Middle East crude exports ended September at roughly their pre-conflict levels and exceeded them on several days, according to Reuters. However, the recovery is far less complete for other Gulf commodities. Diesel and gasoline shipments were running at 58 per cent of pre-conflict volumes, while LNG, fertiliser, aluminium and helium were recovering more slowly. The uneven rebound highlights why crude flows alone do not provide a complete picture of trade through the Strait of Hormuz. For commodities with lower margins, limited routing options or specialised infrastructure requirements, the cost of moving cargoes and repairing damaged facilities continues to weigh on supply. Crude can absorb the cost of moving through Hormuz Supertanker rates for voyages from the Middle East to China...
Jaguar has unveiled the Type 01, the first model built on its new Jaguar Electric Architecture (JEA), and it is not exactly arriving quietly. With 73% aluminum, a 118kWh battery, three electric motors and a rather serious 1,015 horsepower (hp), the new electric grand tourer is Jaguar’s answer to a simple question: what happens when a century-old luxury carmaker decides to start over? The answer, apparently, is a very large piece of aluminum with no rear window. From a gloomy reset to a 1,015-hp comeback The Type 01 is the product of a long and fairly dramatic reset at Jaguar. After years of declining sales, the company ended production of the XE, XF and F-Type in 2024 as it moved towards an all-electric future. By the end of 2025, Jaguar had stopped producing vehicles altogether. To know...
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The panel in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute resolution processes in which Switzerland contested the restrictions put in place by the US on aluminium and steel since 2018 released its final report on December 9, 2022. The tribunal favoured Switzerland after concluding that the US regulations are against the GATT. The panel listened to Switzerland's legal defence. In its findings, the board concluded that the US measures had violated multiple GATT rules and were not justified by the security exemption outlined in the agreement. Invoking national security concerns, the United States (US) imposed extra taxes of 10 per cent on certain imports of aluminium products and 25 per cent on certain imports of steel products from March 23 2018. Switzerland started WTO dispute settlement...
The market leader in manufacturing automotive components with more than three decades of operational experience, Lumax Auto Technologies received a nod from its board for INR 400 crore fundraising. The company's profit escalated by 431% Y-o-Y to INR 26 crore for the quarter that ended June FY23 on a low base, but there was a significant increase in input cost. However, revenue grew by 62% Y-o-Y to INR 421.93 crore during the same quarter. The company stated that the board of directors had approved raising funds to INR 400 crore by issuance of securities. The market participants are placing bets on some beneficiaries at a time when metal prices have started to decline. Some industry experts believe that the auto ancillaries, engineering, capital goods, and infrastructure sectors, among...
According to the Shanghai Metals Market, China's primary aluminium inventories have remained stagnant at 500,000 tonnes accumulating data from all the eight major consumption areas, including SHFE warrants, on Thursday, December 8. The inventories in comparison with the month's first Monday, December 5, plummeted by 7,000 tonnes. As of now, the inventories in December dropped by 452,000 tonnes, as recorded in the same period last year and 16,000 tonnes on a month-on-month scale. To paint the whole picture, it must be mentioned that on average, the aluminium ingot social inventory has been down for the past two weeks, with spot cargoes in east China trading at a highly tagged premium. Although the downstream demand has withered away due to extreme aluminium prices, survey data says...
Dedicated to maximising the contribution of aluminium to a sustainable society, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) is an international multi-stakeholder and non-profit organisation which aims to promote sustainability along the whole value chain for aluminium. They have established specific criteria to audit and verify the transparency and sustainability of aluminium across all phases of its production and transformation. And in 2022, the downstream sector of the global aluminium industry witnessed a lot of ASI certifications and membership, pointing towards the fact that sustainability is eventually becoming the need of the hour. In addition to demonstrating accountability, ASI certifications can boost stakeholder and customer trust in aluminium goods by proving our performance to a...
On Tuesday, December 6, LB Aluminium Bhd, one of the largest aluminium extrusion manufacturers in Asia, declared an 81 per cent hike in its net profit for the 2nd quarter of FY23 ended October 31 from RM6.83 million in the previous year to RM12.35 million, thanks to higher average selling prices and improved margins for its aluminium product segment. Quarterly revenue increased by 30 per cent to RM206.09 million for the said period versus RM158.84 million in 2QFY22. In the first six months of the fiscal year 2023, net profit jumped by more than two-fold over the year from RM9.87 million to RM24.86 million. Revenue escalated by 58 per cent from RM273.39 million to RM433.15 million. The group claimed stable global aluminium prices and stronger ringgit value than the US dollar were the two...
