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.
Hulamin to lay-off 380 employees after loss in its aluminium extrusions division in H1 2019
JSE-listed aluminium supplier Hulamin will reportedly shed some of its workforce. Around 380 employees are expected to lose their jobs as Hulamin has begun a right-sizing exercise after facing downfall in its aluminium extrusions division. Expressing deep regrets, chief executive officer Richard Jacob said it was unfortunate that the company had to consider laying off some its workforce. But since Hulamin Extrusions suffered a loss in the first half of the year, action is to be taken to improve profitability levels in the months ahead through cost reductions, explained Jacob. According to him, jobs of around 180 employees from Hulamin’s extrusion plant in Midrand and 200 employees from the plant in Pietermaritzburg will be affected by the right-sizing process. In H1 2019, Hulamin’s...
Growing demand for electric vehicles to hoist aluminium consumption in automotive sector: JNARDDC
Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC) recently revealed a study that showed aluminium consumption in the automotive sector would rise in India till 2021 buoyed by the increasing demand for electric vehicles. According to the study, India’s aluminium consumption pattern will change as per the changing requirements, while achieving the demand target of 5.3 million tonnes by 2020-21. “Aluminium demand in the country is poised to log Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10 per cent in the next five years, beating the global average of six per cent year-on-year growth,” the study revealed. “In the present socio-economic scenario where the world is buzzing with issues like a soaring global population, increasing carbon emission, higher energy cost and...
Nespresso with JD Logistics expands coffee capsule pick-up service in China
According to a recent report, Nespresso, partnered with JD Logistics, has expanded its coffee capsule pick-up service in china to further demonstrate its environmental responsibility. Nespresso customers in China can visit a recycling page integrated with Nespresso’s WeChat mini-programme to sign up for the doorstep recycling service. Other than Nespresso customers, any coffee drinkers can also avail the service by using the same mini-programme. They can schedule a same or next day JD courier to arrive at the door and pick up any used coffee capsules. JD courier will then deliver the used capsules to the nearest recycling plant in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, based on users locations. The aluminium from the capsules will be separated and repurposed into novelty gift products such as...
Low-priced Chinese imports hurt Hulamin’s aluminium extrusion business: Richard Jacob
South Africa-based aluminium supplier and exporter Hulamin has reportedly held low-priced Chinese imports and rising operating costs responsible for its distressed aluminium extrusion business. Richard Jacob, CEO of Hulamin, pointed out on Friday that cheaper aluminium imports from China strained the South African market and therefore, took a toll on its business “The selling prices are down quite sharply over the last two years,” Jacob said. Richard Jacob also said, after the release of the company’s H1 2019 financial results, that Hulamin would close the Olifantsfontein factory in Gauteng and concentrate the extrusions operations in Pietermaritzburg. In the first six months ended on June 30, 2019, Hulamin’s revenue decreased by 1 per cent to R5.25 billion, while the operating profit was...
Spot alumina price continues to rise by RMB17/t; A00 aluminium price drops despite fall in inventories
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the average spot price of alumina has extended its rise further by RMB 17 per tonne to stand at RMB 2,491 per tonne, as of August 26, 2019. The alumina price started growing incessantly since August 16, ranging between RMB 2,442 per tonne and RMB 2,491 per tonne. Only on August 22, it remained restrained at RMB 2,463 per tonne. In the east, central, and north, the alumina price has increased by RMB 20 per tonne to RMB 2,500 per tonne, RMB 2,490 per tonne, and RMB 2,510 per tonne, respectively. The Australian alumina FOB price, on the other hand, continues to remain restraint at US$300 per tonne for the third consecutive day. Against the background of increased alumina price, the A00 aluminium ingot price today refused to register a growth. Even the...
Update 2019: Top 5 Aluminium Producers in the World
According to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), the global aluminium production grew at its slowest pace in a decade in 2018, totalling at 64.34 million tonnes, up by 1.5 per cent from 2017. Most of this production occurred in the first half of the year, while in the second half did no more than flat-line. This was the weakest production performance since 2009, when the industry was hit by the collapse in prices, United States’ sanctions on Rusal, tariffs on aluminium imports, and production cut at multiple smelters. Even China, the world’s dominant producer, ran out of expansion steam last year with growth of 1.6 percent, while the rest of the world managed just 1.4 percent. In Latin America, North America, West Europe, and Africa, the aluminium production even dwindled by 15.5...
