Downstream aluminium is where geopolitics meets the shop floor. Tariffs, shipping disruption, regulation and shifting demand are deciding who rolls the metal, who gets it and what it becomes, whether a beer can, a battery housing or a length of wire. Fifteen recent developments across North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Oceania depict how aluminium flat rolled products (FRPs), packaging and electric vehicle (EV) demand are being rerouted, and where traders, exporters and buyers may need to adjust. Aluminium FRP and wire: tariffs and policy redraw the flows The tariff debate has reached the bar counter. In Virginia, Democrat Tom Perriello is campaigning on aluminium tariffs that he says raise brewers’ packaging costs. Across the border, a Windsor, Ontario brewery reports its...
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...
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Following the environmental concerns that have been minutely observed now during the exploitation of bauxite ore and the also processing it to alumina and then to solid aluminium metal produces a huge amount of emissions, which is now possible to overcome by focusing on the aluminium recycling. The recycling of metal aluminium requires only 5% of the energy needed to produce primary aluminium from bauxite. The recycling of aluminium is gradually taking up its momentum and popularity, as this week it was witnessed, according to Orbit Recycling, a German start-up, more than 150 tonnes of aluminium may be recovered and recycled on the moon alone. This would save billions of dollars, the total cost of recycled aluminium on the moon is Є150,000 per kilogramme, which is a fraction of the cost...
The world's largest solar panel manufacturer, JinkoSolar Holding Company has publicized the details of multi-project silicon pull rod, module assembly and aluminium frame expansion in China, which the manufacturer is planning to infuse a compounded amount of $3.3 billion (RMB20.8 billion). Jiangxi Jinko, the ‘Solar Module Super League’ member and the operating subsidiary, which listed on China’s STAR Market earlier in 2022, on 18 th March, unveiled two separate deals inked with counterparties comprising municipal governments and regional bodies in both Qinghai and Jiangxi Jinko stated, “We had entered into a project investment cooperation framework with local development entities in Qinghai and Xining to construct a 20GW monocrystalline silicon pull rod project at a total investment value...
Compared to the last week, this week the downstream sector of the aluminium industry witnessed much low incidental happenings. From the market point of view, there had been repeated decline in price. From aluminium billet to Hindalco price, the prices recorded had witnessed a significant drop, the main reason being the rise in demand, shortage of coal supply in India and many more. Wipro, a prominent worldwide corporation known for its information technology and cybersecurity solutions, announced that Speira, a major global manufacturer of sophisticated rolled aluminium products with an annual production of almost one million tonnes, has chosen Wipro as their technology partner. Apart from this, Gränges, an aluminium technology business that had been leading the development of lighter,...
The German aluminium manufacturer, Trimet which designs, manufacturers, recycles, casts and distributes contemporary light-metal goods made of aluminium at eight locations have planned to axe production at its main facility in the city of Essen by half. According to CEO Philipp Schlueter, Trimet will halve output at its main plant in Essen in the upcoming weeks ahead. The main reason for this decision is due to the heightened energy prices for the energy-intensive manufacturing process. “Due to the further increase in energy prices as a result of the war in Ukraine, the situation has worsened dramatically. This is forcing us to make further adjustments,” added Philipp. Schlueter stated that the company will continue to honour current supply commitments. Trimet had already begun reducing...
This week continued to witness a downtrend in the global aluminium benchmark price, so much so that it stood month-on-month lower for a day. The LME aluminium price started the week at US$3,399 per tonne, reflecting a sharp downfall of US$73 per tonne from US$3,472 per tonne on March 11. The price further nosedived on March 15 by US$181.50 per tonne to come in at US$3,217.50 per tonne, month-on-month down by US$5.5 per tonne. The LME prices recorded incessant decline on the anticipation of stock release in the market. On March 13, Hydro confirmed 4000 tonnes of Russian aluminium to arrive at its Karmøy facility. On Wednesday, March 16, LME aluminium price rose for an intermittent period to US$3,306 per tonne but fell the next day to US$3,288 per tonne. To know more:...
