Hindalco Industries has terminated its proposed USD 125 million acquisition of US-based speciality alumina producer AluChem Companies after extended delays in closing the transaction. The decision ends a deal announced in June 2025, although Hindalco says its speciality alumina expansion strategy remains firmly in place. Hindalco Industries has called off its proposed acquisition of AluChem Companies Inc., bringing an end to its planned USD 125 million entry into the US-based speciality alumina producer. The Aditya Birla Group's metals flagship and AluChem have jointly decided to terminate the Equity Purchase Agreement (EPA) following prolonged delays in completing the transaction. According to Hindalco's regulatory filing, the delays were beyond the control of either party. "The proposed...
The US September consumer confidence index plunged 6.7 points to 81.9, the lowest since 2014 and deteriorating across the board. The University of Michigan survey showed consumers' assessments of their current financial situation and that one year ahead both fell about 10 per cent, with high-price concerns continuing to brew. Inflation pressure showed no signs of easing. US Fed Governor Cook said AI demand growth, rising oil prices, and supply chain disruptions from Middle East conflicts would keep inflation under pressure, but gave no clear guidance on rate hikes. CME data showed the market-implied probability of a 25 bp rate hike in October had risen to 70.9 per cent, and the probability of a cumulative 50 bp hike by December reached 58.7 per cent. Tightening expectations strengthened...
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The Mannheim John Deere plant is celebrating the production of its two millionth tractor, a 6R 250. On March 22, 2022, the tractor was unveiled at the Mannheim plant and displayed alongside the one-millionth tractor, a JD 6400, in the factory museum. One million John Deere took 70 years to produce from the initial production day, but the second million rolled off the line in just 30 years. At the site, approximately 3,300 employees assist in the production of 40,000 tractors per year before the tractors are exported worldwide. However, the plant is more than just a production site. It is also a development site for all John Deere medium tractors. The primary emphasis is on performance, comfort, and efficiency. Tractor cabs today have all of the luxuries of a car, including automatic air...
Alumina supply from China, the Middle East and Brazil witnessed growth in 2022. China ranked as the largest alumina producer, while Australia was the world's second-largest alumina producer in 2022. The commissioning of new capacities in China and the supply from Brazil remained key sector drivers. Australia countered the offsetting of the alumina deficit caused by operations-related issues at its refineries during 2022. In the short-term, demand for alumina and alumina prices will continue to be influenced by the need for primary aluminium and the slowing of global economic growth in 2023. AlCircle's latest industry-focused report, 'Aluminium Industry Outlook 2023' , reveals that in 2022, the global alumina production was 139.2 million tonnes, a slight increase from 138.6 million tonnes...
On March 27, the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) announced the initiation of Aluminium Forward 2030, a conglomeration between IAI's 25 production members and 20 downstream customer brands who have devoted all their expertise to modernising the aluminium industry. The goal of Aluminium Forward 2030 is to encourage a rapid transition toward Net Zero by following a course in adherence with other UN Sustainable Development Goals. This newly introduced IAI programme encompasses multiple brands in the electrical, transport, automotive, construction and aluminium packaging sectors, underlining that partnerships can easily eliminate impossible hurdles in the aluminium chain. The IAI plans to extend its partnership avenues in the beverage can sector, strengthening the existing ties with...
The United States aluminium crude metals and alloys imports from Canada started the year 2023 with a monthly decline of 27,000 tonnes or 10.51 per cent to stand at 230,000 tonnes, found the recent survey by the US Census Bureau. The import volume fell in January 2023, following an increase in the previous month. According to USGS data, the United States imported 257,000 tonnes in December 2022, up by 41.28 per cent or 75,000 tonnes from 182,000 tonnes in November. However, on a year-on-year basis, the United States aluminium crude metals and alloys imports in January 2023 stood 18.56 per cent or 36,000 tonnes higher than 194,000 tonnes. Last year, the United States total imports of aluminium crude metals and alloys from Canada were 2.57 million tonnes. The United States total imports of...
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the world's largest aluminium smelters ex-China, announced that the Power Station 5 (PS5) Block 4 Project is progressing per the schedule. Alba's Chairman of the Board of Directors, Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa stated that the Power Station 5 (PS5) Block 4 Project is progressing without any problems. "Alba's Block 4 Project has started to take shape with the completion of early milestones as per schedule; thus, allowing us to prepare for the major activities on site. We look forward to safely delivering Block 4, a key Project under Alba's ESG Roadmap, on schedule and as planned by Q4 2024," said Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa. According to Alba, all civil foundation construction for the Block 4 Project's primary equipment was...