Netherlands aluminium containers export to dip 3% in 2019; USA to be the leading importer
In 2018, over 1 million tonnes of aluminium foil containers were sold globally; sales are likely to proliferate at a moderate y-o-y of over 4 per cent in 2019, as per FMI’s research. Shifting consumer patterns toward effective and sustainable formats has been identified as a key sales influencer of aluminium foil containers. According to FMI’s analysis, weight of aluminium is another key aspect enhancing the viability of aluminium foil containers across diverse end-use applications. Needless to say, many countries across the world are encashing on this growth in aluminium foil containers demand and increasing their supplies to other parts of the world. The Netherlands is also one of them, which increased its export volume in 2018. In 2019, however, the volume is expected to record a...
Addison installs Mecal CNC machining centres at Hydro Components for aluminium parts production ramp-up
According to a recent report, Addison Saws, the West Midlands based machine tool supplier, has installed three Mecal Kosmos 4-axis machining centres and one Mecal Geos MDT 5-axis machining centre at Hydro Components (formerly SAPA) for increasing complex aluminium parts production that are mainly used in state-of-the-art electric vehicles. These new machines, which are said to be the first of its kind in the UK, are part of Hydro Components’ recent investment of £9.6 million in the refurbishment and re-opening of its manufacturing plant based in Bedwas, Wales. “At first, Hydro needed to outsource the CNC machining element as issues with its existing machines meant it lacked the functionality to produce the parts themselves,” explained Mike Grogan, Addison regional sales manager. He...
Graham Kerr suggests South32 to avoid heavy investments in alumina refinery as the commodity prices slump
Australian mining and metals company South32’s chief executive Graham Kerr reportedly says that it’s not the right time to commit large investments in alumina refineries expansion, as the return of Brazil’s Alunorte alumina refinery’s production creates an oversupply of the commodity which therefore leads to the price drop. South32 owns stakes in alumina refineries in Brazil and at Worsley in Western Australia. Mr. Kerr says efforts to debottleneck and improve the consistency of those assets may add some incremental growth, but there would be no big spend. ''The reality of the moment with Alunorte ramping back up into production in Brazil, which is the world's largest refinery, the market is probably slightly long, and there has also been an additional five million tonnes of new capacity...
ZETDC replacing copper cables with aluminium conductors along Bulawayo-Plumtree grid
According to a recent report, the Zimbabwe Electricity Distribution Company (ZETDC) has started removing copper cables and replacing them with aluminium conductors along the Bulawayo-Plumtree grid to curb vandalism. Constant occurrence of copper cable theft mainly on a stretch between Bulawayo and Figtree has moved the ZETDC to decide on removing cables and substituting them with aluminium conductors. Recently, the border town and its surrounding environs went for close to a week without electricity after thieves stole a 1,2 kilometre-long copper cable at Cyrene High School in Figtree. As per the report, aluminium cables have been fitted along the stretch from Figtree to Plumtree. Zesa Holdings Plumtree area manager, Victor Ndawana, revealed the new development to members of the Civil...
A00 aluminium ingot price grows by RMB40/t; Aluminium alloy (A356) price increases RMB50/t
Followed by a drop on August 21 from 14,380 per tonne to RMB 14,320 per tonne, the A00 aluminium ingot price has recorded a rise today, August 22, by RMB 40 per tonne to stand at RMB 14,360 per tonne, found Shanghai Metals Market. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 14,340 per tonne and RMB 14,380 per tonne, with spot contract to be traded at a discount price of RMB 10 per tonne to a premium price of RMB 30 per tonne. In Wuxi, Chongqing, Shenyang, and Gongyi, the ingot prices have grown by RMB 40 per tonne as well to RMB 14,370 per tonne, RMB 14,380 per tonne, RMB 14,260 per tonne, and RMB 14,240 per tonne, respectively. While the A00 aluminium ingot price rise has touched upon all the major Chinese markets today, the prices in Hangzhou, Foshan, and Tianjin have increased...
Aluminium import surge in India hurts domestic production during April-June quarter – Source says
According to a recent report, a 7 per cent growth in aluminium demand in India during April-June quarter of the financial year 2019-20 failed to boost production as consumption remained moderate in industries facing liquidity crunch. Sales of aluminium companies also fell by 10.8 per cent in that period as imports grabbed a bigger share of the consumption pie. “The share of imports to domestic aluminium consumption has risen to 60 per cent at the end of June. Overall imports witnessed spike of eight per cent while scrap imports rose eight per cent in the June quarter. The unabated rise in imports is worrisome for the primary aluminium producers,” said an industry source. In FY2019, aluminium imports had risen to 2.3 million tonnes, resulting in a forex outgo of $5.5 billion or 1 per cent...
