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.
Lenovo unveils new gaming laptop Y740 in India with anodised aluminium exterior
According to a recent report, Lenovo has unveiled two new gaming laptops in India under its Legion range – the Legion Y540 and Legion Y740. Besides featuring a grey anodised aluminium exterior, the Legion Y740 packs a 15.6-inch Full HD anti-glare display which supports Dolby Vision for HDR gaming. It also boasts Intel’s 9th-gen Core i7 processor bundled with 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD storage. Moreover, it comes with a RGB gaming keyboard. Other notable highlights include Dolby Atmos support, 3x USB 3.1 ports, one HDMI port, a USB Type C port, one RJ45 LAN port, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Legion Y540, on the other hand, features a 15-inch Full HD display with a refresh rate of 144Hz. But same as Y740, Y540 gets powered by Intel’s 9th-gen Core i7 processor coupled with 32GB of RAM...
Rio initiates arbitration process with GFG Group on outstanding payments for Dunkerque smelter
According to the Reuters report, Rio Tinto Plc has started an arbitration process with Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance as the latter has not made final payments for the purchase of the Dunkerque aluminium smelter in France. The news came after Rio Tinto confirmed this on Monday, September 2. In a statement it said, “Rio Tinto confirms it has triggered an arbitration process in relation to the sale of the Dunkerque aluminium smelter, France, to Liberty House.” In December 2018, Rio Tinto completed the sale of its Dunkerque aluminium smelter in northern France to Liberty House, the part of the GFG Alliance, at $500 million. Rio Tinto also said, “The arbitration relates to non-payment of customary post-closure adjustments, including working capital, which was agreed by both parties in the sale...
Weiqiao further cuts its prebaked anode price for September; A00 aluminium ingot price rises by RMB20/t
Shanghai Metals Market reveals that Shandong Weiqiao Group, one of the top aluminium producers in China, has reduced the benchmark purchasing price of prebaked anode for the third month in a row. For September 2019, the company has lowered the benchmark purchasing price by RMB 70 per tonne to RMB 2,925 per tonne in cash. For August, Shandong Weiqiao had reduced the prebaked anode price by RMB 50 per tonne from July and that had brought the price to RMB 2,995 per tonne in cash. But despite the cut in Weiqiao’s prebaked anode benchmark purchasing price, the average buying price in China has not registered any change. It is still continuing to remain restraint at RMB 3,112.50 per tonne, as of September 2, since the drop on August 1, from RMB 3,137.50 per tonne to RMB 3,112.50 per tonne. The...
Aluminium consumption in Brazil expected to hit 1.5 million tonnes by Q1 2020: Abal
Aluminium consumption in Brazil is expected to match the record levels of 2013 by the end of 2019 or the beginning of 2020, backed on better sales in the aluminium packaging industry. According to the industry association Abal, apparent consumption will grow by some 7.5 per cent this year compared to 2018 figures and then will hit 1.5 million tonnes during the first quarter of 2020. Abal president Milton Rego said, "We have noticed the market rapidly turning to aluminium and replacing other materials in the packaging segment." According to him, aluminium packaging for medicines, food and beverages would expectedly sustain the industry’s growth in the coming years. However, earlier, the growth estimate was at 10-12 per cent but now revised down to 7.5 per cent, Rego pointed out....
Hindalco to invest INR 2,000 crore for alumina capacity expansion and maintenance work
Hindalco Industries Limited on Friday, August 30, said that it decided to invest INR 2,000 crore this year, majority of which will go into alumina capacity expansion at Utkal Alumina refinery. The rest of the amount will be used towards working capital and maintenance work, said the company further. Hindalco chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla explained, "We remain focused on strengthening our balance sheet through allocation of capex towards growth strategies and generating positive free cash flows. We have a capex of Rs 2,000 crore, most of which will go towards the capacity expansion of Utkal Alumina refinery and the some towards working capital and maintenance work.” While addressing shareholders at the 60th annual general meeting, the company said it aimed to double the share of downstream...
Global producer asks for $110/t aluminium premium from Japanese buyers for Q4 2019
According to the Reuters report, a global aluminium producer has offered Japanese buyers a premium of $110 per tonne for primary metal shipments during October-December quarter. This premium is higher by 2 per cent than that in the current quarter. The news came after five sources directly involved in quarterly pricing said on Friday, August 30. Japan imports a considerable amount of primary aluminium from Asia and the premiums it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price set the benchmark for the region. For July-September quarter, Japanese buyers had agreed to pay a premium of $108 per tonne, up 3 per cent from the previous quarter. Negotiations on the latest quarterly pricing between Japanese buyers and global producers, including Rio Tinto and South32...