The government of Australia has sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska with business interests in Australia, following initially getting them off of Australia's official sanctions list. Oleg Deripaska was the President and controlling shareholder of En+ Group and the Russian aluminium giant Rusal, which holds a 20% stake in the Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) refinery in Gladstone, one of the largest alumina refineries in the world by production capacity. The Russian billionaire and industrialist, Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg, a Ukrainian born, Russian oligarch and billionaire businessman’s name have been added to Australia's official sanctions list along with 20 Russian businesses, as part of the federal government's counter-response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However,...
The German luxury automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz is focused to raise a fleet of carbon-neutral passenger vehicles by 2039 and to do so, it projects to use an average of 40% recycled materials in its vehicles. Markus Schäfer, the CTO for development and procurement at Mercedes-Benz said, “Our vision is to transform our entire value chain into as closed a loop as possible. Our series-production vehicles already contain a large number of recycled materials. Within the next 10 years, we will increase the share of secondary raw materials in our passenger car fleet to an average of 40%.” According to the luxury automotive brand, the usage of sustainable resources in vehicle construction will comprise both visible and non-visible resources to the useful resources to the user. “The inside of the...
The aluminium technology company, Gränges which has been driving the development of lighter, smarter, and more sustainable aluminium products and solutions in 2021 has pursued to convey remarkable performance towards the demanding 2025 sustainability targets. However, due to more robust performance delivery than anticipated, some of the sustainability targets were also remodelled during the year. The key achievements of 2021: Reduction of total carbon emissions intensity (scope 1+2+3) by 19% compared to baseline 2017. Carbon intensity scope (1+2) decreased by 8% as a result of a higher share of renewable energy combined with lower energy intensity. Carbon intensity (scope 3) decreased by 20% driven by a higher share of sourced aluminium scrap. Increase in the share of sourced aluminium...
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, the economy of Argentina is projected to inflate by 2.5% in 2022 and 2.3% in 2023 against the backdrop of a robust rebound in 2021, following a dip in COVID infections and a speeding in vaccination rates. Aluminium pipe always comes in round tubular for the flow of fluids and gasses, defined by a nominal pipe size providing a rough representation of the pipe conveyance capacity, while tube emerges in multiple shapes round, rectangular, square or oval hollow segment determined by outside diameter and wall thickness, represented in inches or millimetres. The aerospace, automobile, and rail transportation industry make use of aluminium tubing in the fuselage, hydraulic systems and fuel lines due to its...
After two consecutive days of cut this week, Hindalco Industries Limited increased its aluminium ingot and aluminium products prices on Thursday, March 17, relating to the recovery in LME aluminium benchmark price. Hindalco raised its aluminium ingot price by INR 6,750 per tonne to INR 288,500 per tonne, with effect from March 17. On March 16, the price stood at INR 281,750 per tonne, seeing a slash of INR 15,500 per tonne. Hindalco’s aluminium billets price also saw a hike of INR 6,750 per tonne on March 17 from INR 295,850 per tonne on March 16 to INR 302,600 per tonne. The company’s aluminium wire rod price saw a jump to INR 299,600 per tonne from INR 292,850 per tonne. Hindalco links its aluminium ingot and aluminium products prices to the three-month future of aluminium on the London...
The Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India has commended for carrying on of anti-dumping duty on imports of Chinese aluminium foil, which are primarily consumed and used in food and pharma sectors, for five years to safeguard national manufacturers from low-cost imports. Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), the investigating arm of the commerce ministry via notification said, “There is continued dumping of the foil from China, and the imports are likely to enter the Indian market at dumped prices in the event of expiry of the duty.” "The authority recommends continued imposition of anti-dumping duty, to remove the likelihood of dumping and injury to the domestic industry.” The Directorate has endorsed the duty in the range of $ 469 and $1,106 per tonne. However, the Ministry of...
LME aluminium opened at US$3,250 per tonne on Thursday, touching the highest and lowest at US$3,409 per tonne and US$3,250 per tonne respectively, and closed at US$3,383 per tonne, up US$117.5 per tonne or 3.6%. Following a hike in price on Wednesday, March 16, both LME aluminium cash bid price and LME aluminium official settlement price declined by US$17.5 per tonne or 0.52% and US$18 per tonne or 0.54% to peg at US$3,287.50 per tonne and US$3,288 per tonne on Thursday, March 17. 3-month bid price and 3-month offer price also dropped by US$10 per tonne or 0.30% to peg at US$3,315 per tonne and US$3,317 per tonne. For the same day, December 23 bid price and December 23 offer price also moved down by US$12 per tonne or 0.38% to total at US$3,110 per tonne and US$3,115 per tonne. LME...
