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.
The Canadian government to fund $100 million for domestic aluminium and steel manufacturers
The Canadian government will reportedly fund $100 million, including $26 million for Quebec, in a bid to support domestic small and medium-sized enterprise aluminium and steel manufacturers. The news came when Navdeep Bains, minister of innovation, science and economic development made the announcement at Nova Steel in Hamilton on Monday, March 11. The objective of this new initiative is to support small and medium-sized producers across the country, who had been impacted the most by the US metal tariffs. The government believes this funding will help their businesses to drive productivity, scale up, and expand into new market to create good middle-class jobs. Bains said in a statement: “In the face of unjust and illegal U.S. tariffs hurting businesses and workers on both sides of the...
Altech’s HPA plant is gradually progressing from establishment phase to construction phase
Following the news last week that Altech Chemicals officially mandated Macquarie Bank as the preferred mezzanine lender for the HPA, the update comes that the stage one construction work of Altech’s high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant in Johor, Malaysia, is progressing as planned. The initial site establishment activities are now complete and the site is fully fenced and secured, as the company declared. The site construction office has been erected, a security post has been installed, a vehicle wash down bay is established with sediment control, a site weather monitoring station is in place, and temporary ablutions are installed already. Also, a site safety induction process has been established, with all entry onto the site strictly controlled. Site security personnel have been...
EGA’s 2018 net profit declines 64% and adjusted EBITDA 33% despite surge in revenue
Emirates Global Aluminium has announced its annual financial report of 2018, where it is found that the UAE’s biggest industrial company outside the oil and gas sector has earned a net income of AED 1.2 billion ($325 million), 64 per cent down from AED 3.3 billion ($900 million) in 2017. This havoc decline in EGA’s net income is attributable to the surging costs of raw materials, which is why the company wants to start its alumina refinery in Abu Dhabi and bauxite mine in Guinea. These two projects are expected to reduce the company’s expense towards securing raw materials from overseas and help in boosting its net profit, as a result. Adjusted EBITDA, which was at AED 6.6 billion ($1.8 billion) in 2017 also decreased by 33 per cent in 2018 to AED 4.4 billion ($1.2 billion), despite a...
Chinese primary aluminium inventories drop over the weekend on active purchases by downstream consumers
According to Shanghai Metals Market, social inventories of primary aluminium across eight major consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, dropped 9,000 tonnes over the weekend and came in at 1.74 million tonnes, as on Monday, March 11. This marks the first decline after the Chinese New Year holiday as downstream consumers returned and became active in purchasing primary aluminium on the price drop. The chart below indicates the current status of primary aluminium across the major Chinese markets: As the above chart indicates, the primary aluminium inventory in Wuxi, Jiangsu plunged 9,000 tonnes from 639,000 tonnes, as on Thursday, to 630,000 tonnes today. In Shanghai, the inventory dipped 3,000 tonnes from 313,000 tonnes to 310,000 tonnes, while that in Gongyi, Henan dropped...
Metro Mining takes MBA and honours degree graduate Fiona Murdoch on board
Metro Mining has reportedly appointed MBA and honours degree graduate Fiona Murdoch to its board. Murdoch is delighted to be joining the board and looking forward to contributing skills to ensure that Metro maximises all available opportunities, said herself according to the report. Giving her appreciation to the board, senior management, and the entire team who had been the constant pillars of the company from explorer to miner, she made a special mention that “construction of the Bauxite Hills Mine was conducted in just five months and production guidance was reached in the first year of mining operations.” She further added, “The challenge is now to build upon that, reduce costs, and increase value for all shareholders.” The newly appointed board member Fiona Murdoch is a graduate from...
A00 aluminium ingot price drops over the weekend by RMB40/t; input costs record no change
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the A00 aluminium ingot price has dropped over the weekend by RMB 40 per tonne to stand at RMB 13,610 per tonne. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 13,590 per tonne and RMB 13,630 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 50 per tonne to RMB 10 per tonne. In the east (Wuxi and Hangzhou), the aluminium ingot price has plunged by RMB 40 per tonne and RMB 35 per tonne to RMB 13,605 per tonne, each. In the south and north, on the other hand, the price has shrunk by RMB 40 per tonne and RMB 30 per tonne to hover at RMB 13,600 per tonne and RMB 13,610 per tonne, respectively. As far as the input costs are concerned, the alumina spot price shows no change today from RMB 2,731 per tonne. In all the major markets in east and central...
