
A rolling-mill drive can trip even when its encoder passes a bench test. A refinery instrument can report erratic readings with no obvious process upset. Engineers may suspect the devices first, but the installed cables, mating interfaces and routing deserve the same scrutiny. Intermittent faults sometimes disappear the moment an assembly is touched. That uncertainty has an economic cost: investigation consumes maintenance time, and a missed control signal may delay equipment availability. This article concerns sensor, instrumentation, encoder, fieldbus and appropriately rated low-power auxiliary interfaces, typically carrying signals or modest loads—not power feeders. Main motor circuits, plant distribution, rectifier outputs and potline busbars are outside its scope. No connector type...
Pioneering ideas for an industry in transition A successful debut: With the launch of the ALUMINIUM Innovation Awards, ALUMINIUM 2026 created a dedicated stage for the industry's most outstanding innovation leaders for the very first time. In partnership with the International Aluminium Journal, companies were recognised whose ideas and technologies provide answers to the key challenges facing the global aluminium industry and set new benchmarks for its future. The strong response to the new initiative underlines its relevance: More than 70 submissions and over 9,700 votes cast in the public voting process made the Innovation Awards one of the most talked-about highlights of ALUMINIUM 2026 from the outset. The awards ceremony took place on 7 October and provided a fitting finale to the...
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Aluminium Stewardship Initiative has reportedly certified Press Metal International Limited (PMI) with Performance Standard V2 (2017) certification with Provisional status. Press Metal International, a subsidiary of Press Metal, has received the certificate for its casthouse, extrusion, anodizing, powder coating, PVDF and fabricated extrusion profile production facility in Foshan city, China, with an annual capacity of 160,000 tonnes. At the plant, Press Metal International designs and manufactures architectural and industrial aluminium alloy profiles, including anodized oxide profiles, electrophoretic painting profiles, powder spraying profiles, fluorocarbon spraying profiles, and anti-thermal profiles. All these extruded profiles are primarily used in the automotive, ship building,...

LME aluminium opened at US$2,284 per tonne on Monday and closed at US$2,249 per tonne, down US$34 per tonne or 1.49 per cent. On Monday, September 19, both LME aluminium cash bid price and LME aluminium official settlement price dipped by US$26 per tonne or 1.15 per cent and US$27 per tonne or 1.19 per cent to settle at US$2,231 per tonne and US$2,232 per tonne. 3-month bid price and 3-month offer price slipped by US$20 per tonne or 0.88 per cent to stop at US$2,246 per tonne and US$2,247 per tonne. December 23 bid price and December 23 offer price climbed down the graph by US$23 per tonne or 0.97 per cent to record at US$2,335 per tonne and US$2,340 per tonne. LME aluminium opening stock settled at 346325 tonnes. Live warrants and Cancelled warrants came in at 278600 tonnes and 67725...

A00 aluminium ingot price has slumped by RMB 80 per tonne to close at RMB 18,690 per tonne, as the Shanghai Metals Market recorded on Tuesday, September 20. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 18,670 per tonne and RMB 18,710 per tonne, with spot contracts trading at discount prices of RMB 70 per tonne and RMB 30 per tonne. The provinces in China have witnessed a downfall in aluminium prices today, with A00 aluminium ingot prices declining the highest in Foshan and Shenyang by RMB 90 per tonne to RMB 18,680 per tonne and RMB 18,630 per tonne. The prices of aluminium in Wuxi, Hangzhou, Chongqing and Linyi have recorded an RMB 80 per tonne drop to settle at RMB 18,680 per tonne, RMB 18,700 per tonne, RMB 18,740 per tonne and RMB 18,690 per tonne. The price of aluminium in...

Nivea, the brand synonymous with the colour blue, is internally transforming itself into a green company with the heightened use of recyclable aluminium as a raw material for its packaging solutions. In the last two years, the company has seen immense transformations in their packaging formulas focusing more on the reduction of carbon footprint, which is also a first for a beauty brand. The parent concern of the company, Beiersdorf, based in Germany, is the main propagator of the Care Beyond Skin sustainability ideology that has three primary goals in mind; the Environment, Society and the Consumer. The Hamburg-headquartered master brand is very keen on creating a green circular economy and a climate-friendly future. Beiersdorf strictly notifies: “Humanity is facing a growing amount of...

According to the US Geological Survey, the United States exported 40,900 tonnes of aluminium scrap to India in June 2022, bringing the total amount of exports in the second quarter to 112,700 tonnes. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the scrap exports from the US to India in Q2 stood 242.66 per cent higher than 32,890 tonnes. The monthly exports increased each month in the second quarter, starting with a hike of 23,410 tonnes in April to 33,400 tonnes. In May, the exports grew by 5,000 tonnes or 13 per cent to 38,400 tonnes, followed by the increase of 2,500 tonnes in June. On a year-on-year calculation, the US aluminium scrap exports to India in June 2022 edged 36.65 per cent higher than 28,100 tonnes. In the first half of 2022, the US aluminium scrap exports to India amounted to 227,000...

