply contraction, the traders were increasingly firm to the offers, with daily quotations continuously climbing. By late June and early July, processing fees for 6063 aluminium bars in major consumption areas had already broken through the RMB 600 per tonne mark, and some high-end quotations were even eager to test the RMB1,000 per tonne threshold. In July, expectations of further increases in processing...
Sterling Fleet Outfitters, one of Canada’s leading commercial vehicle upfitters, today announced the arrival of the Centurion Aluminium Truck Cap, becoming the first company to introduce the product to the Canadian market. Designed for contractors, service businesses, municipalities, and commercial fleets, the Centurion provides a modern alternative to conventional aluminium truck caps by improving durability, security, accessibility, and weather management. The first shipment has arrived in Canada and inventory is now available for select Ford and Chevrolet pickup trucks. What is the Centurion Aluminium Truck Cap? The Centurion is a premium aluminium truck cap engineered specifically for commercial use. It combines lightweight construction with practical features that help tradespeople...
Brands are increasingly using aluminium packaging not only to protect products, but also to create premium designs, connect with consumers digitally and support circular packaging goals, according to Sonoco. "Across fish and pet food applications, aluminium packaging demonstrates its versatility: not only through product protection and recyclability, but also through the premium decoration possibilities that enable brands to stand out on the shelf and create lasting consumer engagement," speaking to Packaging Insights, Francesco Giannolo, Vice President for Commercial at Sonoco Consumer Packaging EMEA and APAC, said. Premium aluminium packaging supports evolving consumer demand Sonoco said brands are increasingly turning to aluminium packaging to improve shelf appeal while meeting growing...
According to SMM statistics, total outside-China aluminium production in July 2026 fell 6.7 per cent Y-o-Y, mainly due to a Y-o-Y decline in operating rates at Middle East aluminium smelters. Outside-China daily average production rebounded 1.6 per cent M-o-M, mainly driven by ongoing production resumptions at smelters in the Middle East and Iceland, as well as output increases brought by project ramp-ups and power-on commissioning in Indonesia, Vietnam, and other locations. In July, there were many updates on operating aluminium capacity outside China. The details are as follows: On July 1, an announcement on Hydro’s official website showed that the Slovalco aluminium smelter had reached an agreement with the Slovak government, allowing it to resume production of 75,000 tonnes of...
China’s overall aluminium processing PMI for July registered 42.2 per cent, a sharp pullback of 4.4 percentage points M-o-M, with all sub-sectors in contraction territory. Aluminium plate/sheet and strip (44.8 per cent), aluminium foil (39.0 per cent), construction extrusion (39.7 per cent), industrial extrusion (42.1 per cent), aluminium wire and cable (44.4 per cent), primary alloy (43.9 per cent), and secondary alloy (37.6 per cent) all fell below the 50 mark, signalling a further contraction in industry sentiment. The common pressure across sub-sectors was the full-blown traditional consumption off-season in July, with synchronised weakness in end-use demand from real estate, home appliances, and general machinery. Sub-indexes for all categories broadly fell into contraction...
PT Cita Mineral Investindo Tbk recorded a strong rise in revenue during the first half of 2026, but the higher sales did not translate into stronger earnings. Instead, the Indonesian bauxite miner reported a sharp fall in profit as weaker returns from its alumina refining investment outweighed improvements in its core mining business. The results underline how the company's earnings are becoming increasingly dependent on its downstream aluminium investments. According to the company's unaudited consolidated financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2026, net sales increased 36.9 per cent year on year to IDR 1.91 trillion (USD 106.1 million) from IDR 1.39 trillion (USD 77.2 million). Gross profit also edged higher to IDR 612.4 billion (USD 34 million) from IDR 595.1 billion...
The centre of gravity of the global aluminium extrusion market is increasingly difficult to locate anywhere but Asia. China already sits at a scale that no other extrusion-producing country approaches. AL Circle's The World of Aluminium Extrusions – Industry Forecast to 2030 estimated China's aluminium extrusion usage at 20.94 million tonnes in 2023, against global consumption of approximately 31.5 million tonnes. That means, roughly two out of every three tonnes of aluminium extrusions consumed worldwide were used in China. The same study estimated that Chinese extruders had more than 30 million tonnes of annual capacity, while China's extrusion demand could approach 27.5 million tonnes by 2030. On the other hand, India operates on an entirely different scale, but perhaps on a more...