An initial air core first-pass drilling programme at Lanthanein Resources' Koolya Project in Western Australia has concluded after 599 metres of drilling and with unprecedented visual results. Brian Thomas, the Technical Director at Lanthanein Resources, said, "The results highlight a significant amount of high-quality bright white kaolin at the project." Due to its conversion into high-purity alumina (HPA), which is used in Li-ion batteries, LED lighting, semiconductors, and sapphire glass, high-purity kaolin is becoming increasingly important as a vital mineral. Contrarily, halloysite can be applied in nanotechnologies for various commercial purposes, including carbon sequestration, agriculture, energy, and health. Thomas stated, "Samples will be sent for dual analysis for rare earth...
Ball Corporation has declared shutting down its aluminium beverage can facility in St Paul, Minnesota and relieving 100 employees of their duty. On November 5, Ball had confined to the State of Minnesota to discuss these sudden layoffs. This will result in the final closure of the Rexam Beverage Can Company site in the state. In August, Ball announced stopping production at two of its units in North America and another one in Phoenix, Arizona. These declarations were based on the Q2 2022 reports. The company is claiming that this is in accordance with the plummeting consumer demand. The final act of closing the facility will commence on February 8, 2023, with the calculated termination of employees. Ball claims that “inflation-related expenses and a decrease in customer/consumer demand...
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has elevated its aluminium ingot and aluminium products prices, effective from December 7, in line with the LME aluminium price hike over a week. NALCO has significantly increased its aluminium ingot price by INR 14,700 per tonne or 6.6 per cent from INR 220,450-223,950 per tonne on November 29 to INR 235,150-238,650 per tonne on December 7. NALCO has also raised its aluminium wire rod price by INR 14,700 per tonne, with effect from December 7, to sell the product at INR 239,650- 244,000 per tonne versus INR 224,950-229,300 per tonne a week ago. Aluminium billets price is no exception but seen a lift of the same amount with effect from December 7 to be sold at INR 239,600-242,250 per tonne, compared to INR 224,900-227,550 per tonne on November...
Hydro has signed an agreement with the Germany-based family-run building systems and extrusions enterprise, Hueck, with an investment plan of almost ₹60.3 million. This ownership might elevate Hydro's position in the German and European aluminium extrusion market while promoting their combined expertise in the genre. The investment will have a proportional division allotted for each operational necessity, from net debt management to usual working capital. The Executive Vice President of Hydro Extrusions, Paul Warton, pointed out: "Hueck is well positioned in Germany to serve the European building systems and extrusions market and will fit well into Hydro Extrusions. The acquisition will strengthen our ability to provide a quality service offering to European customers with an even broader...
Chris Blenkiron, the chief executive of New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Limited (NZAS), stated that smelting is better for the environment than a "green hydrogen" plant since it employs more people and generates more income per unit of electricity used. However, if a new power supply agreement with power producers is not reached by the end of 2024, the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter, owned by NZAS will have to shut down. Chris Blenkiron stated, "I'm hopeful that through our aluminium, our participation in the energy sector and our determination to be responsible environmental guardians that our story can continue beyond 2024," There is a rumour that a deal is close to being called. According to the reports, Chris Blenkiron revealed to the Trans-Tasman Business Council that he has been in...
In the third quarter of 2022, the United States imported 669,000 tonnes of crude and dried bauxite, recording a sequential growth of 25,000 tonnes or 3.88 per cent, found the US Geological Survey data. In the second quarter, the import volume was 644,000 tonnes, down by 12.50 per cent from 736,000 tonnes in 1Q2022. Although the bauxite imports into the United States grew over a quarter for Q3, it decreased annually by 24.06 per cent from 881,000 tonnes. In the entire nine months of 2022, the United States imported 2.050 million tonnes of crude and dried bauxite - 11.25 per cent less than 2.310 million tonnes during the same period last year. Jamaica continued to be the highest exporter of bauxite to the US in Q3, but volume decreased by 21.04 per cent Q-o-Q from 637,000 tonnes to 503,000...