Social inventories of primary aluminium in China have decreased after six consecutive weeks of rising, owing to the improved buying sentiment among the downstream market. According to the Shanghai Metals Market, aluminium inventories have dwindled by 53,000 tonnes across eight major Chinese consumption areas, including SHFE warrants, to come in at 1.09 million tonnes versus 1.14 million tonnes last Thursday, March 10. In the spot market, the goods holders actively made shipments amid falling futures prices, along which the downstream demand picked up, reviving the tractions of aluminium ingot. Primary aluminium social inventories are expected to drop further, and the market shall watch if the resurging of COVID-19 would affect market arrivals and shipments. The chart below indicates the...
On Thursday, March 17, China’s aluminium billet inventory has nosedived by 18,400 tonnes or 8.84 percent week-on-week, as the stockpile of aluminium billets continued to fall due to on-demand downstream purchase. As a result, the inventory has been registered at 190,000 tonnes. Due to fewer arrivals, inventory in Foshan had declined rapidly in the last week. Looking ahead to the next week the market will keep a careful eye on the logistics that may have been or will be impacted by the pandemic control, which might impede the drop in aluminium billet inventories. The chart below indicates the current status of aluminium billet inventories across China in more detail: In Foshan and Wuxi the inventory has decreased by 20,500 tonnes and 8,000 tonnes to peg at 83,400 tonnes and 51,000 tonnes....
Kawneer, an American manufacturer of architectural aluminum systems, has reportedly launched a premium service named Kawneer Collaborative to help architects enhance their architectural visions and learn specific requirements for aluminium building systems. It guides architects in creating bespoke aluminium wall and glazing systems using Kawneer’s products. The learning includes ideation, costing, and design to visualisation, specification, and realisation, to be able to bring bold visions to reality using customisation skills. "Kawneer Collaborative can help architects, contractors and building owners to meet every individual requirement, from inspiring iconic designs to driving performance and sustainability," said Kawneer. A team of experts from Kawneer Collaborative overviews all...
On March 16 th , ASI announced that Elopak ASA a Norwegian Company has been successfully certified against ASI’s Performance Standard with a focus on material stewardship of aluminium. The certification covers Elopak ASA Corporate functions and the coating processes in three European Elopak facilities. Founded in 1957 by Johan Henrik Andreson and Christian August Johansen, Elopak is one of the pioneers in paper packaging with aluminium lining. From its inception, the goal of the company has been sustainable livelihood thus it has always encouraged the use of recycled products. Elopak ASA with the help of its Technical and Maintenance Engineers can design, install and maintain complete packaging solutions running to the highest operational excellence standards. Elopak produces more than 15...
Space specialists believe that there are approximately 100 million pieces of space trash orbiting the Earth, weighing around 8,000 tonnes, the majority of which is satellite and rocket debris. Not all space junk floats around in space. Approximately 200,000kg of space trash is believed to be on the lunar surface, with this number expected to rise with future missions. According to Orbit Recycling, a German start-up, more than 150 tonnes of aluminium may be recovered and recycled on the moon alone. This would save billions of dollars, as the total cost of recycled aluminium on the moon is Є150,000 per kilogramme, which is a fraction of the cost of transporting material from the Earth. Researchers at Swinburne University have begun investigating a really interesting matter, which is...
In December 2021, Canada exported 16,700 tonnes of aluminium plates, sheets and bars to the United States, declining sharply by 3,400 tonnes or 16.91% from 20,100 tonnes in November. However in November 2021, the amount of aluminium plates, sheets and bars exported by Canada to the US closed at 20,100 tonnes, showing a month-on-month surge of 600 tonnes or 3.07% from 19,500 tonnes in October 2021. For the same year in October, Canada shipped 19,500 tonnes of aluminium plates, sheets and bars to the United States, which on a month-on-month forefront plunged by 400 tonnes or 2.01% from 19,900 tonnes in September. The amount of aluminium plates, sheets and bars US imported from Canada in September 2021 registered at 19,900 tonnes, which plummeted by 2,000 tonnes or 9.13% from 21,900 tonnes...
