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.
Malaysia government presents proposed SOP for bauxite mining; sets limit for monthly exports
The Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry of Malaysia reportedly unveiled the proposed rigid standard operating procedure (SOP) for bauxite mining and export activities in Pahang on March 31. The SOP, which was uploaded in the ministry’s website yesterday, stated that the Malaysian government capped its monthly bauxite exports at 600,000 tonnes. The Kuantan port authority, which exports the bulk of the ore from the country, fixed this capacity, said the Ministry. According to the draft proposals, “This capacity has taken into consideration various aspects including issues of cleanliness and the environment.” The draft includes regulations for buffer zones between mining sites and residential areas, mining rights application planning, bauxite mining site management, stockpile and port...
China’s aluminium scrap import during Jan-Feb 2019 falls 33.41% YoY
According to Shanghai Metals Market, China in the first two months of 2019 imported 206,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap in total, compared with 309,500 tonnes of import in the same period last year. Therefore, the country’s aluminium scrap import through January and February stood down 33.41 per cent or 103,500 tonnes year on year. {newsStudioGallery} China’s aluminium scrap import in the same period last year was also down from the previous year by 9 per cent, which means the scrap import volume during January-February 2017 was around 337,355 tonnes (approx.). The aluminium scrap import had been limited year over year because of the policies and restrictions that were imposed upon the import of aluminium scrap in China. Prerequisites on the level of impurity in imported scrap aluminium had...
Alumina price in China declines by RMB22/t and the ingot price by RMB180/t
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the average alumina price starts off the second quarter of the calendar year 2019 with a drop today by RMB 22 per tonne to come in at RMB 2,672 per tonne. On March 22, the average alumina price had recorded the last plunge from RMB 2,704 per tonne to RMB 2,694 per tonne. Post that the price remained unchanged at RMB 2,694 per tonne till March 29. Since the average alumina price drop has touched upon all the major markets of China, the price in the east has slipped by RMB 10 per tonne to RMB 2,680 per tonne. The markets in the central and north have registered a price drop by RMB 20 per tonne to RMB 2,680 per tonne and RMB 2,660 per tonne, respectively. In the south, on the other hand, the price has recorded a plunge by RMB 35 per tonne to stand at RMB...
India’s customs duties on 29 US products in retaliation to higher aluminium and steel tariffs extended to May 2
The Finance Minister of India has reportedly notified that the retaliatory customs duties on 29 US products have been extended, yet again, till May 2, 2019. This is perhaps the seventh time that the Indian government has postponed the duties. Earlier, the deadline was on April 1. Since June 2018, the government is extending the deadline to impose customs duties on the US in retaliation to the higher tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on certain imported aluminium and steel products. India is pushing the dates as the two countries are negotiating a trade package to boost bilateral commerce. However, earlier in March, the US decided to remove Indian exporters’ incentives that were being provided for exporting certain goods under the Generalised System of Preferences programme. The...
Chalco’s 2018 net profit slumps 38% despite growth in production
Aluminium Corporation of China Limited (Chalco), the listed arm of China’s biggest state-run aluminium firm Chinalco, reported that it recorded a net loss of RMB 626.1 million ($92.92 million) in the fourth quarter of 2018. According to Refinitiv Eikon data, the company faced the first quarterly loss in more than the past three years, and that was primarily due to low aluminium prices and sluggish domestic demand. Annual net profit plunged 38 per cent to RMB 870.23 million last year, versus a restated RMB 1.41 billion for 2017. Chalco’s net profit stood low last year despite a year-on-year rise in production by 16 per cent to 4.17 million tonnes. The net profit drop could be because of the financial pressure that Chinese smelters underwent in 2018. The prices of raw materials like alumina...
Garnalex receives state-of-the-art aluminium extrusion press
Garner Aluminium Extrusions, also known as Garnalex, has reportedly received its new state-of-the-art aluminium extrusion press. The route for the heavy haulage was via Ripley, travelling past the historic Heage Windmill. The main body of the extrusion press weighs about 170 tonnes. The machine is so big that it requires technicians to come down from the manufacturer’s facility in Germany for being assembled. Till date, Garnalex has made an investment of £9m, including the delivery of the aluminium extrusion press. Trading at Garnalex will start once the equipment is commissioned during August. Garner Aluminium Extrusion is a new aluminium trade extrusion company that was formed in March 2018 by Roger Hartshorn, who worked with HL Plastics for over 42 years and was also one of the...
