Europe's aluminium industry is facing mounting pressure from rising carbon costs, shifting trade policies and limited willingness among buyers to pay premiums for low-carbon metal. Yet, despite a series of crises since the Covid pandemic, producers remain committed to maintaining their presence in Europe and investing in decarbonisation, said Paul Voss, Director General of European Aluminium. In an exclusive interview with Fastmarkets at Aluminium Düsseldorf, Voss described the European aluminium industry's condition as bruised but resilient. He highlighted concerns over the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the potential inclusion of indirect (Scope 2) emissions under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the treatment of aluminium scrap in carbon accounting. Reflecting on...
Bahrain’s aluminium wire exports continued to gain momentum in the second quarter of 2026, with shipments rising significantly compared with the corresponding periods of 2025 and 2024. The country exported 80,895 tonnes of aluminium wire in Q2 2026, taking its total shipments during the first half of the year to 143,518 tonnes. The export data covers aluminium wire under HS code 7605, excluding stranded wire, cables, plaited bands and similar products, electrically insulated wires and strings for musical instruments. Export volume registers strong Y-o-Y growth Comparing the quarterly figures, Bahrain’s aluminium wire export volume increased by 23.76 per cent Y-o-Y in Q2 2026, against 65,366 tonnes shipped during Q2 2025. The latest quarterly volume also marked a considerable rise from Q2...
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LME aluminium opened at US$2,147 per tonne on Monday, with its high and low at US$2,150.5 per tonne and US$2,115 per tonne, respectively, before closing at US$2,145.5 per tonne, an increase of US$7 per tonne or 0.33 per cent from the previous trading day. On Monday, August 21, both LME aluminium cash bid price and LME official settlement price dropped by US$27.5 per tonne to settle at US$2,068 per tonne and US$2,068.50 per tonne. On the same day, both the 3-month bid price and 3-month offer price also dipped by US$15 per tonne or 0.70 per cent and US$48.5 per tonne or 2.23 per cent to halt at US$2,122 per tonne and US$2,123 per tonne. December 24 bid price and December 24 offer price lost US$12 per tonne or 0.52 per cent to rest at US$2,288 per tonne and US$2,293 per tonne. LME aluminium...
Aluminium, the wonder metal, has demonstrated its relevance in a variety of fields. Redmi, a subsidiary of Xiaomi, has released its tablet, Redmi Pad SE, for the first time in the European market. The Redmi Pad SE's rear plate is composed of aluminium alloy, which protects and supports the internal components while also adding to its overall design and aesthetics. The Redmi Pad SE is also most likely to be released in the Malaysian market since it was detected in the SIRIM database. Within such a short period of time, Redmi, a 10-year-old brand, has brought a new spectrum to humanity with its electronic gadgets. The Redmi Pad SE is the successor to the Xiaomi tablet released the previous year. However, the features of the Redmi Pad SE have been improved for the benefit of the consumers....
On August 17, CITIC Resources announced the signing of a new electricity hedging agreement (the “2026 EHA”) with Alcoa’s Portland Aluminium smelter in Australia. This new deal will be active from 1 July 2026 till 30 June 2035, supplying almost 300 MW of electricity to Portland Aluminium smelter. The previous agreement began on 1 August 2021 and will continue till 30 June 2026, as the officially released announcement by CITIC specified. The Portland Aluminium smelter is jointly run by the agencies listed below: Alcoa of Australia Limited (“Alcoa Australia”), which owns a 55% interest in the joint venture CITIC Nominees Pty Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, owns a 22.5% interest in the joint venture Marubeni Aluminium Australia Pty Ltd., which owns the remaining 22.5%...
Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), awaits government approval to invest INR 34,072 crore in an integrated Greenfield aluminium project in Odisha. The project will have a 2 million tonnes alumina refinery, a 0.5 million tonne aluminium smelter, and a 1,400 megawatts captive power plant. For the integrated project, Mahanadi will acquire a bauxite block at Sijimali or Kutrumali in Odisha , mine six million tonnes of bauxite per annum, and produce aluminium ingots with value-added products. Mahanadi Coalfields plans to inject INR 10,222 crore as equity, considering the project's debt-equity mix of 70:30. Hence, it seeks exemption from the investment limit of 15 per cent of the project's net worth, as pre-determined by the Department of Public...
