AlCircle News Edited By "Debanjali Sengupta"
Debanjali Sengupta is a passionate content writer with 10 years of experience in Business writing, Web Content writing, Blogging, Editing and Research. She is responsible for generating and editing content for AlCircle Newsletter and other online and offline content for enhancing the brand value and its visibility among global users.
September 2024: China’s primary aluminium imports decline 16% M-o-M on limited arbitrage opportunity
According to the General Administration of Customs, China's primary aluminium import receded from its monthly high in September 2024, marking a sequential decline of 16 per cent. Even on an annual basis, the import volume decreased by 31.7 per cent, astonishing the industry for the unprecedented downtrend. The Shanghai Metals Market cautioned about the high chances of an interim fall in China's primary metal imports due to limited arbitrage opportunity because of the narrow price gap between LME and SHFE since the beginning of September. China's domestic imports of primary aluminium mainly relied on long-term contracts from Russia and parts of Southeast Asia. Malaysia's contribution to China was also affected in September due to 100,000 tonnes of production cut because of an accident....
Kraft Tank signs up for ConMet’s Preset Plus® aluminium wheel ends for its latest trailer
ConMet’s Preset Plus® aluminium wheel ends with disc brakes, a key OEM component for heavy vehicles, have become an essential part of Kraft Tank’s latest innovation, the Omni Tank Trailer. Preset Plus® is expected to confer all the benefits recognised for in the heavy-duty transportation industry to the Omni Tank Trailer. Preset Plus® aluminium wheel ends are the original pre-adjusted hub that ensures easy installation, safety, and reduced vehicle weight. Besides, due to its tapered roller bearings and premium seals, the Preset Plus® system also assures durability and high performance in the most demanding environments. These features even optimise fuel efficiency and amplify the payload capacity of any heavy vehicle. Considering all these advantageous attributes, Conmet’s Preset Plus®...
Hydro reports strong Q3 results with 12% revenue growth while navigating a weaker downstream market
Norsk Hydro, a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, has released its third quarter and nine-month results, reporting a satisfactory fiscal performance driven by increased alumina and aluminium prices. Meanwhile, the downstream sectors are navigating challenging core markets, offering a glimmer of hope for improvement to Hydro. Sneaking into the results, revenue appears at NOK 50,089 million for the third quarter, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 12.05 per cent from NOK 44,702 million, while it edged a slight fall quarter-on-year by 2 per cent from NOK 50,944 million. Total revenue in nine months has exceeded the past year's record, reaching NOK 148,579 million compared to NOK 146,865 million. The company's adjusted EBITDA has inflated by 89 per cent through the third...
Alba appoints a new Chief Human Resources Officer to strengthen talent acquisition and recruitment
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), the world's largest aluminium smelter outside China, has expanded its leadership team by appointing a new Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO). Fahad Mohamed Abdulla Danish, joining on October 27, 2024, will spearhead Alba's human resources strategy, supervising talent acquisition and recruitment. Alba's new Chief Human Resources Officer - Fahad Mohamed Abdulla Danish Fahad will bring a pool of knowledge and success in human resource management acquired from 15+ years of experience. He will also oversee workforce planning and succession planning, ensuring fitting compensation and benefits are provided. Before joining Alba, Farhad held senior leadership positions at prominent Bahraini companies, including Beyon (Bahrain Telecommunications Company), Bahrain...
Top 5 companies leading aluminium foil production in China
From food & beverage, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics packaging to industrial applications such as insulation in the electrical and aerospace industries or vehicle components, aluminium foil is one product in many roles, meeting the needs of a broad spectrum of end-user industries. Thus, this thinly rolled aluminium product boasts enormous global demand, showcasing a whopping figure of its usage at 6.1 million tonnes in 2023. The country that primarily drives this usage, with extensive production capabilities, is China, the world’s largest producer, consumer, and exporter of aluminium foil, which alone accounts for about 48 per cent of the global foil usage and 63 per cent of the world’s foil production capacity. This article will explore the names that lead the aluminium foil market in...
Vedanta Aluminium advances logistics system at its smelters by adopting BOBRN captive coal rakes
Vedanta Aluminium has taken a plunge into improving its coal transportation at its smelters in Jharsuguda, Odisha, Korba, and Chattisgarh by introducing the Bogie Open Bottom Rapid Discharge Railway Wagon with pneumatic door opening actuators (BOBRN) into the logistics system. This strategic move, a part of the General Purpose Wagon Investment Scheme (GPWIS) initiated by the Indian Railways, is expected to enhance operational efficiency throughout Vedanta’s upstream aluminium ecosystem and accelerate sustainability objectives by reducing emissions and operative costs. Vedanta Aluminium has included four BOBRN rakes and, going ahead, intends to add four more. The BOBRN railway wagons are most often used to transport a bulk amount of coal between various locations. Each wagon can hold 56...
