The Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO) has reported a provisional profit of USD 1.3 million within the first nine months of 2026, signalling progress in its efforts to restore operations and strengthen its financial position. The Ghanaian aluminium producer has also outlined an ambitious expansion target of processing 1.5 million tonnes of alumina within the next decade, supported by an estimated USD 4 billion investment. VALCO CEO Dr Robert Makila Sambian said the company was now focused on strategic capital investment to achieve its long-term production ambitions. He shared the update during the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources' Progress Report Series, an initiative through which agencies under the ministry present updates on their activities and performance to the media....
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has defended the feasibility of cooling artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in space, claiming that aluminum radiators facing away from the Sun can dissipate approximately 1,300 watts of heat per square meter. His comments have brought Aluminum's thermal management capabilities into focus as SpaceX explores the development of orbital computing satellites powered by its existing Starlink technology. In a post on social platform X on November 2, Musk argued that cooling high-performance computing equipment in space could be "much easier than on Earth," challenging concerns that the vacuum environment would make heat dissipation particularly difficult. Aluminum radiators form the basis of Musk's cooling argument The discussion began after Jan Broersen, a professor...
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On Monday, June 19, both the LME aluminium cash bid price and LME aluminium official settlement price shed US$29.50 per tonne or 1.33 per cent to halt at US$2,194.50 per tonne and US$2,195 per tonne, respectively. The aluminium spot price has slumped 4.56 per cent or US$105 per tonne month-on-month from US$2,300 per tonne on May 19 to US$2,195 per tonne, which was yesterday’s official trading price. The 3-month bid price dropped by US$25.50 per tonne or 1.12 per cent, and the 3-month offer price lost US$25 per tonne or 1.10 per cent to anchor at US$2,244 per tonne and US$2,245 per tonne. December 24 bid price and December 24 offer price both descended by US$23 per tonne or 0.95 per cent to officially close at US$2,392 per tonne and US$2,397 per tonne. LME aluminium opening stock came in...
China's aluminium producers are eyeing Indonesia for setting up smelters like nickel manufacturers. Indonesia has shown interest in housing aluminium smelters as they have done with nickel. They want to stop exporting aluminium raw materials and working on getting foreign investors to build domestic smelters. Moreover, as imposed by President Xi Jinping's government, China's domestic capacity ceiling has reached its limit. A new Chinese-backed aluminium plant has already commenced operations in the Southeast Asian nation. The project is also backed by Tsingshan Group Holding, the company that led China's billions of dollars of investments in developing nickel plants in Indonesia. "Chinese aluminium companies have to go out of China if they want to expand, given the capacity ceiling,"...
Constellium SE and TARMAC Aerosave are collaborating to discover technologies and processes that will enable the recovery of aluminium from end-of-life aircraft. This innovative approach involves reusing aluminium within the aerospace value chain, thereby keeping its material properties and original performance intact. This method has proven advantageous since the carbon footprint of aluminium is more feasible in comparison with other elements used in aircraft production. Furthermore, using recycled aluminium adds to this advantage by significantly reducing CO2 emissions. It is noteworthy that recycled aluminium requires just 5% of the energy used for primary metal production, resulting in 95% lower CO2 emissions for the aluminium produced to craft commercial aircraft. TARMAC Aerosave's...
Cinch Connectivity Solutions has expanded its Mil/Aero Circular MD801 Series of connectors. The MD801 5-3, MD801 6-4, MD801 7-10, MD801 13-2, and MD801 13-3 models are now available in aluminium shells with various finish choices. The Mil/Aero Circular MD801 is included in the series because of its lightweight and ultraminiature design, which offers compact form factors and high-density capabilities. It is designed mainly for aerospace, military, and other demanding situations, and it meets the Military Standard (MIL-SPEC) categories for drones, military vehicle communications, satellite communication systems, military radios, and military display systems. The connections are available in plug and receptacle formats, with conventional crimp, solder, and PC Tail terminations for board...
Datong Refractories, a company with its head office in Kaifeng, Henan, China, takes immense pride in providing fooder for top-quality refractories. It produces elements like reactive and calcined alumina, calcium aluminate cement, fused spinel, fused mullite, tabular alumina, white fused alumina, bubble alumina, ceramic alumina balls, and thermal insulation materials. With advanced management techniques and a strict producing process, Datong has enhanced its brand's competitiveness and provided internationally standard refractories. Kaifeng Datong has been enlisted under AL CircleBiz's B2B platform for better connectivity and outreach. AL CircleBiz is the world's first online marketplace for the global aluminium industry. At this moment, the company is brimming with energy. It proudly...
