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.
“Digitalization can save billions of dollars per year for the aluminium industry if adopted at its maximum efficiency,” Avijit Deb, Vice President & Chief Digital Officer, Aluminium & Power, Vedanta Limited
While the advent of Industry 4.0 is creating a buzz across the metal industry and the implementation of digitalization and automation is making the industrialists intrigued about its long-run effect, we have Mr. Avijit Deb with us sharing his views and knowledge on how the Industry 4.0 is revolutionizing the aluminium industry. Avijit Deb is the Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, Aluminium & Power, Vedanta Limited, with over 20 years of experience in Industry solutions, Transformations, P&L Ownership. He thinks the adoption of Industry 4.0 is proving to be the game-changer in the aluminium industry and Vedanta’s Aluminium Business has already occupied the front-runner status in this technological space. Let us here find out what else he thinks about the implication of Industry 4.0...
“Industry 4.0 and the solutions developed by Fives could help smelters save millions of dollars per year,” Serge Despinasse, Aluminium Technology and IT Director at Fives’ Aluminium Division & Benjamin Ulmann, Sales Manager at Fives Solios
Fives has been developing Industry 4.0 solutions for the metal industry since a decade now. It believes the implementation of digital solutions is mandatory as it helps people improve the performance of existing facilities. Besides, the company also believes that Industry 4.0 and its solutions help smelters save millions of dollars per year. To know how read the interview of Serge Despinasse and Benjamin Ulmann. Mr Despinasse had joined Fives in the year 2009 and by mid-2017 took the position of Technology and IT Director of the Fives’ Aluminium Division. Engineer from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Etienne, Mr Despinasse started his career in the aluminium industry in 1989 in an R&D laboratory of Aluminium Pechiney. He then occupied various engineering positions in...
“Industry 4.0 in the Aluminium Industry means the entire ecosystem aims for zero emission production – fully automated – zero waste,” Éloïse Harvey, B. Eng. & Mgmt, President of Mecfor
Éloïse Harvey has been working for the heavy industry (with a strong focus on the aluminium sector) since 1999 holding various positions related to sales, marketing and business development for MECFOR and also CEGERTEC WORLEY PARSONS (with the Mining and Metals division). Today she is President of Mecfor - an equipment manufacturer delivering custom and specialised equipment and vehicles to the heavy industry and aluminium sector worldwide. In this interview, Ms. Harvey has shared with us an in-depth insight into the Industry 4.0 and its importance in the aluminium industry. She has also shared how Mecfor has revolutionized the equipment technology for aluminium smelters and what are its latest projects that promote Industry 4.0 framework in the aluminium sector. To know more, continue...
ENOC Group introduces new aluminium tankers for fuel distribution
ENOC Group, a wholly-owned company of the Government of Dubai, has reportedly launched a new fleet of tankers in compliance with the latest international EHS standards. This move is in line with the group’s commitment towards including best EHS practices for all its stakeholders. Besides being ADR certified (a European Agreement concerning the ‘International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road), the new tankers feature cutting edge technologies to ensure safe driving, reduce driver fatigue, increase fuel efficiency, stabilise the vehicle, and prevent accidents. For instance, the vehicles have Alcolock feature which automatically locks the truck to disallow the driver to enter the cabin if he has consumed alcohol. The fleet can monitor driver behaviour as well, such as distractions,...
Delta Motorsport launches customisable aluminium chassis to aid electric vehicle development
Delta Motorsport, the Silverstone-based electric vehicle developer, has reportedly launched a customisable aluminium skateboard-style chassis Delta S2 at Cenex – the UK’s premier low carbon vehicle and connected automated mobility event. The company says Delta S2 has Delta’s highly flexible platform master controller (PMC) that enables automotive OEMs develop different vehicle types at high speed and low-risk. Also, Delta S2 is fully scalable in terms of the size of the vehicle and production volume. Adriaan Gerber, director of consultancy Gerber Engineering and a contributor to the project, said Delta’s new chassis is designed in a such a way that it can be customised and produced with an appropriate wheelbase for any kind of vehicle - be it a small delivery van, a street sweeping...
Lenovo unveils aluminium-framed, light-weight new Yoga laptops
Lenovo has reportedly launched new Yoga laptops with improved features including AI-intelligence and Amazon Alexa built-in. Lenovo Yoga C940, Lenovo Yoga S740, Lenovo Yoga C740, and Lenovo Yoga C640 are the four new launches, crafted in partnership with Intel under the Project Athena banner. The company says these new devices are all engineered to not only be the thinnest and lightest but also smart enough to adapt to your needs. Yoga C940 has twice-polished aluminium frame, while Yoga S740 has an all-aluminium frame that besides lending light-weight to the laptops evoke a stylish appeal. Also, their Dolby Vision screens backed by powerful Dolby Atomos speakers are sure to impress both your eyes and ears. The C940 comes in 14-inch and 15-inch variants and includes smart features like...