The Russian aluminium giant Rusal, which is also among the biggest producers of aluminium worldwide, has risen to the top of the annual Donor Forum association ranking for corporate social responsibility. RUSAL received the highest rating possible and was placed in the A + category, as determined by the findings of the study of company social investment systems. A competition for corporate social activities was launched by Donor Forum this year as well. The expert jury gave two of RUSAL's social programmes top marks, and both took home awards. The programme "Sustainable Development of Social Responsibility Territories" came in second place in the category "The Best Corporate Social Investment Program in the Territories in the Context of Sustainable Development and Business Strategy." This...
Norwegian energy firm Equinor has reached a final investment decision for $430 million in Brazil's 531MW Mendubim solar project. It is a joint venture project between Scatec, Hydro Rein, and Equinor in Rio Grande do Norte. In a 20-year power purchase agreement, Alunorte, one of the world's largest alumina suppliers for the aluminium industry, has already agreed to buy about 60% of the PV project's electricity. However, the remainder will be sold in the Brazilian domestic market. There will be an annual production of approximately 1.2TWh, equivalent to 620,000 Brazilian households' electricity consumption. In addition, it is expected to generate more than 1,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction. Olav Kolbeinstveit, Senior Vice-President at Equinor Renewables Power and Markets,...
The Bulgarian aluminium extruder, Aluplast-ZTG, an Altest company, recently procured a second Nitrex nitriding system. This results from the extruder gaining a big manufacturing boost after installing new extrusion presses to meet customer demand for its extrusion profiles used in residential and commercial construction. Since 2011, the first nitriding furnace, a compact N-EXT-412, has been operating. The new second furnace, a model N-EXT-612, is the same as the first one but more significant, capable of processing a load of extrusion dies weighing up to 1300 lb. (600 kg). Aluplast's decision to purchase the N-EXT-612 was influenced by an excellent relationship, trust in Nitrex's technology, and short delivery delay. Atanas Novakov, the Manager at Aluminium Production Plant, said, “We...
A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel has ruled in favour of Norway against the United States in a dispute Norway brought over U.S. import duties imposed on aluminium and steel in 2018. Former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a memorandum setting responsibilities in March 2018. It exempted the European Union and some other allies but struck non-EU member Norway, a significant aluminium producer. The tariffs were imposed on American manufacturers, who had difficulty competing with cheap imports and were forced to close several domestic smelters. "The WTO panel's report, which was released today, concludes that the U.S. tariff on steel and aluminium was in breach of the WTO rules," said the Norwegian ministry. Many members have lodged similar complaints with the WTO, including the...
Birmingham’s Aston University has collaborated with Midland-headquartered cast house technology experts via a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) to plan new energy-saving ways of recycling aluminium, which might save almost 50 per cent of the total consumption demanded by the process. This latest alliance with Mechatherm International Ltd was forged immediately after the successful accomplishment of the company’s first partnership with Aston University, which led to the discovery of a more smart designing technique for furnaces and auxiliary equipment for the aluminium sector worldwide. The joint venture brought out more intricate blueprints, high-end automation solutions and algorithms. Usually, KTP refers to a three-way relationship between an established business, an academic partner...
On December 8, 2022, the industry leader in non-ferrous metal trading and manufacturing, Metal Exchange Corporation, announced the name of Matt Rohm, the present President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), will be promoted to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Metal Exchange Corporation effective January 1, 2023. While at that time, Rick Merluzzi, the current CEO, will assume the title of Executive Vice Chairman, serving as an advisor to Executive Chairman Mike Lefton, on key strategic initiatives for the organization, through the end of 2023. Matt Rohm will be accountable for the business's overall performance in his new position, with strategic oversight of all operating companies, divisions, and the entire Metal Exchange portfolio. The Chairman, Mike Lefton, said, "We are excited to...
LME aluminium opened at US$2,500 per tonne on Thursday, and fluctuated around its opening price before closing at US$2,500 per tonne. On December 8, Thursday LME aluminium cash bid price escalated by US$17.50 per tonne or 0.71 per cent, closing at US$2,467.50 per tonne and the LME aluminium official settlement price surged by US$18 per tonne or 0.73 per cent, settling at US$2,468.50 per tonne. The 3-month bid price saw a rise of US$19.50 per tonne or 0.79 per cent, settling at US$2,496 per tonne, while the 3-month offer price had a price hike of US$21 per tonne or 0.85 per cent, resting at US$2,498 per tonne. December 23 bid price and December 23 offer price both gained US$22 per tonne or 0.86 per cent, stopping at US$2,560 per tonne and US$2,565 per tonne. LME aluminium opening stock...