Novelis boasts of achieving 63% recycled content in rolled aluminium in its FY2024 Sustainability Report
Novelis’ unwavering commitment to environmental, social, and governance goals is luminously reflected in the company’s sustainability report for the fiscal year 2024, published on October 22. The report showcases the company’s advancement in some of the key areas like employee safety, diversity, inclusion, and community engagement, besides highlighting remarkable achievements related to recycling, low-carbon footprint, and a circular economy. The report features that strategic initiatives and investments by the company have resulted in a 27 per cent reduction in absolute carbon emissions (including scopes 1, 2 & 3) compared to the FY2016 baseline. Novelis proudly recycled 2,300 tonnes of aluminium in FY2024, including 82 billion used beverage cans, and even accomplished integrating an...
Global primary aluminium production in Q3 bypasses September's downtrend, posting a 2.36% quarterly growth
In September 2024, primary aluminium production globally experienced a month-on-month fall, mirroring the trend seen across all the major primary metal-producing countries/regions. However, the monthly fall in September posed no impact on the growing trend through the third quarter of the year, as demonstrated by the data from the International Aluminium Institute. According to the data revealed, the world’s primary aluminium production decreased by 3.19 percent from August but maintained the 6 million tonnes level. Amounting to 6.007 million tonnes compared to 6.205 million tonnes in August, the output in September registered a fall after two consecutive months of rise. Total production worldwide in Q3 2024 stood at 18.416 million tonnes, marking a continued Q-o-Q rise of 2.36 per cent...
Momentum sustains in China’s domestic alumina price with over 50% rise Y-o-Y
Following supply disruptions due to unfavourable weather conditions, blockage on bauxite export from Guinea Alumina Corporation has led China’s domestic average alumina price to a new high at RMB 4,760 per tonne on October 23, found the Shanghai Metals Market. Over a day, the price has gained RMB 62 per tonne, bringing it 5.8 per cent W-o-W higher than RMB 4,499 per tonne. Besides, the raised optimism for raw material purchase owing to increased primary aluminium production has also been contributing to the alumina price rally, with industry sources expecting the momentum to continue in the coming months. Today, the price hike in China’s domestic alumina has affected all the major provinces, including Lianyungang and Bayuquan, where alumina prices have elevated by RMB 110 per tonne and...
Crown Holdings posts an 18.7% surge in Q3 operating income led by improved shipments of beverage cans
Crown Holdings Inc., a leading American company specialising in making metal beverage and food cans, metal closures, and speciality packing, has announced its third-quarter financial results, which have marked significant growth in each global beverage can business, exceeding original expectations. In the third quarter ended September 30, 2024, net sales reached $3,074 million, increasing from $3,069 million a year ago, attributed to higher shipments of global beverage cans and food cans in Brazil, Europe, Mexico, and the United States. In H1 2024, Brazil reported growing beverage can sales led by favourable macroeconomic conditions. Brazilian Association of Aluminum Can Manufacturers expressed an estimated 5 per cent growth in beverage can sales at the end of the year, compared to an...
Uzbekistan and Bahrain work out potential collaboration in aluminium production
A recently held meeting between Davron Vakhobov, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, and Atif Al Khaja, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Bahrain, witnessed discussions on trade development and economic cooperation between the business circles of two countries, emphasising on mutual visits and joint events. Both parties gave special attention to cooperation in aluminium production, considering Bahrain’s expertise in the sector. Davron Vakhobov was particularly interested in building a strong relationship with Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba), a blue-chip asset of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the world’s largest aluminium smelter outside China with a production of more than 1.548 million tonnes per annum. At the end of the meeting, Davron...
Supply disruptions in Guinea weigh on China’s September bauxite imports, declining by 25.7% M-o-M
China’s bauxite imports in September 2024 fell 25.68 per cent month-on-month owing to supply disruptions from Guinea, first due to unfavourable weather conditions but now due to exports being blocked by Guinea’s customs authorities. According to China’s General Administration of Customs, China’s bauxite import volume in September amounted to 11.5536 million tonnes, reflecting a month-on-month decline of 25.68 per cent from 15.546 million tonnes but edged a Y-o-Y growth of 15.82 per cent. The monthly decline is due to decreased import volume from Guinea, Malaysia, and Brazil. Although the imports from other countries like Australia, Turkey, Laos, and Ivory Coast increased, they were insufficient to offset the monthly drop. As the above chart indicates, China’s bauxite imports from Guinea...