Alumina price rise and low primary aluminium inventories bolster A00 aluminium ingot price growth today
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the average spot price of alumina has extended its rise today, on September 6, by RMB 5 per tonne to stand at RMB 2,547 per tonne. In the central and south, the price has grown by RMB 10 per tonne to RMB 2,550 per tonne and RMB 2,505 per tonne, while that in the east and north has remained restrained at RMB 2,550 per tonne and RMB 2,560 per tonne, respectively. The Australian alumina FOB price has also remained unchanged at US$296 per tonne, found Shanghai Metals Market. Backed on the incessant rise in alumina spot price and on the decline in primary aluminium inventories on Thursday, September 5, the A00 aluminium ingot price has also grown today, on September 6, by RMB 20 per tonne to RMB 14,420 per tonne, according to SMM. The average prices are...
East Riding of Yorkshire Council launching MetalMatters campaign to increase metal recycling
East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s waste and recycling team is reportedly launching the MetalMatters campaign on Thursday, September 5. The aim of the campaign, managed by Alupro, is to encourage residents to place the metal packaging items in blue bins so that they can be recycled. The items that are allowed in this scheme include food tins, drink cans, foil trays, foil, empty aerosols, metal screw tops, and biscuit and sweet tins. In the trial period last year, around 40,000 residents in the Goole, Howden, Pocklington and Market Weighton areas had taken part. Their support led to a 22-tonnes increase in metal packaging collected in blue bins in that area in the first six months of the trial period, which was equivalent of almost 1.5 million empty drink cans. The amount of aluminium...
UK’s aluminium plates, sheets and strips exports to extend rise by 7% in 2019; Germany to be the top importer
Global consumption of aluminium rolled products is expected to hit 30 million tonnes by 2020 at a CAGR of 5 per cent. Transportation sector is likely to surpass packaging industry to emerge as the largest application market of aluminium rolling within the said year. Along with the demand, the production and exports are also rising in many countries to meet the increasing global demand. According to the international export-import data, the United Kingdom is one such country which has been ramping-up the exports of aluminium plates, sheets and strips. Let us here analyse its growing trend. {newsStudioGallery} As the graph below shows the United Kingdom in 2016 approximately exported 97,756 tonnes, which in 2017 increased by 41 per cent to 137,475 tonnes. Recording a further rise of 19 per...
Primary aluminium inventories extend decline for second straight week due to greater deliveries
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the social inventories of primary aluminium have extended decline over the week ended on Thursday, September 5. SMM data shows the stocks across eight major consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, decreased by 27,000 tonnes for the second straight week to stand at 1.006 million tonnes. On last Thursday, August 29, the inventories had declined by 30,000 tonnes week-on-week to come in at 1.033 million tonnes. This indicates a lower decline today compared to the last Thursday. The chart below shows the current status of primary aluminium inventories in more details: So, as we can see that the inventories this week have dropped in almost all the major cities in China because of greater deliveries. Gongyi, Henan has seen the highest decline in...
US files antitrust lawsuit against Novelis to prevent acquisition of US aluminium firm Aleris
According to a recent report, Hindalco’s United States unit Novelis Corporation has again faced a lawsuit for its $2.6 billion proposed purchase of aluminium parts manufacturer Aleris Corporation. The news came after the Justice Department said this on Wednesday, September 4, citing that this acquisition may create a monopoly in the North American market for rolled aluminium sheet for automotive applications. The deal had also faced antitrust objections in the European Commission earlier this year. If this transaction is allowed to proceed, Novelis would be able to lock up 60 per cent of the United States’ total automotive body sheet capacity and the vast majority of uncommitted capacity. This will further enable Novelis to raise prices, reduce innovation and provide less favourable terms...
Designer Marco Ferrari reveals details of his latest all-aluminium yacht Atlantico
According to a recent report, Yacht designer Marco Ferrari has unveiled the details of his latest 77.5 metre, all-aluminium yacht Atlantico. The design features plentiful outside areas where nestled the beach club featuring bar, folding terraces, and an enclosed seven-metre long swimming pool. The other entertaining and lounging areas are found on both the bridge deck and sundeck, the latter of which also features an infinity pool. Meanwhile, the interior includes a main saloon divided into a sitting room and dining area with sweeping views of the ocean and six cabins on the main deck with a total accommodation capacity of 14 guests. The owner’s private apartment is located on the dedicated owner’s deck, comprising of a master suite, private studio, art gallery, dressing room, and an...