Canada’s aluminium exports to Europe likely to extend rise in 2019: Source says
According to a recent report, Canadian aluminium exports to Europe are expected to extend rise this year, if the Section 232 tariff is not lifted by the United States. Since when the Trump administration levied 10 per cent tariff on aluminium and 25 per cent on steel imports in March 2018, Canada had been diverting primary aluminium P1020 shipments to Europe, where Canadian exports have duty free status. Consequently, Canadian aluminium exports to Europe rose by more than 11-fold to 15,927 tonnes in 2018, up from 1,362 tonnes in 2017, trade data showed. Canada’s aluminium deliveries to the US last year thus accounted for 4.5 per cent of the region’s total imports of 353,279 tonnes. The surge in exports was also partly driven by the US sanctions on Russian giant Rusal, as buyers secured...
Achenbach to exhibit its latest JumboSlit machines at ICE 2019 in Munich
In a press release to AlCircle.com, the Achenbach OPTIFOIL® brand says that it has emerged as one of the global world-class brands for aluminium doublers, separators, and slitters. It mentions that currently the demand for its winding and slitting machinery for slitting thin aluminium, non-ferrous metal foils, and other compound materials like printed and laminated foils and stock material for deep-drawn products are on upswing. Technology component lubricator “With continuous development work on the component level we maintain a position as specialist and leader in technology and quality with innovative key technology components also in this segment: Leading producers of food packaging for demanding customers or applications and with a decade-long experience in foil printing and...
Mexico’s total aluminium scraps import to rise 103% YoY, while from the US 108%
Mexico is popularly known for having a large number of secondary aluminium smelters and die-casters which cater to the domestic automotive industry- globally the seventh-largest in production volume. Most of these smelters use aluminium scrap imported from various parts of the world, but mainly from the US Mexican scavengers, known as buscabotes (literally: can seekers). They salvage aluminium cans from dumpsters and residential garbage and sell them across the border where they are used by the automotive OEMs. The market for recycled aluminium in Mexico shows a strong demand for scrap due to significant differences in prices for the virgin and secondary metal. According to our third-party data, Mexico’s aluminium scrap import is estimated to see a year-on-year rise this year to 477,743...
China’s alumina production sees a year-on-year rise by 10.93% in February
According to Shanghai Metals Market, China’s alumina production in February came in at 5.64 million tonnes, after rising 10.93 per cent year-on-year. The average daily output stood at 201,000 tonnes, while annualised capacity in operation recorded at 73.46 million tonnes. This year-on-year rise in China’s alumina production is attributable to the complete maintenance of refineries in Guangxi, higher operating rate in Guizhou as bauxite shortages eased last month and excess production in Shanxi. Last month, Shanxi Zhaofeng returned online after it shut during the Chinese New Year holiday on bauxite supply issues. Ore shortages drove Shanxi Xinghua to close some 350,000 tonnes of capacity. SMM expects the average daily output of alumina will rise further in March by 2,000 tonnes compared...
Alumina spot price in China extends its fall, but A00 aluminium ingot price rises
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the alumina spot price further extends its decline today to stand at RMB 2,731 per tonne. Compared with the downfall by RMB 14 per tonne yesterday, today the alumina spot price has shown a slower decline by RMB 7 per tonne. Since the beginning of the month, the alumina spot price has been showing a sluggish trend ranging between RMB 2775 per tonne and RMB 2,731 per tonne until today. In the central market, the price has recorded a fall by RMB 10 per tonne, while the prices in the east north and south have shown no change. The average alumina price in the spot market is also expected to hover at RMB 2,731 per tonne. The Australian alumina FOB price still hovers at US$390 per tonne. However, unlike yesterday, the A00 aluminium ingot price has not...
Lowered aluminium price in east and south China bolsters enthusiastic activity in spot markets
According to Shanghai Metals Market, purchasing enthusiasm among downstream consumers improved across spot aluminium markets in east and south China on Thursday morning as prices dropped. Spot transactions were mostly found at RMB 13,610 per tonne to RMB 13,620 per tonne in Shanghai and Wuxi while in Hangzhou, the spot deals were mostly at RMB 13,610 per tonne to RMB 13,630 per tonne. This represents that the traded price fell by over RMB 70 per tonne this morning compared with yesterday. The front-month March aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange also glided from the previous day. Spot aluminium discounts in Shanghai stood at RMB 50 per tonne to RMB 30 per tonne against the SHFE 1903 contract, wider than RMB 30 per tonne to RMB 10 per tonne as on yesterday morning....