Montana Tech Components AG, established in 2006, with headquarters in Reinach, Switzerland, is the parent company of Montana Aerospace AG, VARTA AAG and Aluflexpack AG. Montana Aerospace, headquartered in Switzerland, has acquired quite a good name for its business in recent years. This counterpart of Montana Tech Components is an expert in creating structural aluminium parts for the aerospace industry. In early 2022, Montana Aerospace took over the existing operations of its rival components firm, Asco, located in Belgium. There was no looking back for the company after that, as the records show a whopping 123 per cent revenue influx for the year, which pushed Montana Aerospace to hold its place in the top 100 aircraft parts producers worldwide. Montana has a flourishing technological...
A well-acknowledged player in the automotive industry, Shubhson Automotive, situated in Pune, has declared acquiring Yogtech Industries (Fe), a DPIIT-recognized energy start-up. Fe is an expert in creating bespoke aluminium-based electric two-wheeler components and boasts of designing state-of-the-art battery technology. The strategic equity plus cash collaboration is worth US$1 million, and it strongly promotes Shubhson Automotive as a leading figure in the electric mobility industry. The company's EV Charging Aggregator Platform, also known as 'Swiftcharge', is opening new boundaries in the electric vehicle sector. Shubhson has partnered with dealers and other associates to propagate the installation of its indigenously made chargers along the highways so that a wide EV charging network...
According to China customs data, unwrought aluminium and products imports into China grew significantly by 20.1 per cent year-on-year to reach 231,452 tonnes in July 2023. Limited domestic stocks and expectations for robust demand in autumn drove the rise of China's aluminium imports. On a month-on-month calculation, China's unwrought aluminium and products imports recorded a 9.6 per cent rise from 211,235 tonnes due to the same reason, showed customs data. Aluminium stocks on the Shanghai Futures Exchange stood just above 100,000 tonnes in July 2023, the lowest level since December 2022. China's total imports of unwrought aluminium and products in the first seven months of 2023 amounted to 1.43 million tonnes, 12.2 per cent more than the same period of 2022. The rise in China's aluminum...
LME aluminium opened at US$2,144 per tonne last Friday, with its high and low at US$2,159 per tonne and US$2,135 per tonne, respectively, before closing at US$2,138 per tonne, a decrease of US$4.5 per tonne or 0.21 per cent from the previous trading day. On August 18, the London Metal Exchange witnessed a dip in aluminium prices, with the LME aluminium cash bid price halting at US$2,095.50 per tonne, dropping US$34.50 per tonne or 1.62 per cent and the LME aluminium official settlement price shedding US$35 per tonne or 1.64 per cent, closing at US$2,096 per tonne. If we consider the LME aluminium price live chart on May 17, the price was US$2,096 per tonne, which plummeted US$173 per tonne or 7.62 per cent Quarter-on-Quarter to rest at what it was last Friday. LME prices have not shown a...
NITREX, a global player in the surface treatment industry, has achieved yet another milestone by successfully commissioning two cutting-edge nitriding systems for Alumil S.A., Greece's largest extrusion company and a major architectural systems producer. This collaboration reinforces NITREX's position as an industry leader, with over 35 years of experience, a widespread global presence, and a portfolio of ground-breaking solutions. The nitriding system installation in Serbia was completed in October 2022, followed by the successful installation in Greece in November 2022. These two pit-type nitriding systems, strategically placed at separate locations, not only signify a stronger global presence for NITREX but also validate the industry's confidence in NITREX's expertise to optimize die...
A new seven-meter-tall aluminium sculpture called 'Carry Each Other' has been unveiled on Springfield Road in West Belfast. The local visual artist, Sara Cunningham-Bell, sculpted it for the Forth Meadow Community Greenway project. The sculpture symbolises the strength of the community in Belfast and the importance of supporting each other. It depicts an adult carrying a child on their shoulders, with the child carrying a bird representing the vision and upcoming plans. Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Ryan Murphy, stated that Carry Each Other is the signature piece of the Forth Meadow Community Greenway project, which also saw five smaller pieces of floor art installed along the route of the greenway. During the project's development phase, the artist engaged with almost 270 primary school...
Sustainability is a crucial aspect of the aluminium industry. Sustainable approaches benefit the environment, help companies meet regulatory requirements, and enhance their reputation with customers and stakeholders. First Solar Inc, a US-based producer of Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) profiles, has established a new industry benchmark for openness by publicly revealing the results of third-party social audits at its worldwide production facilities. Samsung envisions a civilization in which technology and humans coexist to conserve the environment for future generations. As a consequence, Samsung is encouraging South African consumers to participate in its "Everyday Sustainability" campaign by doing little acts of kindness in their daily lives. Australia and the US...