EPA seeks public input on an aluminium smelting site clean-up
According to a recent report, the United States Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public opinion on the clean-up of an old aluminium smelting site in Benton Harbor. “Benton Harbor is becoming a boom town again and the more contributing parties we can get together to clean up toxic land they can make available to the community it’s incredible,” said Benton Harbor resident Mr. Michael Hoyh. As per the report, the EPA proposed settlement of more than half a million dollar for cleanup of the aluminium smelting site., The settlement requires settling parties Louis Padnos Iron & Metal Company, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc., and Service Aluminium Corporation to pay $585,570.40 to the Hazardous Substance Superfund for the recovery of the EPA’s past response...
Fort Lauderable-based YachtCreators unveils an all-aluminium 27-metre yacht
Fort Lauderable-based YachtCreators has reportedly unveiled an aluminium 27-metre yacht built for an American serial entrepreneur and boater. Expected to be launched in late September, this is the first known yacht project to implement Voith’s linear jet propulsion system. As per the report, Yacht owner Lucas Silva worked closely with YachtCreators on developing the project in accordance with his lifestyle. He said, “For families like mine, boating in the Exumas means navigating shallow waters accessible only with a smaller boat. When we arrive, we want the benefits of a superyacht, e.g. the comfort and the fun ... jet skiing, paddleboarding, spearfishing, scuba diving, etc. That's real living.” The yacht boasts extensive outdoor spaces both on the 60 square metre flybridge and main deck....
Spain estimated to continue to import more than half of aluminium structures from China in 2019
Aluminium is recognized as one of the most energy-efficient and sustainable construction materials and thus its use is noticeably rising in the buildings and construction sector with each passing year. Also, the applications of the metal have been widened from decorative detailing and art deco structures to major structures of the buildings. As a result, the exports and imports of aluminium structures are increasing all over the world. {newsStudioGallery} Here we will analyse the growth of aluminium structures import into Spain. According to the internal export-import data, the country is estimated to import around 41,544 tonnes of aluminium structures this year, compared to 38,476 tonnes in 2018. This indicates a year-on-year growth of 8 per cent in Spain’s aluminium structures import in...
Birmingham sent half of its aluminium abroad for the recycle in 2018
Birmingham City Council has revealed that it sent over half of its aluminium abroad to be recycled last year. As per the report, 280 tonnes out of 529 tonnes of aluminium were sent to Germany, while the remaining 249 tonnes were sent to facilities within the United Kingdom. Glass, plastics and other metals were also sent outside of the city to be recycled, published the Council on a special request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The only recycling collected in Birmingham and processed within the city was paper and cardboard, like happened in the previous three years. Figures revealed by the Birmingham City Council also indicated that recycling collected by the council had been decreasing over the years. In 2016, 1068 tonnes were collected and 151 tonnes sent to Germany, while...
Chalco’s aluminium production fell 14% YoY in H1 2019; Alumina output rose 3.2%
Chalco, formally known as Aluminium Corporation of China Limited, said its primary aluminium production in the first half of 2019 came in at 1.89 million tonnes, down 8 per cent from 2.06 million tonnes in the same period last year, according to Reuters report. Decline in aluminium prices and rise in operating costs had hit the Chinese smelters and thus their production, as per the report. As Chalco said, lower aluminium prices and higher operating costs also weighed on its net profit, which fell 14 per cent year-on-year to RMB 705.8 million during January-June. Chalco’s aluminium output level stood just ahead of Russian rival Rusal which produced 1.87 million tonnes during January-June 2019, but below China Hongqiao Group whose production clocked at 2.86 million tonnes during the said...
China’s exports of aluminium extrusions, bars and rods rose 2.75% month-on-month in July
According to Shanghai Metals Market based on the latest customs data, China’s exports of aluminium extrusions, bars and rods came in at 90,500 tonnes in July, up 2.75 per cent from 88,100 tonnes in June 2019 and 88,357 tonnes in July 2018. Depreciation in Chinese currency and healthy demand for aluminium semis outside China were the two primary reasons for this rise in July. In June, China’s exports of aluminium extrusions, bars and rods had shrunk by 8.6 per cent from May to stand at 88,100 tonnes on a stronger currency and higher SHFE/LME aluminium price ratios. On a yearly basis, however, the export amount in June was higher by some 3.7 per cent. Among total exports under five HS codes, three categories saw significant increases in July compared to a year ago. But exports of...