Perini Navi launches its first 42-metre, aluminium hulled hybrid sailing yacht from E-volution series
According to a recent report, Italian yard Perini Navi launched its first 42-metre hybrid sailing yacht from E-volution series last weekend. Here ‘E’ stands for electric. The yacht’s concept was first presented at the Monaco Yacht Show 2017 and then was sold to an Italian owner in July 2018. The expected delivery year of the yacht is 2020. The yacht features aluminium hull and lifting keel, along with a hybrid propulsion engine system that combines a diesel engine with eco-friendly electric motor contributing to the yard’s course on environmental sustainability. Thanks to its diesel-electric system because of which cruisers can experience silent cruising with a range of 3,200 nautical miles at 10 knots speed. The yacht’s naval architecture is designed by US-based Reichel-Pugh studio while...
In conversation with Quebec Consul and Director Dominic Marcotte and AluQuébec Working Groups Director Marie-Élaine Jacome
AlCircle had a pleasant opportunity to speak to Mr. Dominic Marcotte, Consul & Director of Québec Government Office in Mumbai, and to Marie-Élaine Jacome, Working Groups Director of AluQuébec at the 7th International Conference on Aluminium and Exhibition (INCAL-2019), Bhubaneswar. Mr. Dominic became the Director of the Québec Government Office in Mumbai in late summer 2016. Previously, he served as the Director of Economic Affairs at the Québec Government Office in Tokyo. Ms. Marie-Élaine Jacome, with more than ten years of manufacturing sector experience, is associated with the working groups of AluQuébec since October 2015. Both Mr. Dominic and Ms. Marie delightfully shared with us the business goal of Quebec’s aluminium industry, and their viewpoint on the US metal tariffs and how...
6063 aluminium billet stocks increase marginally over the week: SMM
According to Shanghai Metals Market, 6063 aluminium billet stocks across five major consumption areas in China increased this week with varying consumptions in markets. Over the week ended on March 7, inventories gained 4,300 tonnes of aluminium billet to stand at 151,000 tonnes. Last week, on February 28, the billet stocks were at 146,700 tonnes. While billet stocks in Foshan, Guangdong were at 82,500 tonnes last week, they increased 6,100 tonnes week-on-week to 88,600 tonnes. In Huzhou, Zhejiang, the inventories grew from 6,000 tonnes to 10,000 tonnes, as of today. But in Wuxi, Jiangsu and in Nanchang, Jiangxi, the stocks plunged from 27,400 tonnes to 25,000 tonnes and from 10,800 tonnes to 5,400 tonnes, respectively. In the background of this marginal rise in billet inventory, the...
Further decline of alumina spot price pulls down A00 aluminium ingot price across China
After remaining restraint last day at RMB 2,749 per tonne, the alumina spot price again plunged today, on March 7, by RMB 14 per tonne to stand at RMB 2,735 per tonne, found Shanghai Metals Market. This is the third fall of alumina spot price this month, hinting a continued downward trend. The average price of alumina is also expected to hover at RMB 2,735 per tonne today. As the decline has touched upon all the major Chinese markets, the price in the east has dropped RMB 20 per tonne to RMB 2,740 per tonne. In the central and north, the price stood at RMB 2,750 per tonne and RMB 2,720 per tonne after declining by RMB 10 per tonne and RMB 20 per tonne, respectively. The markets in south China witnessed no exceptional trend either but saw a plunge in alumina spot price by RMB 5 per tonne...
ŠKODA introduces its latest electric bike made from an aluminium frame
ŠKODA, at the Geneva Motor Show, reportedly unveiled its latest electric bike called the KLEMENT. Made from an aluminium frame, the KLEMENT boasts a sleek and stylish look. It has no visible levers or cables, nor the rider’s feet rest on fixed pedals where e-bikes usually have a bottom bracket. It has bi-cycle-like wheels on one hand and car-like accelerator and brake pedals on the other. But both the components are not found on the handlebar. The pedals do not work in a conventional way either. They have to be tilted forward to accelerate and backward for braking. The KLEMENT, featuring a 4-kW rear hub motor, has a top speed of 45 Km/h. It also has two lithium-ion batteries, with 52 cells each, that have a total capacity of 1,250 Wh – providing a range of up to 62 km. With a target...
Four designers from London transform toxic red mud into ceramic tableware pieces
According to a recent report, four designers from London’s Royal College of Art have made a series of terracotta-hued cups, bowls, and teapots with toxic red mud residue from aluminium production. This project, called ‘From Wasteland to Living Room’, displays an exalted transformation of red mud into different functional ceramic tableware pieces. Red mud is a by-product of refining bauxite ore into alumina to make aluminium. The material mainly consists of iron oxide, which grants it a vibrant, rusty colour. The four designers named Guillermo Whittembury, Joris Olde-Rikkert, Kevin Rouff, and Luis Paco Bockelmann dove into this project mainly because they want to realign the perception of common people towards waste. "Having a cup of tea from industrial waste may seem odd to some," said...