On Monday, March 27, China’s A00 aluminium ingot price has grown by RMB 80 per tonne to stand at RMB 18,400 per tonne. On a W-o-W calculation , a hike of RMB 160 was witnessed from RMB 18,240 per tonne recorded on Monday, March 20. Today, the average prices are expected to be between RMB 18, 380 per tonne and RMB 18,420 per tonne, with the spot contract price expected to be traded at a discount price of RMB 80 to RMB 40 per tonne. The prices in Foshan and Chongqing have expanded by RMB 100 per tonne and RMB 90 per tonne to settle at RMB 18,510 per tonne and RMB 18,540 per tonne. On the same day, prices in Wuxi and Hangzhou have increased by RMB 80 per tonne to score at RMB 18,395 per tonne and RMB 18,430 per tonne. In Linyi, the A00 aluminium ingot price has ascended by RMB 70 per tonne...
According to the Shanghai Metals Market, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, and Pakistan were the five top suppliers of unwrought aluminium alloy to China during January-February 2023. In the first two months of the year, China imported 168,900 tonnes of unwrought aluminium alloy, reflecting a year-on-year plunge of 39,500 or 18.9 per cent. As per the SMM data, Malaysia exported the highest amount of alloy to China, supplying 73,500 tonnes, followed by Thailand providing 15,500 tonnes. Malaysia accounted for 43.5 per cent of China’s total unwrought aluminium alloy imports, while that of Thailand accounted for 9.2 per cent. Vietnam, South Kore, and Pakistan exported 13,200 tonnes, 12,100 tonnes, and 5,600 tonnes, respectively, accounting for 7.8 per cent, 7.2 per cent and 3.3 per...
LME aluminium opened at US$2,329 per tonne last Friday, with its high and low at US$2,364.5 per tonne and US$2,312.5 per tonne respectively before closing at US$2,344 per tonne, an increase of US$17.5 per tonne or 0.75 per cent. On March 24, Friday, the LME aluminium cash bid price and the LME aluminium official settlement price refrained from any change remaining calm at US$2,264 per tonne and US$2,265 per tonne. The 3-month bid price and the 3-month offer price slipped by US$0.50 per tonne or 0.02 per cent, stopping at US$2,312 per tonne and US$2,313 per tonne, respectively. December 24 bid price and December 24 offer price halted at US$2,513 per tonne and US$2,518 per tonne with a drop of US$7 per tonne or 0.28 per cent. LME aluminium opening stock experienced a rapid loss of 6,225...
On March 23, 2023, the leading manufacturing company in Nigeria producing and marketing extruded aluminium products, Aluminium Extrusion Plc, revealed its Audited Financial Statement for the year ended December 31, 2022. Aluminium Extrusion Industries Plc (NIGALEX) reported a 12-month turnover of N2.637 billion, a slight increase of 0.07% over the N2.635 billion reported in 2021. NIGALEX has a 5000-tonne annual capacity for aluminium extrusion products and manufactures profiles in press finish, wood finish, silver and bronze colour palettes, and modern powder-coated forms. The Company, which is located in the largest economy in the African continent, reported a PAT of N48.529 million for the period under review, down by 27.5 per cent from N66.941 million in the existing year. The company...
According to the Shanghai Metals Market, China's primary aluminium inventories have witnessed a considerable slump of 85,000 tonnes on a weekly basis across eight major consumption areas, including SHFE warrants. On Thursday, March 23, the inventories came in at 1,126,000 tonnes, which in comparison with the third Monday of this month, March 20, plummeted by 38,000 tonnes. The social aluminium inventories built up 85,000 tonnes Y-o-Y but have continuously fallen 143,000 tonnes from the highest recorded number in March. Lesser cargo arrivals in South China have directly resulted in major market drops. Though East China reported smooth warehouse outflows, stringent downstream demands primarily disrupted the trade sector in Gongyi and Henan. Last week, on March 16, the primary aluminium...
The most cutting-edge professional compression moulding and aluminium extrusion service for the industrial industries was launched by NICE Rapid. The procedure was identified as a tried-and-true way to reduce expenses and boost output. Uniformity Labs and Tekna expanded their collaboration for laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) applications. By the terms of the agreement, Tekna will give Uniformity the aluminium-based alloy AlSi10Mg needed to make the sophisticated, ultra-dense AlSi10Mg powder used in additive manufacturing. The president of Lorin Industries Inc., the industry pioneer in aluminium coil anodizing, Park Kersman, was elected to the board of the Aluminum Anodizers Council. Park Kersman brings with him a wealth of knowledge in anodizing aluminium. The chairman of Hindalco...
