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.
China issues second set of aluminium scrap import quotas for Q4
Beijing, in the late last week, reportedly issued the second set of metal scrap import quotas for the fourth quarter of 2019, sharply reducing the permissible quantity. As per the report, China’s Solid Waste and Chemical Management Centre will allow 44,935 tonnes more of 7602000090 aluminium scrap into its ports during the fourth quarter, bringing the total allowable imports to 77,875 tonnes. This amount is significantly below the 274,955 tonnes of imported aluminium scrap allowed into the Middle Kingdom in the previous quarter. These quotas are for delivery to the ports of Ningbo, Nanhai and Nansha. The decline in import quotas is estimated to continue to affect the country’s aluminium scrap market, especially thanks to weak inventories and stable orders by secondary aluminium producers....
Malaysia’s export of aluminium bar rods and profiles to continue to rise in 2019; Vietnam to be the top importer after 2016
According to the global export-import data, the export of aluminium bar rods and profiles by Malaysia is expected to grow this year by 58 per cent to stand at 84,069 tonnes. In 2018 as well, the export volume had grown by about 44 per cent to come in at 53,253 tonnes. Only in 2017, the volume was year-on-year down to 37,001 tonnes, compared with 69,236 tonnes in 2016, showed the international data. After 2016, Vietnam is expected to be the top importer of aluminium bar rods and profiles from Malaysia this year by securing 22,616 tonnes. In 2017 and 2018, Australia was the leading export destination for Malaysia. In 2017, Australia had imported 10,116 tonnes, while that in 2018 13,428 tonnes, up 33 per cent year-on-year. In 2016, Vietnam had sourced 48,757 tonnes of aluminium bar rods and...
“Aluminium Industry 4.0: Drivers & Change Makers”: Know how it performed within a month
We are glad to share the performance metrics of our second quarterly e-magazine “Aluminium Industry 4.0: Drivers & Change Makers” . Not even a month yet since the magazine launched, but we are already overwhelmed with stupendous responses arriving from every nook and corner of the world. And thanks to the power of digital media where every outcome is measurable and transparent, we are delighted to find how our magazine has created a buzz over the internet. We are extremely glad to inform you that the magazine has already reached 19,592 viewers across 92 countries and achieved 105,472 hits in total. The average time spent by a user on the magazine is 9 minutes and 16 seconds, with a direct reach of 1498. Besides, it has earmarked a notable performance on social media. While on Facebook, it...
Rio to conduct strategic review of New Zealand’s Aluminium Smelter to determine future profitability
According to a report on October 23, the global miner Rio Tinto Limited has flagged a possibility to close production at its New Zealand’s Aluminium Smelter (NZAS), citing weakness in the aluminium market and high energy costs. NZAS is a joint venture between Rio Tinto (79.36%) and Sumitomo Chemical Company Limited (20.64%), with almost 1000 employees at the present. The company said it would conduct a strategic review of the smelter to determine the operation’s ongoing viability and competitive position. It will even explore options and try to identify economically viable solutions to find a pathway to profitability and for that, it said it would hold discussions with the Government of New Zealand and energy providers. By 2020, the review is expected to be concluded. “We expect the short...
Aditya Aluminium installs new solar power plant in Sambalpur for smelting process
According to a recent report, the metal unit of Aditya Birla Group, Aditya Aluminium, has built a 24-MW solar power plant worth INR 151 crore at Lapanga in Sambalpur district. Spread across 144 acres of ash-filled land, the plant is expected to contribute to the State Government’s goal of generating 2,750 MW of renewable energy, including 2,200 MW solar power by 2022. The power to be produced from the installed plant will be utilised in aluminium smelting process. Smelters require a consistent load network and uninterrupted power supply. The load requirement of Aditya Aluminium is also as high as 658 MW. The green energy to be generated at the new plant will act as an incentive for the firm, said Aditya Aluminium head Kailash Pandey. But power fluctuations are very common in solar plants...
Log 9 Materials receives a $3.5 million funding for aluminium fuel batteries development
The trial conducted by 25-year-old Akshay Singhal on his electric car Mahindra e2o Plus to run on water and aluminium had done several round ups on the internet last year, and now its receipt of a $3.5 million funding is drawing attention. The news came on Monday, October 21, when the company Log 9 Materials announced that it received the funding in Series A round led by Exfinity Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital India’s accelerator programme Surge. According to the report, this funding will be used for product development, and commercial and industrial deployment of aluminium fuel cell, which the company has been working on since last year. Aluminium fuel cells are aluminium-air batteries that produce electricity from oxygen and aluminium reaction, and the technology used is similar...