US aluminium scrap exports extend M-o-M fall by 2.3% in July due to the Red Sea crisis disrupting supply to India
According to the US Geological Survey, the United States aluminium scrap exports continued to decline, marking the second consecutive month of fall in July 2024. The export volume decreased 2.32 per cent month-on-month to 168,000 tonnes versus 172,000 tonnes in June 2024. Also, on a year-on-year basis, the United States aluminium scrap exports reflected a downfall of 2.89 per cent from 173,000 tonnes. As the above graph indicates, the back-to-back decline in the United States aluminium scrap exports in September 2024 was primarily contributed by India and Malaysia, the two largest importers of aluminium scrap from the United States. Even though the two countries remained the top importers of scrap from the United States in September, their volume decreased month-on-month. Delving deeper...
China’s aluminium production in Sept’24 reflects 1.2% annual growth driven by higher profit margins
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's aluminium production in September grew year-on-year, driven by steady demand and profitable margins for producers. As per the data revealed, China, the world's largest producer of aluminium, churned out 3.65 million tonnes of light metal, up by 1.2 per cent year-on-year. The National Bureau of Statistics also showed the average daily production in September stood at 121,667 tonnes, higher than the previous month's 120,322 tonnes. In contrast, the monthly output in September edged a 2.14 per cent fall from 3.73 million tonnes in August. Steady growth in demand buoyed by the transportation and packaging industries primarily resulted in growing aluminium production on an annual basis. Escalation in aluminium consumption in the solar and...
Vedanta assures INR 1 lakh crore investment for new alumina and aluminium projects in Odisha
According to a report on Friday, October 18, Vedanta has assured to give INR 1 lakh crore to the Odisha government for the establishment of an alumina refinery with a 6 million tonnes per annum capacity and an aluminium plant with 3 million tonnes per annum. The news came after an announcement made at the "Utkarsh Odisha" roadshow, part of the upcoming Make in Odisha Conclave 2025. Both the refinery and the plant will be powered by renewable energy for green aluminium production. Together, they are expected to create 2 lakh new jobs across the state. Concerning these projects, Vedanta's Chairman, Anil Agarwal, said: "Our investments reflect our commitment to the state's inclusive growth and driving large-scale industrialisation. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi,...
US issues final antidumping determinations on Vietnamese aluminium extrusions
The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) has declared final determinations on antidumping investigations into aluminium extrusions and products imported from Vietnam. The news came on Thursday, October 17, after the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam officially reported. The investigation began on October 24, 2023, and the preliminary determinations imposing anti-subsidy tax rates between 2.85 per cent and 41.84 per cent were announced on May 7, 2024. Three days ago, the Department of Commerce named thirteen other countries involved in dumping aluminium extrusions in the US market, including China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. As per the report, the...
Hind Aluminium reflects strong performance with a 52-week high share price
Hind Aluminium Industries, a manufacturer of aluminium & alloy conductors and aluminium wire rods, reached a 52-week high on October 18, 2024. The stock opened with a 2.19 per cent gain and touched an intraday high of INR 85.4, outperforming the sector by 2.44 per cent. The company’s shares have been consistently growing over the past six days, rising 20.67 per cent. However, on October 18, the stock price was highly volatile, with an intraday volatility of 5.46 per cent. Currently trading higher than 5-day, 20-day, 50-day, 100-day, 200-day moving averages, Hind Aluminium Industries is reflecting a positive move in the market. Investors and experts are closely watching the movement of Hind Aluminium as it continues to perform well, registering a 52-week high. Last year, the company...
China’s economic stimulus reflects success in automobile production and sales, boosting aluminium consumption
Commercial revival in the Chinese market during September 2024, driven by the economic stimulus package, is mirrored in the robust growth in car sales, including battery-electric vehicles and plug-in electric cars. Enhanced vehicle trade-in policies have also had beneficial effects on domestic car sales and production, as highlighted by the Shanghai Metals Market survey. The increase in vehicle production, particularly electric cars, indicates a potential rise in aluminium consumption as a key element used in the production of automobile components. Production and sales figures According to the data revealed by SMM based on the China Passenger Car Association survey, China's new passenger vehicle (NEPV) production demonstrated a surge of 51.5 per cent year-on-year and an increase of 16.2...