Chinese cape specialist Winning International Group, headquartered in Singapore, has secured a third ship deal in 2023. The Winning International Group is a multifaceted conglomerate with operations in mining development, ship management, shipping operations, maritime transhipment, and railway construction. The Sun Xiushun-led consortium has emerged as the highest bidder for the 16-year-old Japanese-controlled capesize Atlantic Tiger, a 180,000 DWT Imabari-built vessel. The ship sold for $16.5 million. Winning owns and operates around 100 vessels, including 40 Capesize bulk carriers with a total capacity of 7.56 million DWT. Winning presently has 40 capes in its fleet, focusing on the West Africa-China tradeline. Winning International Group joined China's Weiqiao Group, China's Yantai...
According to a report on Monday, June 19, AMAG Austria Metall AG has yet again received the ‘Accredited Supplier’ award from Airbus. It is a supreme award that the European aircraft manufacturer presents to its suppliers, and AMAG is the only aluminium rolled products supplier to have received this level of recognition for the second time after 2020. This award is given to companies with excellent product quality and outstanding delivery reliability and is a part of the Supply Chain & Quality Improvement (SQIP) programme run by Airbus jointly with selected premium suppliers to ensure continuous improvement throughout the supply chain. “Innovation and constant improvement are a matter of course for us. We are all the more pleased about the repeated award from Airbus at the highest level,...
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative announced the joining of VDL Bike Frame Technologies as the new downstream supporter member. Founded in 2022, VDL Bike is a manufacturer of 100 per cent European-made aluminium bicycle frames. The worldwide industrial family enterprise VDL Group and applies the knowledge of a high-tech multinational to fabricate bicycle frames. “VDL Bike Frame Technologies wants to provide a sustainable solution for aluminum bike frame production within Europe. We join ASI to commit to responsible sourcing of the materials used for our products,” Jason Koevoet, Managing Director at VDL Bike. Being able to manufacture frames and get key components entirely inside Europe. All of the suppliers in VDL Bike believe in further increasing the sustainability of the whole supply...
The United States imports of crude and dried bauxite dropped drastically during the first quarter of 2023 both on a quarterly and annual basis, found the US Geological Survey. As per the data, the US imported 462,000 tonnes of bauxite in Q1 2023 ended March 31, which reflected a 38.97 per cent downfall from 757,000 tonnes in Q4 or December quarter of 2022. On a year-on-year calculation, the exports dwindled by 37.22 per cent from 736,000 tonnes. Jamaica continued to be the primary exporter of crude and dried bauxite to the US in Q1 2023, supplying 445,000 tonnes. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, Jamaica’s bauxite exports to the US registered a fall of 24.96 per cent from 593,000 tonnes and, on a year-on-year calculation, contracted by 28.46 per cent from 622,000 tonnes. Turkey, the...
DTE, a company that provides support for decision-making in the metals production and manufacturing industry, has successfully raised US$10 million in a Series A2 round. This funding will be utilised to drive innovation and expand the company's global outreach. DTE is grateful for the support of its esteemed investors in this round, including Novelis, a prominent name in the aluminium industry, Metaplanet, a venture capital firm, and the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, in addition to their existing investors Chrysalix Venture Capital and Brunnur Ventures. DTE's LP-LIBS™ sensor technology is a pioneering, in-line elemental analysis tool that eliminates slow, costly, and manual quality control procedures. It provides reference-grade elemental analysis directly from high-temperature...
NORD DRIVESYSTEMS now offers a solution for the needs of drive technology for harsh environmental conditions in the range of products acquainted with conventional geared motors. The nsd tupH Sealed Surface Conversion System from NORD has a unique treatment that renders drive surfaces with aluminium housings exceptionally corrosion-resistant, comparable to stainless steel. The nsd tupH surface treatment protects gear units, smooth surface motors, frequency inverters, and motor starters in washdown-optimised cast aluminium housings against corrosion. This is not a coating but an electrolytic treatment that forms a protective layer permanently linked to the substrate material. The treatment is not only cost-effective but is also available for a larger product range composed of aluminium. As...