Alumex introduces new aluminium product range comprising of wall systems, windows and doors
Alumex PLC, the aluminium extrusions subsidiary of Sri Lanka’s Hayleys group, has reportedly unveiled a new aluminium product range for the Sri Lankan market. The news came last week after the company announced the introduction of the new product range, which includes unitized curtail wall systems, windows, doors, and sliding systems. Launched under the umbrella of Alumex Building Systems (ABS) and accredited by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the products are designed for high-rise buildings and engineered in a way to be able to resist challenging weather conditions. Thanks to a glazing thickness of up to 24 mm. Alumex PLC Managing Director Pramuk Dediwela said, “The introduction of Alumex Building Systems represents a major milestone for the Sri Lankan...
Chinese alumina price declines by RMB19/t after a week-long restraint, A00 aluminium ingot price plunges too
After remaining restrained for the past one week at RMB 2,643 per tonne, the average spot price of alumina has decided to record a movement today, October 22, by falling to RMB 2,624 per tonne, meaning a decline of RMB 19 per tonne, found Shanghai Metals Market. This marks the first drop this month since the Chinese market resumed after its National Day Holiday from October 1st to 7th. As the alumina price rose through the month before remaining restrained for a week, its decline today has not brought it lower than the month ago. Compared with the price in the same period last month, the average spot price of alumina is standing higher by RMB 32 per tonne. In the major Chinese markets, east, central and south, the alumina price has decreased by RMB 10 per tonne to stand at 2,650 per...
GHI sets new aluminium recycling furnace for Latem Aluminium
Latem Aluminium has reportedly received a tilting rotary furnace of 30-tonnes from GHI Smart Furnaces that will recycle aluminium for its new facility in Villadangos, Spain. This new furnace will replace the existing one of 12 tonnes to produce 30,000 of secondary aluminium in a year. It will recover aluminium from low quality scrap and produce a waste of contaminants significantly lower than the traditional models. By 2022, Latem Aluminium is expected to reach an annual production of 45,000 tonnes. Initially, the facility will produce ingots for automotive and other industrial processes but later on, will likely source the raw material used in the lamination process, once the aluminium lamination plant built by Latem in Zamora, Spain enters into service.
Russia’s aluminium wire export to grow 18% in 2019; Belarus to be the highest importer
High cost saving is one of the factors that has been increasingly bolstering the shift from using copper wire to aluminium wire and therefore, the demand for the latter. Considering a transformation cost of US$1,5 per kg for copper and US$ 5 per kg for aluminium, the final cost for the user will be almost similar, but the weight of aluminium is 1/3 of copper. And even considering 10% more consumption of aluminium, saving is approximately 60% of the cost of the coil. {newsStudioGallery} Aluminium wires are widely used in various home electrical appliances, switches, circuit breakers and motors. Beside cost saving and light-weight properties, aluminium wires are corrosion resistant. So, backed on the increasing demand, the exports and imports of aluminium wire have also been found growing...
PNP backing lawsuit against WINDALCO for effluent emission; Wants residents to receive compensation
According to a report on Monday, October 21, The People’s National Party (PNP) is backing legal action against West Indies Alumina Company (WINDALCO) for releasing effluent into the Rio Cobre and contaminating the river, which is a major water source for many residents living on its banks. Dr Fenton Ferguson, the opposition spokesman on Water, Environment and Climate Change, said the opposition is in support of St Catherine North Central’s Member of Parliament Natalie Neita’s attempt for possible legal action against WINDALCO. He also wants the residents around the Rio Cobre river to receive proper and adequate compensation for the damages and inconvenience caused to them due to contamination of water caused by WINDALCO. Ferguson is calling for Darul Vaz as well, who is responsible for...
Aluminium plates, sheets and strips import by Saudi Arabia to decline in 2019 after three years of growth
The global export-import data shows that after a year-on-year rise in Saudi Arabia’s aluminium plates, sheets and strips import last year, the country this year is likely to see a drop of 16 per cent to 89,966 tonnes. In 2018, Saudi Arabia's import was approximately at 106,936 tonnes, up 29 per cent from 83,053 tonnes in 2017. In 2016, the import amount was at around 59,353 tonnes, which indicates that the import volume had recorded a rise in 2017 as well, by about 40 per cent. As far as the import cost is concerned, Saudi Arabia’s aluminium plates, sheets and strips import is estimated to be valued lower than the previous year, in tandem with the drop in import volume. Compared with US$491 million in 2018, the country’s import cost this year is likely to come in at US$ 317 million, down...