Novelis, a leading aluminium flat-rolled products company, recently announced a significant achievement in the industry. According to the company, recycled aluminium made up an average of 61% of its total inputs in the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2023. This impressive figure is due to Novelis' recycling of over 2.3 million tons of aluminium, including 82 billion used beverage cans. This increase in recycling is attributed to Novelis' focus on innovating new circular processes and partnerships, resulting in nearly $2 billion in investments since 2011. Novelis' push toward aluminium recycling is not only good for the environment, but it also makes business sense. Recycling aluminium requires up to 95% less energy and emits 95% less carbon than producing primary aluminium. As such,...
The end-user aluminium sector has been exposed to the unparalleled application of technology in recent years, with big companies turning their production lines more sustainable under the global ESG rules. Hydro is ruling the sector with its innovative yet eco-friendly approaches in the industry. Hydro Rein recently signed a notion with Norwegian landowner Opplysningsvesenets Fund (OVF) to assemble seven cooperative solar projects emitting 655 MW in an assorted compound. UK's PurOptima will incorporate Hydro's Circal in its flagship curtain wall and window-making line. Ball Corporation will sell its aerospace business to BAE Systems for $5.55 billion. The deal will close in H1 2024, subject to regulatory approvals. After-tax proceeds of $4.5 billion will be used to reduce net debt, with...
The downstream aluminium sector witnessed an active week started from August 14, 2023, with 17 new Chinese battery foil projects commissioning production, Sansera Engineering Ltd, a precision-forged and machined aluminium components manufacturer, planning to invest INR 300 crore for capacity expansion, and Beijing Easpring, a Chinese manufacturer of battery cathodes, constructing a production plant for for ternary cathode active material. In addition, Capral Limited, Goyal Aluminiums Ltd, and Hind Aluminium announced their financial results this week. As per the report covered by AL Circle on August 16, China is going to have 17 new aluminium battery foil projects. Some are under construction, while some have started production. The 17 projects will have a total production capacity of...
This week the global primary aluminium segment saw releases of the quarterly results of Century Aluminium and NALCO. As per the data, the National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), a Schedule 'A' Navratna CPSE, revealed that its quarterly earnings for Q1 FY2023-24 fell 40 per cent due to low global aluminium prices and weak demand. Century Aluminium Company, the owner's principal aluminium capacity in the United States and Iceland, reported results for the second quarter of 2023. Net sales for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023, grew by 4 per cent sequentially, mainly owing to higher realised aluminium prices. On Thursday, August 17, both the LME aluminium cash bid price and LME aluminium official settlement price surged by US$41.5 per tonne or 1.98 per cent and US$42 per tonne or...
House of Marley's recent launch, the famous Stir it Up series of sustainable turntables, has received a crisp new appearance, improved components and a psychedelic zoetrope slipmat with dancing animated Bob Marley. The newly refurbished turntable is composed of recycled aluminium, bamboo and glass. The turntable was inspired by "Bob Marley's love for music and the planet" and was created with sustainability as a driving theme. The belt-driven, Bluetooth-enabled turntable has ditched the typical silver highlights in favour of a leaner, more striking black colour, although it is still composed of recyclable aluminium. The speed-selection switch has been redesigned as a dial, with a 3.5-mm headphone input and a bright blue accent around its base. It has also been relocated to the left front...
Material testing is critical in large industries, as producers must be able to rely on the qualities of the raw materials they use. The Universal Tensile Testing Machine is one of the best examples of this. The test fixture is made of 3D-printed components and is constructed on top of an aluminium extrusion. For the construction of the frame of the machine, 550mm 2060 European Standard Aluminum Extrusion has been used. The machine was displayed by a student named Xieshi Zhang at the Hackaday.io, one of the world’s largest collaborative hardware development communities. Tensile testing machines are special versions of universal testing machines used to test the tensile strength of materials. It applies a tensile force to a specimen (stretches it) until it breaks, then quantifies the forces...
Stanford University's researchers have developed a new paint that incorporates aluminium flakes in an infrared reflective layer and nanoparticles in an ultrathin, infrared-transparent layer in a wide range of colours. For many years, reflective architecture has been lauded for its ability to keep indoor spaces cool by reflecting the sun's rays off white surfaces. This practice has gained global recognition as the effects of climate change continue to intensify, with applications ranging from informal settlements in India to rooftops in New York City. However, white paint is not always practical or culturally appropriate for certain architectural contexts. To address this issue, researchers at Stanford University have discovered a two-step paint solution for reducing indoor temperatures....