Alumina production at JISCO-Alpart refinery to be temporarily suspended for expansion programme
On September 3, the Ministry of Transport and Mining reportedly confirmed that the alumina production at JISCO-Alpart refinery in St. Elizabeth would be temporarily suspended, as the second phase of modernisation and expansion programme would be starting with the next 30 to 60 days. The temporary shutdown of the refinery operation would be resulting in job cuts of the present employees, said the Ministry. On August 25, the leadership of the People's National Party's (PNP) Region Five had told Comrades at a Regional Executive Council (REC) meeting that they should expect a closure of the bauxite/alumina JISCO Alpart plant in Nain soon. As per the report, the Transport and Mining Ministry has yet not given out the detail of the exact number of workers who would be made jobless. But a...
Average alumina price grows by RMB5/t and A00 aluminium ingot price by RMB10/t
After gliding down through July and remain restrained until the mid of August, the average alumina spot price started spurring significantly and reached RMB 2,533 per tonne, as of Wednesday, September 4, found Shanghai Metals Market. Month-on-month, the alumina price is standing high by RMB 91 per tonne or 4 per cent from the same period last month. However, since the alumina price rise has not touched upon all the major markets in China today, the prices in the east, central, and north have remained unchanged at RMB 2,540 per tonne, RMB 2,530 per tonne and RMB 2,550 per tonne, respectively. Only in the south, the alumina price has increased by RMB 30 per tonne to RMB 2,490 per tonne. Backed on this, the A00 aluminium ingot price has recorded a rise as well by RMB 10 per tonne to RMB...
Equispheres says its aluminium alloy powders suitable for sintering
An Ottawa-based materials science company Equispheres reportedly announced that after extensive testing it found its aluminium alloy powders suitable for sintering following binder jet Additive Manufacturing. The testing was done in collaboration with McGill University, Montreal, Canada, said Equispheres itself. According to the company, binder jet AM technology was unable to produce sinterable aluminium alloy parts, primarily because of the aluminium’s oxide layer that results in rapid oxidation. But now that the powder is developed has thinner oxide layer and smoother surface will make sintering of aluminium alloy parts viable. The specific findings of extensive testing include compaction-free, sub-solidus sintering of the company’s standard AlSi10Mg aluminium alloy powder, good...
Nemak workers protest company’s decision to close down aluminium casting facility in Windsor
Unionized workers of Windsor Nemak plant reportedly staged a protest on Monday, September 2, against the company’s decision to close the Windsor facility. The workers vowed to stay off the job until Nemak reverses its decision. In mid-July 2019, Nemak had announced that it planned to close down its aluminium casting plant at Windsor by mid-2020, as a result of which 270 employees might lose their jobs. These employees are from Unifor Local 200, a local union of the general trade union Unifor. Jerry Dias, Unifor National President, said, “Nemak is out of business until further notice. We will be here until we have a solution.” Parent company Alfa said Nemak was closing its Windsor facility because it was too small and inefficient. Dias, on the other hand, said the closure was part of a...
Saudi Arabia to export 17% lesser amount of aluminium scrap to the world in 2019 and to India 43% lower
After rising incessantly in the last three years, Saudi Arabia’s aluminium scrap export is estimated to reduce in 2019 by about 17 per cent to 142,128 tonnes, compared to 171,488 tonnes in 2018, found the global export-import data. The data also shows that Saudi Arabia’s aluminium scrap export to India is likely to stand lower as well than the previous year by about 43 per cent to 73,800 tonnes. {newsStudioGallery} As the above graph shows, until 2018, Saudi Arabia recorded year-on-year rises in aluminium scrap export. In 2018, the country’s total amount of export came in at 171,488 tonnes after a growth of 10 per cent from 156,499 tonnes in 2017, while its export to India saw a sweeping rise of 95 per cent to 130,048 tonnes. But in 2017, the export amount to India saw an estimated dip of...
Additional 99,000t of aluminium sheet stock required for 7.7 billion aluminium cans: Wood Mackenzie
Wood Mackenzie research shows that replacing 7.7 billion plaster water bottles a year with 7.7 billion aluminium cans would require 99,000 tonnes of additional aluminium sheet stock. This analysis attempted to answer the question of whether at all replace plastic bottles could be replaced with aluminium cans. According to Pieterjan Van Uytvanck, Wood Mackenzie Principal Analyst, PET bottles consumption is increasing. Currently, in Europe, the yearly consumption is at around 140 units per person, while in the US 290 units, as shown in Mackenzie’s report on the European United’s single-use plastic directive. Van Uytvanck said, “Globally, around 57 per cent of these are collected, and political pressure will see that figure rise. One of the most ambitious targets of the EU directive is the...