Benetti’s third and final 108-metre aluminium superyacht FB275 launched
On March 28, the Benetti-built third and final 108-metre superyacht made its first debut in a private ceremony at Livorno. The superyacht made of the steel hull and aluminium superstructure is known as Project FB275. UK design studio RWD designed the exterior, while Benetti's in-house team styled the interiors. The vessel has a beam of 14.5 metres, five decks, and a 4000GT volume. It houses a cinema, gym, sauna, large heated swimming pool, and seating area. It has an ability to cruise for long distances with speeds of 18.5 knots in a range of at least 6,500 nautical miles. While more than 1,000 square metres are dedicated to exterior spaces, the main deck and the owner’s deck have private dining and seating areas. The bridge deck houses sun pads and a 1.5-metre firepit, the foredeck two...
Russia’s aluminium powder and flakes export volume to remain flat in 2019, but value to decline
During 2011-2018, aluminium powder market has reportedly grown at a CAGR of around 2.2 per cent, reaching a volume of 617,238 tonnes. The growth in primarily driven by the use and demand of aluminium in the form powder and flakes across various industrial sectors such as paints and sealants, sparkles and glitters, aerated autoclave concrete, reflective roof coating, and printing inks. During the said period, particularly in 2016 and 2017, aluminium powder and flakes export by the Russian Federation also recorded a year-on-year growth. As the chart below shows that Russia in 2017 had exported 24,413 tonnes of powder and flakes, compared with 22,413 tonnes in 2016. Thus, its export rose 9 per cent year-on-year in 2017. However, in the year 2018, the export dropped 15 per cent to 20,750...
Hilco Industrial to auction aluminium die-casting machinery and equipment
According to a recent report, Hilco Industrial, in partnership with Die Cast Machinery LLC, will conduct an online-only auction of more than 1000 lots of die cast equipment, CNC machining centres, quality assurance, and support equipment. The auction will open for bidding on April 4, with a 2-day closing on April 10 and 11. Major die cast assets that will be available for auction include four die cast machines from 600-850 tonne, with upgraded controls and proportional short systems, and five Lindberg MPH holding furnaces to 2,300-Lb. The CNC machine tools that cut aluminium only will include twenty-four Brother CNC vertical machining centers and Brother drilling & tapping machines – as new as 2015, seven Mori Seiki CNC vertical and horizontal machining centres, and sixteen Takisawa &...
Chalco’s 2018 aluminium production beats Russian giant Rusal
Aluminium Corporation of China Limited’s (Chalco) 2018 annual aluminium production has reportedly recorded a growth of 16 per cent to come in at 4.17 million tonnes. The news came after the state-run company formally announced in a presentation to analysts reviewed by Reuters on March 29. After taking over Yunnan Aluminium last year, Chalco’s unlisted parent company Chinalco’s group capacity increased to 5 million tonnes and above. The jump was enough for Chalco to overtake Russia’s Rusal as the world’s second-biggest publicly traded producer of the metal. Rusal produced 3.753 million tonnes in 2018. Before this, Beijing-based Chalco could beat Rusal’s aluminium production in 2012, when both the firms had produced more than 4 million tonnes, according to a review of company filings. Later...
B&O and RIMOWA team up to introduce limited-edition of Beoplay H9i headphones with anodized aluminium
Bang & Olufsen is reportedly teaming up with premium luggage maker RIMOWA for introducing a limited-edition version of the Beoplay H9i headphones. Having a mutual appreciation for aluminium, the two reputable brands together have decided to craft the limited-edition of the headphones with anodized aluminium and box them in a signature RIMOWA aluminium case. Addition of genuine leather will be an added twist to the product. Besides, the collaborative Beoplay H9i headphones will feature active noise cancellation and an innovative touch interface. On the occasion of this collaboration, John Mollanger, Executive Vice President, President Brand and Markets at Bang & Olufsen, said: “The first materialization of our collaboration, the RIMOWA edition of our flagship Beoplay H9i headphones and...
6063 aluminium billet inventories today mark the third week-on-week decline
According to Shanghai Metals Market, 6063 aluminium billet inventories across five major consumption areas in China has a dropped today, on March 28, marking a third week of decline. Upcoming value-added tax cuts drove downstream consumers to purchase aluminium billets, which in turn resulted in lowered inventories. As of today, the inventories are found at 120,600 tonnes, after they dropped 17,000 tonnes from a week ago, showed the SMM data. Last week, on March 21, aluminium billet stocks had dropped 6,900 tonnes week-on-week and pegged at 137,000 tonnes. This concludes that today the billet stocks have registered a greater week-on-week decline compared with that on March 21. The above chart indicates that in n Foshan, Guangdong, the stocks have dropped 7,700 tonnes over the week to...
