The Canyon Resources’ subsidiary has acquired 42.8 per cent of Douala Port Timber Terminal, adding a port interest to its existing railway stake as it develops a planned route for Minim-Martap bauxite. Camalco Cameroon is extending its position in the logistics network being planned for the Minim-Martap bauxite project, acquiring a 42.8 per cent stake in Douala Port Timber Terminal (TBPD). The investment adds a port-related interest to its existing shareholding in Camrail, the railway operator expected to form part of the project’s transport route. The acquisition was completed through a capital increase at TBPD, rather than the purchase of shares from existing shareholders. Camalco invested XAF 347.447 million (USD 604,000), subscribing to newly issued shares reserved entirely for the...
The aluminium industry is entering another phase of supply-chain repositioning. Across bauxite, alumina and primary aluminium, companies are investing in new resources, consolidating strategic assets and expanding processing capacity, while governments are increasingly treating domestic supply as a strategic priority. The latest developments from Australia, Guyana, Guinea, Indonesia, the US and India point to a market where resource security, processing location and control over supply chains are becoming as important as production growth. At the same time, new trading mechanisms and changing investment patterns are beginning to influence how aluminium and its raw materials reach the market. Bauxite supply expands, but securing the right tonnes is becoming harder In Western Australia, VBX...
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Hind Aluminium Industries Limited announced its second quarter financial results ended September 30, 2023, whereby it posted a plunge of 65.96 per cent in net sales year-on-year from INR 1.41 crore to INR 0.48 crore. However, on a quarter-on-quarter calculation, the net sales in Q2 registered an increase of 26.32 per cent from INR 0.38 crore. Hind Aluminium also reported that its net profit in Q2 FY2023-24 was INR 3.83 crore, down by 10.30 per cent year-on-year from INR 4.27 crore. The net profit also edged a quarter-on-quarter fall of 32.09 per cent from INR 5.64 crore, despite a quarterly growth in net sales. The fall in profit owes to weaker aluminium prices. The company’s earnings per share (EPS) decreased to INR 6.25 in the September quarter of 2023 from INR 6.67 last year. Hind...
On November 17, EPI, the provider of high-quality, precise engineering jobs in UAE's aviation, oil & gas and defence sectors, declared that they had been contacted with a deal to manufacture prototype aluminium components for use during the assembly of Coyote® Counter-UAS interceptor. Raytheon, an RTX enterprise, is overseeing the Coyote® programme, which will be displayed during the Dubai Airshow today at Dubai World Central. EPI has been offered the first contract by Raytheon to supply prototype quantities of machined aluminium and assembly parts for the Coyote® Counter-UAS interceptor. The contract includes manufacturing, complex machining, unique processes and surface treatments, quality assurance, and sub-assembly of the parts and their materials. The agreement is a testament to...
As the European Commission concludes its 12 th sanctions package against Russia in response to the Ukraine-Russia geopolitical crisis this month, various options are under consideration, ranging from mildly impactful to potentially significant. Of particular concern is the possibility that specific measures within the more substantial category affect European importers and consumers rather than Russian exporters and producers and could also threaten the EU's green agenda, a key policy initiative. According to information from market insiders, European Union (EU) countries are reportedly contemplating imposing new sanctions on Russia. These potential measures include restrictions on Russian military and information technology and a proposed ban on importing Russian aluminium products such...
Headquartered in the US, Belvac, known for providing the global aluminium beverage can industry with sustainable solutions, is assisting in the move to a better and greener future with its new Carrier Ring Bottle. The Belvac Carrier Ring Bottle represents a promising advancement in ecological packaging. The aluminium bottle, designed with lightweight construction, has a transport (carrier) ring seamlessly incorporated into its structure. This innovative feature enables the bottle to serve as a suitable alternative to PET bottles in terms of packaging. The Carrier Ring facilitates the filling of aluminium bottles on pre-existing PET Filling Lines, requiring a modest amount of capital expenditure. Over 10 million tonnes of plastic garbage are in the ocean every year. Plastic pollution is...
Sumitomo Metal, a key supplier of nickel-cobalt-aluminium (NCA) cathode materials to Panasonic lithium-ion batteries used in Tesla electric vehicles, is expanding its annual cathode production capacity by 24,000 metric tonnes in Niihama, western Japan, by 2025 from the current capacity of 60,000 tonnes. To meet the surging demand for electric vehicles, the company is also exploring options to produce cathode battery materials in the United States and other regions. This move is expected to help Sumitomo Metal reinforce its position as a leading supplier of cathode battery materials and contribute to the development of the electric vehicle industry. The managing executive officer of Sumitomo Metal, Katsuya Tanaka, asserted: "Where and when to increase our production capacity next time...