Automobile industry should focus on electric vehicles manufacture, says Nitin Gadkari
Urging the Indian automobile industry to focus on manufacturing electric vehicles, Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, said on Wednesday: “We have to make India the global hub of electric automobile manufacturing. This is difficult but not impossible.” The automotive industry should focus on the indigenous development of technology as well, opined the union minister at the launch of Bajaj Auto’s first electric scooter. But while encouraging for the development of electric vehicles, Gadkari did not miss to assure the automobile industry that there is no ban on petrol and diesel vehicles. He only pointed out that India’s fuel import bill touched INR 7 lakh crore, which is a big amount for India’s economy. According to him, the consumer in the future would...
Aluminium or steel water cans may replace plastic bottles in Indian trains if Modi cabinet approves
According to a recent report, aluminium or steel water cans may replace plastic water bottles in Indian railways if the cabinet ministry approves a consumer affairs ministry proposal. As per the report, the cans would be initially offered to railway passengers, especially on premium trains such as Tejas Express and Vande Bharat Express. Government officials familiar with the matter said that the consumer affairs ministry is in talks with the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) to produce steel cans in two of the most common grades of food-grade stainless steel - 18/8 and 18/10, also known as Type 304. “We are in talks with SAIL for making water bottles/cans for the railways’ Rail Neer brand. These will be initially offered to passengers aboard premium trains such as Tejas Express and Vande...
A00 aluminium ingot price increases for the third day in a row on decline in output and stock
On the news of China’s primary aluminium output dip by 1.6 per cent from a year ago to 2.9 million tonnes in September, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the price of A00 aluminium ingot has recorded a further rise of RMB 40 per tonne to RMB 14,000 tonnes, as on Friday, October 18, found Shanghai Metals Market. This marks the third consecutive rise ranging between RMB 13,770 per tonne and RMB 14,000 per tonne. Significant decline in primary aluminium inventories by 61,000 tonnes to 916,000 tonnes over the week ended on Thursday, October 17, could also be attributed to the growth in A00 aluminium ingot price. The average prices of aluminium ingot today are expected to range between RMB 13,980 per tonne and RMB 14,020 per tonne, with a spot contract to be traded at a...
Jack Aluminium partners with Geze UK to create an automatic sliding door system
According to a recent report, commercial aluminium systems specialist Jack Aluminium has partnered with Geze UK to create the first PAS24 approved automatic sliding door system. Designed to fill a gap in the healthcare and care home sectors where residents and care teams need the convenience of sliding doors and also where safety and security are of utmost importance, this new system would use Jack Aluminium’s JD47 Non-thermal Door & Shopfront system and Geze’s bespoke hardware. Jeff Pearson, Sales & Marketing Director at Jack Aluminium Systems, explained: “We knew from talking to customers that there was a real market for an automatic sliding door system that could meet the high levels of security that these healthcare facilities need.” He also said, “This new product resolves this issue...
Belgium’s aluminium cans import from Germany likely to drop 27% in 2019, while from Netherlands to rise 47%
According to the global export-import data, aluminium cans import into Belgium from Germany is estimated to come in at 7,494 tonnes in 2019, compared with 10,327 tonnes in 2018. This means this year is likely to see a downfall of 27 per cent in Belgium’s aluminium cans import from the previous year. In 2018 as well, Belgium’s aluminium cans import from Germany was lesser than that of 2017, as the import volume in the latter year was at about 11,338 tonnes. This indicates a year-on-year drop of 9 per cent in 2018. From the Netherlands, on the other hand, Belgium’s aluminium cans import is likely to record year-on-year growth. From 9064 tonnes in 2018, the volume is expected to increase to 13,337 tonnes, up 47 per cent. But in the last year, the import volume was down by about 23 per cent...
Rebound in downstream aluminium consumption lowers aluminium billet inventories by 7,600t
Shanghai Metals Market found that 6063 aluminium billet stocks, across five major consumption areas in China, have recorded a decline by 7,600 tonnes to 129,200 tonnes on Thursday, October 17, followed by two consecutive rises after the Chinese National Day holiday. Recovering consumption is one of the reasons for this decline, according to SMM. Since the Chinese market resumed after the National Day holiday, aluminium billet inventories were found increased by 35,400 tonnes and then 1,600 tonnes to come in at 136,800 tonnes, as of last Thursday, October 10. The chart below indicates the current status of aluminium billet inventories across China in more details: The inventories in Wuxi, Jiangsu have dropped by 3,300 tonnes to stand at 19,200 tonnes, while that in Huzhou, Zhejiang; and...