A00 aluminium ingot price records rise by RMB40/t after three consecutive drops this week
After three consecutive drops, the A00 aluminium ingot price has recorded a growth of RMB 40 per tonne to RMB 13,940 per tonne, Shanghai Metals Market found. This is the first rise of aluminium ingot this week, after which the price has rebounded to what it was a week ago, on March 20. As the first quarter of the calendar year 2019 is approaching an end, it can be concluded that the A00 aluminium ingot price has shown an overall growing trend. There had been intermittent drops in price; but nonetheless, it grew up to RMB 14,020 per tonne on March 22, the highest in the quarter. Also, compared with the same period last year, the ingot price as on today is higher by RMB 280 per tonne from RMB 13,660 on March 28, 2018. The A00 aluminium ingot average price today is expected to range between...
China cuts subsidy for NEVs; CICC expects this to boost lithium-ion battery materials sales
According to a recent update from Shanghai Metals Market, China, on March 26, announced its plan to cut subsidies for new energy vehicles (NEVs), in a bid to encourage innovation and promote high-quality development of NEVs. The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Ministry of Science and Technology, and Development and Reform Commission jointly released a document that says the national subsidy for pure electric passenger cars with a driving range of 400 kilometres and above will be reduced to RMB 25,000 per unit. NEVs with a range below 250 kilometres, on the other hand, will not get any subsidy, according to the document. MIIT also updated on its website that around seventy-two models of NEVs are removed from the catalogue of cars exempt from...
China’s aluminium extrusion, bar, rod exports to rebound in March after 63.81% decline last month
China Customs data estimates aluminium extrusion, bar, and rod (under five HS codes) exports by China likely to rebound in March after a sharp drop last month. In February, China’s exports of aluminium extrusion, bar, and rod had reduced to 42,500 tonnes, down 63.81 per cent from the previous month and 25.6 per cent from the same period last year. Shanghai Metals Market believed stronger yuan, holidays, and tariffs concerns were some of the factors that led to the decline in exports. According to SMM, Chinese New Year breaks also took a toll on exports for February, as productions at most aluminium extrusion manufacturers were closed until the middle of the last month. Some producers even did not recover until the end of February. As a result, operating rates lowered, which could also be...
Poland’s aluminium cans export volume to see rise in 2019, but revenue to decline
In recent time, aluminium cans are having an unparalleled safety record and represent one of the most widely used containers for packaging purposes, owing to proficiency in preserving quality and flavour of contents. Several other properties like lightweight, easy handling and cost-effectiveness are also making the cans a popular choice for beverage and aerosol packaging. By 2020, the global metal can demand is projected to reach 431,573.9 million, at a CAGR of 2.9 per cent. {newsStudioGallery} To cash in the global rising demand and use of aluminium cans, Poland is expected to raise its aluminium cans export from 38,489 tonnes in 2018 to 43,129 tonnes in 2019, up 12 per cent. However, in 2016 and 2017, the estimated volume of the country’s aluminium cans export was higher at 54,101...
Odisha High Court lets Vedanta participate in NALCO alumina sale tender
The Odisha High Court has reportedly granted permission to the mining giant Vedanta to participate in the tender floated by state-run navaratna company NALCO for sale of surplus alumina. This judgement from the Odisha High Court is expected to provide a major relief to Vedanta. The aluminium major reasoned that NALCO annually exports over 1.2 million tonnes of alumina after feeding domestic smelters at Angul. So, if some of its portions come to Vedanta, it can plan for production at full capacity. Anil Agarwal’s company also noted that procuring alumina from NALCO would also result in saving about 20 dollars per tonne towards the logistics cost. To their relief, the HC in its ruling on Tuesday stated, “We declare that petitioner No.1 (Vedanta) should be considered eligible to participate...
dmg events announces the launch of Aluminium Expo in Dubai
dmg events today, March 26, announced the launch of Aluminium Expo that is going to take place at Dubai World Trade Centre on 24-26 September 2019. The show will welcome traders and suppliers from the entire aluminium value chain, whether they provide raw materials, finished products, or the machinery that are used to build aluminium products. Senior vice president – construction at dmg events Chris Kilbee said that the launch of this kind of show related to the aluminium industry in Dubai was an utmost important, especially the UAE being a well-known exporter of aluminium. A host of networking and learning events will also take place alongside the exhibition. So, the attendees can come, hear, and debate with experts from the industry. Expectedly, 10,000 professionals will attend the expo...
