The global aluminium industry is entering a new phase of competition, with access to raw materials, affordable energy and production capacity increasingly shaping the position of major producers. China is preparing a large overseas smelting expansion, Ghana is attracting investment in its bauxite reserves, and India and Vietnam are advancing new aluminium projects. However, the expansion drive comes against a complicated market backdrop. Alumina prices have fallen sharply, energy and logistics costs remain significant, and trade policies are reshaping the economics of production and exports. Together, these developments point to a market in which securing resources is only part of the challenge; converting them into competitive aluminium will matter just as much. Africa’s bauxite...
Bell Bay Aluminium (BBA), Australia's oldest aluminium smelter, is reviewing its workforce and offering redundancies for a small number of positions, just over a month after receiving an AUD 200 million (USD 137.52 million) government support package aimed at securing the facility's future until at least 2031. Up to 10 roles are understood to have been affected by the review, although the smelter is expected to retain its existing workforce of approximately 550 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. Some redeployment opportunities will also be available, while the positions identified are not understood to involve frontline services. The changes reportedly include some former participants in Bell Bay Aluminium's graduate programme. Rio Tinto, which operates the smelter near George Town in...
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A committee of India’s parliament has recently noted that India is still far behind from exploring 80 per cent of its bauxite reserves, pointing out land acquisition issues, environment clearance and forest clearance as some of the prime constraints in the development of new bauxite mines. Therefore, the committee has asked the Indian government’s ministry of mines to conduct timely environment and forest clearances, land acquisition and consent to avoid hindrance in developing mines. While talking about the challenges faced by domestic bauxite production companies, the committee has indicated that India’s most of the available resources have not been converted to proven reserves. The report presented by the committee reveals that only 17 per cent or 656 million tonnes of the total 3,896...
LB aluminium, one of the largest suppliers of aluminium in Malaysia, has recorded a decline in its net profit by 0.58 per cent to score at RM14.79 million for Q3 ended January 31, 2022 (3QFY22) from RM14.88 million a year earlier. According to the company's registration with Bursa Malaysia, earnings per share fell to 3.4 sen from 3.42 sen. The decline in profit was mostly due to greater tax provision and loss in its property business. However, revenue for the quarter increased 36.6 per cent to RM197.11 million from RM144.30 million in 3QFY21, thanks to higher average selling prices recorded by the aluminium segment as global aluminium prices surged. Due to a smaller contribution from its partner, Vistarena Development Sdn Bhd, as well as greater preliminary expenditures spent by the...
International Can S.A. a unit from Luxemburg has just achieved the Industrial user tag by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). This will enable the company to successfully carry out trade along the aluminium circle worldwide. The production facility of International Can was constructed in 2015 as the 5th subsidiary of the MAXIM Group in Echternach, Luxembourg. Since then it has excelled in the production of aluminium mono-block cans for aerosol products in either personal care or cosmetics sector. Their expertise include: deodorant spray, hair spray, shampoo, shaving gel, shaving foam, body care foam, mousse and perfume. “International Can S.A. is a young company and so is our development team. All the more we are encouraged to put much effort in development and market changes. We...
Aluminium foil is one of the ready products that is used in many homes for food storage, to cover baking surfaces and to wrap foods, like meats, to prevent them from eluding moisture while cooking. Furthermore, aluminium foil may be utilized to wrap and protect more delicate foods such as vegetables, when grilling them. The usage of foil doesn't restrict to food only, it can also be used to fix windows to retain the house cool during summer and hot during winter. The Central European nation, the Czech Republic, whose economy is envisioned to pursue recovery in 2022 and the GDP growth to excel by 4%, exported 52,533 tonnes of aluminium foil during 2019-21, incurring revenue earnings of around $169.06 million. The Czech Republic, a notable industrialized country in Europe exported 18,898...
A contract has been signed between Capral Aluminium, Australia’s leading extrusion company, and Tomago Aluminium, Australia’s largest smelter, to supply approximately 550 tonnes of aluminium scrap annually for re-melting. This chain of conduct is the first of its kind, set in Australia and destined to carbon neutralise the country’s aluminium industries. “As far as we are aware this is the first commercial scrap arrangement for post-production scrap aluminium to be re-melted in Australia and we are very excited to be working on this with the team at Tomago Aluminium,” said Capral General Manager Supply and Industrial Solutions, Luke Hawkins. Re-melting aluminium is the secondary recycling of aluminium, totally opposite of the extraction process of alumina from bauxite. In aluminium...