UK’s aluminium cans import from Czech Republic to drop 20% YoY, but to rise 21% from Germany
Despite the year-on-year growth in the United Kingdom’s total aluminium cans import in 2019, the country’s import from the Czech Republic is estimated to see a drop, found the global export-import data. From 10,690 tonnes in 2018, the UK’s aluminium cans import this year is likely to decline by 20 per cent to 8,546 tonnes. In 2017, the import amount was at 4,032 tonnes, which represents that the import volume in 2018 was higher by 100 per cent from the previous year. {newsStudioGallery} Nevertheless, although the import amount from the Czech Republic is likely to stay down this year, the country is still estimated to be the major supplier among the rest. From Germany, which is expected to be the second large supplier this year, the United Kingdom will likely import a higher amount of...
Team of engineers finds solution to turn aluminium waste into clean energy source
74-years old pensioner Alan Smith, along with his team has reportedly built an environmentally friendly hydrogen reactor, a mini plant that can circumvent conventional shortcomings in hydrogen production while producing aluminium oxide and heat as valuable by-products. As per the report, Smith claims his small company Ecalox has engineered the world’s only zero-carbon aluminium hydroxide reactor. His objective is to establish hydrogen production through waste material, cut carbon emissions, and help recover the value of aluminium rubbish that is often dumped and under-appreciated within the global energy value chain. At present, industrial hydrogen is mainly generated from steam reformation of methane in fossil fuels, primarily from natural gas. Oil and coal are also used. According to...
Press Metal Aluminium recorded 36% YoY drop in net profit in Q2 2019; Revenue declined 12.5%
Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd, the leading aluminium producer in South East Asia, has reported a drop of 36 per cent in net profit in the second quarter of the year ended on June 30. The profit came in at RM102.89 million, compared to RM160.6 million in the same period last year. With this, earnings per share in Q2 2019 came down to 2.56 sen from 4.15 sen year-on-year, while revenue dropped 12.5 per cent from RM2.44 billion in Q2 2018 to RM2.13 billion. The total net profit for the first half of the year (H1 2019) stood down as well at RM217.99 million from RM311.08 million in the same period last year. Revenue for the same period contracted from RM4.56 billion in H1 2018 to RM4.3 billion. Nevertheless, Press Metal's board of directors have approved a second interim single tier...
Jamaica government in talks with industry leaders over global bauxite price fall
According to a recent report, the Jamaica government is in talks with stakeholders in the vital bauxite industry over falling prices of bauxite/alumina globally. The news came after Mining Minister Robert Montague officially reported about this. He said meetings have already been held with representatives of some of the eminent industry players, such as West Indies Alumina Company (Windalco), Clarendon Alumina Company, and Noranda Bauxite Company, in a bid to reduce fears of any possible fallout and provide requisite support at protecting the welfare of workers and the livelihood of communities who depend on the bauxite/alumina industry. “The Ministry continues to crave the understanding and support of the people while they treat with this situation,” he said. Meanwhile, opposition...
A00 aluminium ingot price grows by RMB 150 per tonne on lowered inventories and production
The A00 aluminium ingot price has again recorded a sweeping growth of RMB 150 per tonne to stand at RMB 14,380 per tonne, as of August 20, according to Shanghai Metals Market. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 14,360 per tonne and RMB 14,400 per tonne, with spot contract to be traded at a discount and premium price of RMB 20 per tonne. This rise followed the drop of 2,000 tonnes in social inventories of primary aluminium and increase in spot alumina price by RMB 8 per tonne on Monday, August 19. The A00 aluminium ingot price is now standing the highest since the last three months when the price was at RMB 14,360 per tonne on May 16, 2019. Primary aluminium production cut at some of the Chinese smelters, resulting in daily and monthly output curb, could also be...
New technology developed to use aluminium waste for waste-water-management
According to a report on August 18, a revolutionary filter technology has been developed in Sri Lanka that creatively uses the waste from aluminium anodising to treat the waste water from the textile industry. An agreement has also been signed between Twinery, the innovation arm of MAS Holding, and Colombo Science and Technology Cell of the University of Colombo to implement the revolutionary process at the MAS Fabric Park. The research was funded by Twinery and conducted in collaboration with the Colombo Cell and MAS teams. The process took eight months for being developed through a series of undergraduate research projects in the Department of Physics of the University of Colombo. Explaining the idea behind the project, Dr. Dilushan Jayasundera, Principal Investigator of the project and...