Rosatom encouraged the Special Design & Technological Bureau of Applied Robotics to create an amphibious robot that can work in emergency situations at nuclear facilities. The robot is lightweight due to the use of aluminium in its construction and can carry objects up to 25 kg while conducting visual reconnaissance on land and underwater. The Deputy General Director of the bureau, Ilya Laverychev, exclaimed: "The mobile robot is a four-track chassis with a manipulator. The robot is controlled by the operator from the console, either remotely or by cable, depending on external conditions and the technology of work. The operator controls the situation in the area of the manipulator in real time using television cameras." The four-track chassis with a manipulator is controlled by an...
A report released by the Aluminum Association titled "2023 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content and Outlook" shows a robust demand for sustainable transportation will increase aluminium use by nearly 100 net pounds per vehicle (PPV) by 2030. A new survey by Ducker Carlisle, a global consulting and M&A firm, also cites that aluminum demand will grow through the decade's end, backed by electric vehicles' entry into the mass market. "Consumers want cars and trucks that are more sustainable, more electrified and filled with more technology, and automakers are responding with a host of innovations, all enabled by high-strength, low-weight and infinitely recyclable aluminum," said Mike Keown, chair of the Aluminum Transportation Group and CEO of Commonwealth Rolled Products. He added,...
On Friday, June 16, both LME aluminium cash bid price and LME aluminium official settlement price hiked by US$28 per tonne or 1.27 per cent and US$27.5 per tonne or 1.25 per cent to stand at US$2,224 per tonne and US$2,224.50 per tonne. 3-month bid price and 3-month offer price expanded by US$33 per tonne or 1.47 per cent to clock at US$2,269.50 per tonne and US$2,270 per tonne. December 24 bid price and December 24 offer price gained US$32 per tonne or 1.34 per cent to reside at US$2,415 per tonne and US$2,420 per tonne. LME aluminium opening stock came in at 564850 tonnes. Live warrants and Cancelled warrants closed at 309900 tonnes and 254950 tonnes. LME aluminium 3-month Asian Reference Price recorded a surge of US$42.5 per tonne to stop at US$2,279.45 per tonne. SHFE aluminium price...
The Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer Toyota Motor said it would adopt a technology spearheaded by Tesla known as “Gigacasting” to enhance performance and curtail the cost of future electric vehicles (EVs). Toyota is hardly the only company following Tesla's lead. General Motors, Hyundai Motor, and Geely affiliates Volvo Cars, Polestar, and Zeekr are all using or planning to use the technology. Tesla's US, China, and German facilities use the Giga Press, an aluminium die-casting machine. The house-sized machines can create aluminium components that are much larger than anything previously used in the auto industry. The Giga Press programme is a line of aluminium die-casting machines made for Tesla by the Idra Group in Italy, which has been a unit of China’s LK Industries...
Huawei has started delivering the first batch of its AITO M5 e-vehicles (electric vehicles) to the customer who had requested the vehicle shortly after its availability. The dimensions of the new automobile are 4770 x 1930 x 1625mm, with a wheelbase of 2880mm. A range-extension version and a pure electric edition are available, all with an all-aluminium alloy chassis, front double wishbone, and rear multi-link independent suspension. "Thanks to the trust of the users, we have once again witnessed the "Wenjie speed"! This new car brings innovative intelligent range-extending technology, which allows the vehicle to automatically adjust according to road conditions, with abundant power and further reduced energy consumption. In addition, the HarmonyOS smart cockpit and HUAWEI ADS 2.0...
If the building and construction sector is to keep pace with global climate goals, it must overcome formidable decarbonisation challenges. With the industry increasingly turning to Whole Life Carbon Assessments to manage building emissions, both the scrutiny of raw materials and the case for aluminium use are growing. Nevertheless, this does not mean all of the world’s aluminium capacity fits the task; the construction sector needs explicitly low-carbon aluminium. Inga Simonenko, Market Intelligence and Commercial Sustainability Director, UC Rusal Ben Salt, Sustainable Solutions Manager. UC Rusal Considering the impacts of the construction industry While construction represents one of the most important economic and social development drivers, it also embodies many of the most...
The largest producer and consumer of aluminium, China’s customs data on June 18, 2023, revealed that aluminium imports in May inclined 1.8 per cent from the previous year. However, despite this, arrivals decreased from the last month due to sluggish industrial demand. According to the General Administration of Customs data, China brought in 191,701 tonnes of unwrought aluminium and products, including primary metal and unwrought, alloyed aluminium, in May. This was lower than the 222,851 tonnes imported in April 2022 but higher than the 188,469 tonnes imported in the same month in 2022. AL Circle's industry-focused report, ' Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2023 ', revealed that the transport sector would drive the demand for aluminium, followed by the construction and packaging...