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has slashed its aluminium ingot and aluminium products prices, with effect from March 30, following two consecutive significant hikes on March 22 and 25. NALCO has cut its aluminium ingot price by INR 8,200 per tonne on Wednesday to the range of INR 309,250- 312,750 per tonne versus INR 317,450-320,950 per tonne on March 25. NALCO’s aluminium wire rod price has also been reduced by INR 8,200 per tonne, in line with the downtrend in LME aluminium benchmark price since March 25 ranging between US$3,619 per tonne and US$3,583 per tonne. But nonetheless, the price is still up by US$133 per tonne month-on-month comparing to US$3,450 per tonne. NALCO’s aluminium billets price is standing at INR 312,700- 315,350 per tonne, also down by INR 8,200 per...
The global industry leader in responsible aluminium production, Rio Tinto has commissioned a new remelt furnace at its Laterrière facility, by appending 22,000 metric tonnes of recycling capacity to its aluminium operations in the Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada. The production expansion project worth with investment of $8.4-million has been accomplished over two years to offer rolled product customers in the North American automotive and packaging industries a new sustainable supply solution combining low-carbon and recycled aluminium. The remelting furnace at the Rio Tinto’s Laterrière plant is provisioned with highly efficient burners to shrink its carbon footprint. However, it has been notified that the expansion project has created seven new jobs. Sébastien Ross,...
On Tuesday, March 29, the Taloja Unit of Hindalco Industries Ltd. joined Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) as the new Production and Transformation member, raising the total count of ASI members to 218. Hindalco Taloja was launched in 1972 after being commissioned in 1971 with an installed capacity of 11,500 TPA of aluminium rolling. Currently, the capacity is assessed at 60,000 TPA. Hindalco, Taloja is a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited, holding a 51 per cent domestic market share in rolled goods (FRP). Hindalco’s Taloja facility generates nearly a quarter of the company's total rolled products. The Taloja plant was once part of INDAL (founded in India by ALCAN of Canada in 1971) and was acquired by Hindalco in 2005 following ALCAN's ownership transfer in the year 2000....
LME aluminium opened at US$3,607 per tonne on Tuesday and closed at US$3,449 per tonne, down US$156 per tonne or 4.33 per cent. If compared with the records of the exact previous day, LME aluminium cash bid price stood at US$3,581 per tonne and LME aluminium official settlement price halted at US$3,583. Both recorded a fall of 0.64 per cent or US$23 per tonne. 3-month bid price and 3-month offer price came to rest at US$3,606 per tonne and US$3,608 per tonne. The former faced a decline of US$9 per tonne or 0.25 per cent and the later fell by US$8 per tonne or 0.22 per cent. On the same day, December 23 bid price stood at US$3,440 per tonne and December23 offer price at US$3,445, both witnessing a downfall of 0.44 per cent. LME aluminium opening stock continued to decrease from 671,025...
European aluminium foil rollers finished 2021 on a record high, delivering 3.9 per cent higher than in the previous year. As per the data released by the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA), total shipments amounted to 967,000 tonnes in 2021, an increase of 36,000 tonnes or 3.87 per cent from 931,000 tonnes a year ago, led by the recovery in domestic demand, which added 7.5 per cent across the whole year and 12.8 per cent in Q4 alone. Data shows deliveries of thinner gauges in Q4 2021, used for flexible packaging and household foils, continued to grow by 3 per cent year-on-year and 6 per cent quarter-on-quarter. Deliveries of thicker gauges, used for semi-rigid containers, technical or other applications, also concluded 2021 at a growing trend, recording a 7 per cent rise...
United Co. Rusal International PJSC can’t get hold of its share of alumina contained in an Australian joint venture therefore increasing the pressure on Russian aluminium giant to find sufficient amount of raw material it needs to feed the company plants. Two weeks back when Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the ban of alumina exports to Russia, it was unclear whether Rusal would still be able to claim ownership of its share of production from the joint venture with Rio Tinto Group and eventually ship it elsewhere. But according to the people concerned and who wish to remain unnamed, the matter is not quite simple. The Prime Minister of Australia clearly said, “Russia must pay a very high price for its brutality. It must pay that price economically. It must pay the price...