Vedanta Limited increased its aluminium products and aluminium ingot prices on Friday, September 16, following an intermittent fall on the previous day. According to the revised price chart revealed by Vedanta, the company’s aluminium wire rod price saw a hike of INR 3,750 per tonne to stand at INR 217,000- 224,500 per tonne as of September 16. On Thursday, September 15, the wire rod price stood at INR 213,250-220,750 per tonne after being cut by INR 4,750 per tonne from INR 218,000-225,500 per tonne. Vedanta’s aluminium billet price also experienced a rise of INR 3,750 per tonne to INR 218,500 per tonne on September 16, following a fall of INR 4,750 per tonne from INR 219,500 per tonne to INR 214,750 per tonne on September 15. Aluminium ingot price was no exception but also grew by the...

CME Group Inc., a futures exchange operator, said on 16 th September 2022 that aluminium futures volumes soared 359% in Q3 to date from Q1 and topped 6,709 contracts in the fourth quarter. A futures contract for aluminium is a standardized, exchange-traded contract in which the contract buyer agrees to take delivery of aluminium at a predetermined price from the seller on a future delivery date. CME Group Inc. is an American global markets company. It is the world's largest financial derivatives exchange and trades in asset classes that include agricultural products, currencies, energy, interest rates, metals, stock indexes and cryptocurrencies futures. The CME stated, "The top 25 aluminium futures volume days have all occurred since April, with nearly 150 new accounts trading since May."...

The US-based health drinks company Hylux has unveiled its unflavoured spring water in a new recyclable, customisable aluminium bottle. Initially, the bottles will be available to selective organisations to sell and distribute within their networks, with Northeastern University’s Boston campus being the first customer. To widen the reach of the new-launched bottles, Hylux is already corresponding with sports teams and other large organisations. Soon, the bottled spring water will be availeble online as well. “I couldn’t be more excited about providing organisations with a way to hit their eco-targets, particularly because aluminium has a lower carbon footprint than glass and plastic,” said CEO Lamar Letts, who founded the brand in 2014. He added, “What’s even better is that our custom...

A00 aluminium ingot price has plunged by RMB 100 per tonne to halt at RMB 18,770 per tonne, as the Shanghai Metals Market recorded on Monday, September 19. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 18,750 per tonne and RMB 18,790 per tonne, with spot contracts trading at discount prices of RMB 70 per tonne and RMB 30 per tonne. The provinces in China have witnessed a downfall in aluminium prices today, with A00 aluminium ingot price decreasing the most in Hangzhou by RMB 110 per tonne to RMB 18,780 per tonne, followed by RMB 100 per tonne slump in Gongyi, Foshan, Wuxi and Linyi to RMB 18,650 per tonne, RMB 18,770 per tonne, RMB 18,760 per tonne and RMB 18,770 per tonne. The prices of aluminium in Chongqing and Shenyang have recorded an RMB 80 per tonne drop to settle at RMB...

On 18th September 2022, the Chinese customs data revealed that China's aluminium imports in August 2022 descended 19% from the previous year's same period. The record rise in domestic production and limited export supply is the primary reason for this import dip. China stands as the world’s largest producer and consumer of aluminium. According to data from the General Administration of Customs, in August 2022, China procured 200,440 tonnes of unwrought aluminium and products, including primary metal and unwrought, alloyed aluminium. The drop in imports was attributed to this year's production ramp-up, which eased supply tensions at home. Imported materials have also been in high demand due to power restrictions. In August 2022, China produced a record 3.51 million tonnes of light metal,...

LME aluminium opened at US$2,312.5 per tonne on Friday and closed at US$2,283 per tonne, down US$21 per tonne or 1.38 per cent. LME aluminium cash bid price dropped by US$14 per tonne or 0.62 per cent to settle at US$2,257 per tonne and LME aluminium official settlement price slipped by US$13 per tonne or 0.57 per cent to rest at US$2,259 per tonne on Friday, September 16. 3-month bid price descended by 0.66 per cent or US$15 per tonne to stand at US$2,266 per tonne, while the 3-month offer price witnessed a similar fall in percentage, closing at US$2,267 per tonne. December 23 bid price and December 23 offer price both lost 0.59 per cent or US$14 per tonne stopping at US$2,358 per tonne and US$2,363 per tonne, respectively. LME aluminium opening stock continued to decrease by 0.57 per...