Indian Oil Corporation to make alumina-based battery for electric vehicles
To avoid future dependency on China for lithium batteries, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) will reportedly make an alumina-based battery, which will be used for running electric vehicles. The company executives said a foreign company had been working as a partner with IOCL for the development and research of this new technology, which would be introduced in the market once all the regulatory and other approvals are in place. Currently, the company is looking out for a space around the automotive hubs like Chennai or other similar places, said the executives further. In January 2018, commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland had signed a letter of intent with Phinery of Israel for the development of aluminium air batteries. According to industry experts, aluminium air batteries produce...
Primary aluminium inventories decline after four weekly rises; A00 aluminium ingot price falls by RMB80/t
Social inventories of primary aluminium in China have recorded a week-on-week decline today, August 29, after rising for four consecutive weeks. According to Shanghai Metals Market, the inventories across the eight major Chinese consumption areas, including SHFE warrants, have fallen by 30,000 tonnes from a week ago to stand at 1.033 million tonnes. On last Thursday, August 22, the inventories were at 1.063 million tonnes, marking a rise for the fourth straight week. The major reason for the decline in inventories today is the lowered arrivals of stocks in most regions. Since, the primary aluminium stocks arrivals have lowered in most of the regions, the inventories have registered a drop in almost all the major markets. For instance, the inventories in Wuxi, Jiangsu; Shanghai; Nanhai,...
Primary aluminium production in Germany registers a drop of 5.6% during January-June 2019: Source says
According to Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie (GDA), the federation of German aluminium industry, the first half of 2019 saw a mixed bag of business activity development. While primary aluminium producers and processors had to reduce production by 5.6 and 5.4 per cent respectively, aluminium semi-finished products manufacturers increased output by 1.9 per cent year over year. Around 629,200 tonnes of raw aluminium were produced in Germany during January-June 2019, out of which 251,400 tonnes were of primary aluminium and 377,800 tonnes recycled aluminium. Also, producers of aluminium extrusions reported a decline in production in H1 2019 to 282,400 tonnes. The production of metal powder, foil, and thin strip fell as well by 3.7 per cent and 5.1 per cent respectively. Production of...
Italy’s aluminium wire import to continue to grow in 2019; France estimated to be the major supplier
Growing consumer demand towards the lightweight automobile vehicles is incessantly driving the aluminium wire market over the years. By 2024, the aluminium wire market revenue is expected to exceed US$65 million. The global low voltage cable market by overhead (conductors, fittings & fixtures, others), by underground (PVC cables, XLPE cables, cable transmission, cable joints, and others), by end-user and by region has been found contributing to the increasing demand for aluminium wires, replacing and/or being used along with copper and silver wires. {newsStudioGallery} Italy being home to some of the world's biggest low voltage cable manufacturers such as Prysmian S.P.A is expected to witness a surge in import of aluminium wires. According to the global export-import data, Italy in 2019...
Usage of recycled aluminium surged in India at 17-18% in the last three fiscals: CRISIL Research
According to a recent survey data shared by CRISIL Research, the aggregate consumption of recycled aluminium in India has surged because of low cost. While the usage of primary aluminium has logged a compound annual growth rate of 3.5 to 4 per cent in the last three years through fiscal 2019, that of recycled aluminium increased at a robust 17 to 18 per cent. As a result, the share of recycled aluminium in aggregate aluminium market in India, according to CRISIL Research survey, stands at 34 per cent as of fiscal 2019, up 800 basis points (bps) from 26 per cent three years ago. This is in line with the global trend, though the proportion is much lower compared with developed economies. Recycled aluminium offers better cost economics, said the report. For instance, the manufacture of...
Chalco’s net profit dropped by 14.1% YoY in H1 2019 on higher operating costs and lower aluminium prices
According to Reuters report, the net profit of Aluminium Corporation of China Limited, popularly known as Chalco, fell by 14.1 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2019, attributing to higher costs that offset an increase in revenue. As per the report, Chalco’s net income came in at RMB 705.8 million during January-June, down from a restated figure of 821.6 million a year earlier. However, overall revenue grew by 15.2 per cent to stand at RMB 94.9 billion despite a 10 per cent decline in the primary aluminium segment. In the second quarter alone, Chalco’s net profit was down by 52.7 per cent year on year to RMB 260.8 million, according to Reuters calculations, while revenue was up 11.3 per cent from the year ago. Chalco said in remarks “Due to the trade friction between China and...