Hindalco Industries Limited has increased its aluminium ingot and aluminium products prices following an intermittent cut on Saturday, March 26. With effect from Tuesday, March 29, Hindalco has grown its aluminium wire rod price by INR 2,250 per tonne to INR 324,100 per tonne. Until then, with effect from March 26, the price stood at INR 321,850 per tonne, down by INR 7,250 per tonne from INR 329,100 per tonne. With the latest price revision, Hindalco’s aluminium billets price has come in at INR 327,100 per tonne, up by INR 2,250 per tonne from INR 324,850 per tonne on March 26. Aluminium ingot price has also experienced a raise of INR 2,250 per tonne to INR 313,000 per tonne from INR 310,750per tonne on the previous day. On March 26, the price saw a slash of INR 7,250 per tonne from INR...
The state-owned Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GDMC) is planning to expand its wings around the alumina and solar sector, as a part of diversification. The last one year has been very tremulous for GMDC since they have been trying to improve their bauxite, limestone, manganese, silica and power distributing divisions. Three advisory firms have been appointed by the firm namely; Boston Consultancy Group (BCG) for strategic transformation at the group level, AT Kearney for transformation of the power business and Deloitte as project management consultant. GDMC plans to invite a tender to construct an alumina refinery in partnership where assured amounts of bauxite produced in the mines would be sent for alumina production. “The company at present has 1.1 million tonne of bauxite...
The United States aluminium scrap exports in full-year 2021 have recorded a significant rise of 250,000 tonnes or 13.51 per cent, owing to the increased awareness of using recycled aluminium to reduce carbon footprint across the industry. In comparison with 1.85 million tonnes of export in 2020, the country’s aluminium scrap exports in 2021 stood at 2.10 million tonnes, showed the USGS data. As the chart above indicates, the year-on-year hike in the United States aluminium scrap exports in 2021 has followed consecutive growth in each quarter of the year. In the fourth quarter of 2021, the United States exported 586,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap, which was an increase of 57,000 tonnes or 10.78 per cent from 529,000 tonnes in Q3 2021. That followed the rise in exports in Q3 by 30,000 tonnes...
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group and its engineering company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, Ltd. (MHIENG) have entered into an agreement with Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba), a major Bahrain-based aluminium producer, to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from the smelting process at one of its plants. As per the report, MHI Group and its engineering company have undertaken a feasibility study for applying CO2 Capture Technology at Alba's plant, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday, March 28. This collaboration is highly significant as this will mark the world’s first application of CO2 capture technology in the aluminium industry, enhance MHI Group’s presence in the Middle East, and advance Bahrain’s decarbonisation efforts. One of the...
LME aluminium opened at US$3,616.5 per tonne on Monday and closed at US$3,605 per tonne, down US$20 per tonne or 0.55 per cent. LME aluminium cash bid price stood at US$3,604 per tonne and LME aluminium official settlement price halted at US$3,606, with a rise of 0.61 per cent and 0.64 per cent respectively, if compared with the records of the week before. The 3-month bid price of aluminium increased by US$25 per tonne or 0.69 per cent to rest at US$3,615 per tonne. On the other hand 3-month offer price had a 0.71 per cent rise resting at US$3,616 per tonne. From data collected the same day, December 23 bid price stood at US$3,425 per tonne and December23 offer price at US$3,430, both witnessing an upward swing of 1.33 per cent. LME aluminium opening stock continued to decrease from...
The ongoing fall in China’s primary aluminium inventories due to recovery of downstream demand, along with the slow resumption of new production capacities for the fresh outbreak of COVID19, has lifted the A00 aluminium ingot price by RMB 90 per tonne to stand at RMB 22,990 per tonne on Tuesday, March 29. SMM data shows the price has increased after two consecutive days of downfall from RMB 23,160 per tonne to RMB 22,900 per tonne. Today, the average prices are estimated to range between RMB 22,970 per tonne and RMB 23,010 per tonne, with spot contract to be traded at a premium price of RMB 90-50 per tonne. In Shenyang, A00 aluminium ingot price has climbed up by RMB 100 per tonne to come in at RMB 22,920 per tonne, followed by the hike of RMB 90 per tonne in Foshan and Chongqing to rest...
Ball Beverage Packaging receives the Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard Certification from Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) to safely manufacture, store and supply aluminium can bodies, can ends and aluminium bottles. 25 Facilities across Canada, Mexico and USA belonging to the company are eligible for aluminium stewardship. Ball Corporation supplies ingenious, sustainable aluminum packaging solutions for beverage, personal care and household products. It is also a well-known name in the aerospace industry and provides other technological services to commercial and governmental customers. Founded in 1880, the company employs more than 21,500 people worldwide. Ball Corporation stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BLL. Ball Beverage a...