According to the Shanghai Metals Market, China’s metallurgical-grade alumina production stood at 6.842 million tonnes, down by 1.6 per cent month-on-month but up by 2.5 per cent year-on-year. Daily average output in the said month was 220,700 tonnes, down by 3,700 tonnes from the previous month. The decrease in China’s alumina output from the earlier month owes to a tight supply of bauxite in Guangxi and Henan, roasting maintenance, and production cuts due to carbon emission reduction policies in Shandong. However, the country’s cumulative production from January to October 2023 grew by 2 per cent year-on-year, reaching 66.264 million tonnes. By the end of October, China’s installed alumina capacity was 100 million tonnes, operating capacity 80.68 million tonnes, and operating rate 80.7...
LME aluminium opened at US$2233 per tonne in the previous trading day, with its low and high at US$2211.5 per tonne and US$2234 per tonne, respectively, before closing at US$2211.5 per tonne, down US$23.5 per tonne or 1.05 per cent. The LME aluminium live price chart on November 16 witnessed dampening aluminium price trends, with the LME aluminium cash bid price and the LME aluminium official price shedding US$11.50 per tonne or 0.52 per cent to officially close at US$2,182 per tonne and US$2,182.50 per tonne. It must be mentioned that due to a technical glitch, AL Circle could not fetch LME’s data for November 15, so the comparison has been conducted with the last available data, which was on November 14. London Metal Exchange graph displayed that the 3-month bid price and the 3-month...
On Friday, November 17, China’s A00 aluminium ingot price slumps by RMB 120 per tonne to clock at RMB 18,810 per tonne, with the average prices between RMB 18,790 per tonne and RMB 18,830 per tonne. The spot contract price is expected to be traded at a discount price of RMB 50 to RMB 10 per tonne. As per the SMM data, the prices in Wuxi and Linyi have contracted by RMB 110 per tonne and RMB 100 per tonne to peg at RMB 18,810 per tonne and RMB 18,860 per tonne. The prices in Foshan, Hangzhou and Tianjin have slumped by RMB 90 per tonne to reside at RMB 18,960 per tonne, RMB 18,840 per tonne and RMB 18,870 per tonne. On the same day, the prices in Gongyi and Chongqing have fallen by RMB 70 per tonne, stopping at RMB 18,740 per tonne and RMB 18,850 per tonne. The domestic price of low-carbon...
In a strategic move towards sustainable practices, Japan's Toyota Tsusho Corporation's subsidiary, Toyotsu Materials, and non-ferrous scrap company Sanko Saitama have forged a joint investment venture named Toyotsu Sotec. With a total capital infusion of JPY 490 million, this dynamic collaboration positions Toyotsu as the majority stakeholder with an 80 per cent share, while Sanko secures a 20 per cent ownership. Situated in Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture, Toyotsu Sotec is set to embark on a groundbreaking initiative focusing on the sorting and processing of aluminium scrap. The company has outlined an ambitious timeline, targeting the commencement of operations in August 2025. The primary objective of this innovative venture is to significantly contribute to the horizontal recycling of...
Ex-Apple employees' brand Humane showcased its AI Pin in an international event on November 9. The Coperni SS24 show in Paris was enlightened by the presence of co-founder Imran Chaudhri, who presented the device on a global platform. Humane's AI Pin sports an anodized aluminium outer casing, which makes it sustainable and eco-friendly. The wearable device is attached to clothing using magnets or a latch, featuring cameras and sensors that project app and smartphone functionalities onto the user's palm and surfaces, allowing for contextual and ambient compute interactions that make sensing-based technology work seamlessly. The Humane AI Pin integrates OpenAI's ChatGPT and other software to create a smart assistant that uses voice recognition to provide accurate answers and carry out tasks...
Aluminium shipbuilder Austal Australia and Harland & Wolff Group have signed a MoU to explore shipbuilding opportunities in the UK. An agreement was signed at the 2023 Indo-Pacific Maritime Exposition in Sydney, which outlines the transfer of technology, skills, and shipyard capabilities required to build the next generation of patrol vessels for the United Kingdom's maritime security agencies. The agreement includes identifying opportunities in the UK market, such as the Border Force vessel replacement program, and working collaboratively in a non-exclusive partnership to pursue those opportunities. Austal Limited's CEO, Paddy Gregg, views this agreement as a promising opportunity to establish a foothold in the United Kingdom's market and collaborate with Harland & Wolff, an established...