The Indian state-owned integrated aluminium company, National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), has successfully developed a Bauxite Certified Reference Material (CRM) naming as BARC B1201 in collaboration with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). BARC is a multi-disciplinary research centre with extensive infrastructure for advanced research and development covering the entire spectrum of nuclear science, chemical engineering, material sciences and metallurgy, electronic instrumentation, biology and medicine, supercomputing, high-energy physics and plasma physics and associated research for Indian nuclear programme and related areas. The CRM developed by the two premier Govt. of India organizations is the first of its kind in India and the fifth in the world. For several years, the two...
France's Danone is sourcing more aluminium and whey from regions of Asia, a move that experts warned might reduce prices but potentially annoy European suppliers. The dairy behemoth has mostly relied on Europe for its raw ingredients. It produces Activia yoghurt, Aptamil baby formula, and Evian water. But the business is trying to control costs and safeguard profits due to cost inflation, which started with Covid-19 period bottlenecks before getting worse during the Ukraine crisis. According to Vikram Agarwal, the COO of Danone, the company is importing ingredients like aluminium, plastic, whey and, maltodextrin, paper packaging from outside of Europe. "We had already started the program before the Ukraine war, and consequent supply risks and rising costs in Europe have made this even...
Norsk Hydro, the leading industrial company committed to a sustainable future, appointed Martine Rambøl Hagen as the new Head of Investor Relations, effective May 1, 2023. She will be in charge of communicating with investors and the financial markets on behalf of Hydro. Rambøl Hagen previously served as Investor Relations Manager for the firm. Since joining Hydro in 2015, she has held various positions in Aluminium Metal, including head of performance and control, controller, and analyst. She holds a master’s degree in Industrial Economics and Technology Management from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She will report to Pål Kildemo, the Executive Vice President and CFO. Rambøl Hagen succeeds Line Haugetraa, who will take on a position as Mergers and Acquisitions...
The end-user sector has been bustling with activities this week, with computer genius Acer launching its first ebii e-bike featuring Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and a robust aluminium alloy framework. Britvic has invested £13 million to introduce a fifth canning line at its Rugby facility. South Korean battery material maker Posco Future M has begun constituting a nickel-cobalt-aluminium (NCA) cathode facility with a 30,000 tonnes per year production capacity in Yeongil Bay, with a capital investment of 392 billion (US$299 million). Rimowa, in partnership with German music and equipment producer (GEWA), has launched a special edition violin case sporting the flagship anodised aluminium look of the luxury brand. A sixteen years old stolen supercar was recovered from the river...
Global bauxite production is estimated to reach 393 million tonnes in 2023, a growth trajectory expected to continue in the following years, according to AlCircle's latest industry-focused report, ' Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2023 '. As a result, there will be a 2.6 per cent increase over 2022, primarily driven by the two largest bauxite producers in the world, viz. Australia and Guinea. Investing in capacity and ramping up production will drive this increase. Companies have taken up the goal of achieving carbon neutrality for operations as part of their sustainable efforts to maintain the environmental balance. The ' Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2023' also revealed that in 2022, global bauxite production increased by around 4.1 per cent, compared to a growth of 2.4 per cent...
The advent of the Paris Act of 2015 has led global energy-intensive industries are adopting more sustainable ways to carry forward their business. Last week, Ball uploaded its Climate Transition Plan aligned with the most current UN guidelines. Vedanta Aluminium has begun circulating sustainability protocols to restore the water bodies in the vicinity according to the 6th UN Sustainable Development Goal of 'Clean Water and Sanitation'. SMX has developed a technology that can trace aluminium throughout its lifespan using molecular-level tagging and blockchain technology, making it simpler to recycle and reuse. On Wednesday, March 15, Constellium SE, a global producer of aluminium rolled products, extruded products and structural parts, published its 2022 Sustainability Report noting that...
Vedanta Limited added INR 2,250 per tonne to its aluminium ingot and aluminium products prices on March 24 after two consecutive cuts last week. This week's hike brought the company’s aluminium ingot price to INR 215,750-246,250 per tonne versus INR 213,500-244,000 per tonne on March 18. Vedanta’s aluminium billet price stood at INR 224,750 per tonne on Friday, March 24, compared to INR 222,500 per tonne a week ago . Aluminium wire rod price settled at INR 223,250-230,750 per tonne in contrast to INR 221,000-228,500 per tonne last Saturday, March 18. Vedanta links its aluminium ingot and aluminium products prices to the three-month futures of aluminium on the London Metal Exchange, which climbed US$27.50 per tonne or per cent during March 20-23 per tonne from US$2,237.50 per tonne to...