Alutrade produced 99.9 per cent pure aluminium for secondary aluminium production using TOMRA's most advanced x-ray metals sorting apparatus, the X-TRACTTM. The UK-based aluminium recycling business used the powerful new sensor-based sorting system from TOMRA, X-TRACT, for the first time. The Hayleys Group subsidiary Alumex PLC, a pioneer in fully integrated aluminium manufacturing in Sri Lanka, announced the groundbreaking introduction of "Ozon," a low-carbon aluminium alloy. The news follows the manufacturer's successful Phase 1 opening of its brand-new, cutting-edge melting facility in Sapugaskanda to support export markets. According to the firm's CEO, Romco Metals planned to raise US$50 million in debt and equity to increase its output by more than five times to 100,000 tonnes...

According to sources, the Yunnan province in southwest China gave this week's directive to aluminium companies to use less energy. In addition to its captive power plant (CPP) at its Mahan facility, Hindalco Industries, the largest manufacturer of aluminium in India, started producing energy from a 25 MW solar project in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh. Boeing announced that owing to the current conflict in Russia and Ukraine, it ceased purchasing aluminium from Vladimir's Russia. Boeing stopped obtaining essential supplies from Russia for the second time. Energy price hikes are still having an impact in China. . Egyptalum, the biggest producer of aluminium in Egypt and one of the biggest in Africa, anticipates solid commercial outcomes in the next year by leveraging many local and global...

Following the announcement of Vedanta's new investment plan in Odisha for around $3 billion (INR 25000), the group is all set to build an aluminium park at Jharsuguda. An investment of $50 million (INR 400 crore) will create a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the park's development. Initially approved by the State level single window clearance authority (SLSWCA) in 2010, the park project was held back due to land obstacles as most of the proposed land was a dense forest. According to our sources, the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) had pinpointed an alternate site far off the dense forest at a distance of around five km from the aluminium smelter of Vedanta at Jharsuguda. However, Vedanta Limited has agreed to set up the park in the new location. The term...

Customers in Europe are hesitant to place orders for next year due to recession concerns, causing a decline in demand, as stated by Ali Al-Baqali, the Chief Executive of Aluminium Bahrain (Alba). Ali Al-Baqali commented on the sidelines of an aluminium conference in Barcelona, "The overall demand is lower... because people are hesitating to order." Aluminum Bahrain was the first aluminium smelter in the Middle East to begin commercial operations in 1971. Alba employs 84 per cent Bahraini nationals, and the company has introduced numerous capacity-building initiatives to increase its nationalization rate. "Many (European) customers have an order book, but they don't know when they will take the metal because they are afraid that if they book the full quantity, then the recession starts."...

This week the downstream sector has been alive with innovative incidents where, Greek aluminium and copper producer, Elvalhalcor, was found estimating the company’s crossover to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from fossil fuel (natural gas) to help de-escalate its power bill. To manufacture new battery materials with a low environmental impact in Europe, Hydro, Elkem and Altor have joined hands to support Vianode with investments. Göksal Güngör will continue to be the President of the Global Aluminium Foil Roller Initiative (GLAFRI) for another term after being re-elected during the 6th Global Aluminium Foil Roller Conference (GLAFCO) in Istanbul. Alcoa is developing A210 ExtruStrongTM and C611 EZCastTM aluminium alloys to be used in the automobile and construction sectors. Vedanta, the...

On Friday, September 16, Gerhardi AluTechnik GmbH received ASI Performance Standard V2 (2017) Certification at their facility in Luedenscheid, Germany, emphasising Material Stewardship for the manufacturing and sale of semi-finished aluminium profiles. According to the ASI statement, Gerhardi AluTechnik GmbH met with the 2017 Performance Standard (V2). The family-run business employs 70 people and creates extrusion profiles for clients in the furniture, lighting, electronics, automotive, construction, and mechanical engineering industries. “ASI congratulates Gerhardi AluTechnik GmbH on achieving Performance Standard Certification at its Luedenscheid facility. One of the key sustainability contributions of downstream users of aluminium is the assessment of their products over the life...

On Thursday, September 15, the domestic social inventory of aluminium billets dropped by 2,700 tonnes or 2.29 per cent across three major consumption areas to close at 114,900 tonnes. This month, the orders received by downstream businesses had hardly improved. Since downstream producers are concerned that projected output reductions in Yunnan would increase aluminium prices, they will be more inclined to hoard. As a result, the social inventory of aluminium billet may drop slightly soon. The figure below provides further information on the current state of aluminium billet inventories in China: The inventories in Huzhou and Nanchang had ascended by 2,000 tonnes or 1,200 tonnes to close at 16,000 tonnes or 4,700 tonnes. The increment was due to the steady arrivals and weak downstream...