Optical by National Pharmacies shops in Adelaide have become the first in Australia to collect and recycle consumer contact lens trash, to divert around 230,000 empty disposable contact lens blister packs from landfills over the next six months. During National Recycling Week (November 13-19), Optical by National Pharmacies is collaborating with Opticycle on a six-month pilot to recycle empty disposable contact lens blister cases left in collection boxes at 10 Optical by National Pharmacies locations in South Australia. Opticycle will split contact lens cases into aluminium and plastic for reuse in construction items such as plastic fence posts, plastic wheel brakes, and steel manufacture. In the first year of operation, 1.4 million pharmaceutical blister packs were expected to be...
Improvements in transport infrastructure have increased the need to address pollution and energy efficiency. Today, millions of people and tonnes of goods are transported on trains yearly because they are the most efficient, convenient, and comfortable means of transportation. As the transportation industry advances, the focus on energy conservation and pollution reduction has become paramount. Since their inception during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, railways have undergone constant development to increase their efficiency, security, and ability to incorporate new technologies. On the other hand, aluminium may replace these traditional metals because of its lightweight nature, corrosion resistance, formability, high specific strength, and cost-effectiveness. Aluminium...
Recycling of end-of-life materials is gaining utter importance in the automobile sector. The primary reasons behind this can be traced back to the fact that the automotive industry is quite raw material intensive. Moreover, once out of the production house and running on the streets, any vehicle can take more than ten years to be completely dilapidated for disposal. Therefore, it is imperative for car makers to secure an industry-certified place for their raw material needs. This is the part where big aluminium organisations like Capral, EGA, Hydro and Alcoa come into play. They have the necessary equipment and facilities to nurture recycled strains of aluminium, which can perform even better than a fresh batch. Aluminium is 45% lighter than steel and 100 % recyclable, which has earned it...
The Aluminum Association Instituto Mexicano del Aluminio (IMEDAL) and the Aluminium Association of Canada have reportedly written a letter to trade officials in Canada, Mexico, and the United States asking for continued tariff-free trade, increased import monitoring, and more vigorous trade enforcement. The letter arrived before a summit on November 15 in Mexico City, underpinning the past and future of the North American aluminium trading relationship. The letter stated, "For decades, our industries have relied on cross-border trade within the North American region to help make some of the world's highest quality and lowest carbon aluminium and aluminium products. Indeed, Canada and Mexico are the United States' first and second-largest aluminium trading partners, respectively. In 2022,...
Sepalumic invests 30 million euros to inaugurate a new extrusion plant and modernise its Genlis facility, aiming to address transition challenges and establish the site as its industrial core in the building industry. Sepalumic, a leading aluminium systems designer and distributor for the building industry, marked a significant milestone on November 16 with the inauguration of its new extrusion plant and the modernisation of its finishing facility in Genlis, Côte-d'Or. Investing 30 million euros in this venture, the company aims to address current transition challenges and solidify the Genlis site as its industrial hub. Olivier Cros, the General Director of Sepalumic, cited the evolution of the historic Genlis site, stating, "It has evolved over time, and we are inaugurating the last...
The pressure is escalating on the United States carmaker Tesla in Sweden from unions supporting mechanics to reach a collective bargaining agreement, with workers at one of Tesla's suppliers poised to initiate a strike next week, amplifying the challenges for the company. Despite not having a manufacturing facility in Sweden, Tesla's electric vehicles undergo servicing at workshops nationwide. Roughly 130 mechanics associated with the Swedish union IF Metall commenced a strike on October 27 at these service centres. Dockworkers and car dealerships have joined forces in solidarity with the ongoing mechanics' strike, refusing to handle Tesla products. According to a spokesperson, approximately 50 unionised workers at Hydro Extrusions, a subsidiary of Norwegian aluminium and energy company...
On November 16, the Shanghai Metals Market registered depleting aluminium prices all over China, with the SMM A00 aluminium ingot price losing RMB 50 per tonne to close at RMB 18,930 per tonne. The average aluminium prices have circulated between RMB 18,910 per tonne and RMB 18,950 per tonne. If we consider the SMM A00 aluminium ingot price on November 16, last year, we can find a Year-on-Year escalation of RMB 80 per tonne or 0.42 per cent from RMB 18,850 per tonne marked that day. China’s central provinces all witnessed falling aluminium prices, with the rate lowering the most in Chongqing by RMB 90 per tonne to close at RMB 18,910 per tonne. In Shenyang, too, a similar price was recorded with a slump of RMB 40 per tonne from the previous day. In Wuxi, the aluminium price dropped by RMB...
