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.
Spot aluminium trades remain sluggish as downstream consumers yet to return from CNY
According to Shanghai Metals Market, spot aluminium transactions across eastern and southern China remained poor this morning, the first trading day after the Chinese New Year break. The poor trading occurred primarily because many downstream consumers were not back from the holidays yet. The front-month aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange traded lower in the morning. Spot discounts in Shanghai, against the SHFE 1902 contract, were heard at RMB 60 per tonne to RMB 50 per tonne, in contrast to RMB 30 per tonne to RMB 20 per tonne on the last day February 1, before the SMM went on for the New Year break. Spot transactions in Shanghai and Wuxi were at RMB 13,260 per tonne to RMB 13,280 per tonne while that in Hangzhou at RMB 13,270 per tonne to RMB 13,290 per tonne. Traded...
Primary aluminium inventories grow 13.4% across China on poor spot transactions: SMM
According to Shanghai Metals Market, social inventories of primary aluminium across eight major consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, grew 13.4 per cent over a week-long Chinese New Year Holiday, as on today, February 11. Compared to 1.378 million tonnes as of January 31, the primary aluminium inventories today came in at 1.562 million tonnes, up 184,000 tonnes. Over the same period, stocks in Wuxi and Hangzhou grew from 513,000 tonnes to 578,000 tonnes, up 13 per cent while that in Shanghai rose from 299,000 tonnes to 310,000 tonnes, up about 4 per cent. In other markets like Nanhai and Guangdong, and Gongyi and Henan, the inventories increased 30 per cent and 12 per cent to stand at 274,000 tonnes and 142,000 tonnes respectively. The below chart indicates the current...
China’s bauxite imports record 24.5% growth in 2018 on growing demand and unstable domestic supply
China Customs data found that bauxite imports into China jumped in 2018 to total at 85.61 million tonnes against 64.63 million tonnes in 2017. The Chinese government’s environmental restrictions and crackdowns on the black market tightened domestic supplies and thus prompted increasing imports of the ore. Expansion of alumina production through the year also been a reason for China’s growing bauxite imports in 2018. In the first 10 months of last year, China’s bauxite imports accounted for about 45 per cent of the country’s overall bauxite supplies, as domestic production rose by only 1.8 per cent year-on-year during that time. China’s alumina production, on the other hand, recorded about 70.48 million tonnes in 2018, up 3.01 per cent from 68.35 million tonnes in 2017. Production lines at...
A00 aluminium ingot price slips by RMB30/t after a week-long Chinese New Year break
The Shanghai Metals Market opened today after almost a week-long Chinese New Year Holiday from February 4 to February 10 with a drop in A00 aluminium ingot price. Registering a dip by RMB 30 per tonne, the ingot price today, on February 11, stood at RMB 13,270 per tonne, according to the data found by SMM. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 13,250 per tonne and RMB 13,290 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 120 per tonne to RMB 80 per tonne. The average discount thus found dipped by RMB 40 per tonne to RMB 100 per tonne. This marked the second decline this month as the price of the ingot recorded a reduction from RMB 13,390 per tonne to RMB 13,300 per tonne on February 1, just before the SMM went on the Chinese New Year break. The aluminium ingot price in the...
Andhra Pradesh to roll out 10 lakh EVs and 1 lakh charging station by 2024
Following Delhi and Kerala, Andhra Pradesh now aims at deploying 10 lakh electric vehicles across all segments and 1 lakh charging station in the next five years. The news came after Chandrababu Naidu-led government rolled out its electric vehicle policy on Wednesday, February 7. Per the report, the new vehicle policy introduced by Naidu will not allow any new registration of petrol and diesel powered cars. However, the government is yet to provide a timeline. The state is also planning to replace 11,000 state-run buses into electric for achieving 100 per cent electrification in public fleet. Beside this, the state also wishes to convert all government corporations, boards, and ambulances to electric vehicles. Around 60,000 new jobs are expected to be created with the onset of this...
Prices of Japan’s used aluminium cans fall on beverage makers’ shift to PET bottles
Scrap dealers in Japan have notified today, on February 8 that the prices of used aluminium beverage cans or UBC are down by 8 per cent since the start of this year. Beverage makers’ shift to plastic polyethylene terephthalate bottles is the main reason for this price fall, said the dealers further. According to scrap dealers in Tokyo and Nagoya, transaction prices this week were at Yen 110-120/kg (($1,010-$1,100/mt) ex-yard, down 8% from a month ago. Six months before, the prices were at about Yen 140-150/kg, noted one dealer. The decrease in beverage consumption after the summer months reduce the availability of used cans and therefore, the supply. But this also typically failed to push the prices up. Also, the high-grade aluminium price fall in London Metal Exchange from above US$...
Bauxite exports by Montenegro likely to rise this year; China to be the key importer
Depending on the incessant increase in bauxite demand for primary aluminium production, one country that has come a long way as bauxite exporter in the last three years is none other than Montenegro. After a plunge in total export last year, the Balkan country is expected to turn around with a greater year-on-year export volume in 2019. According to our third-party data, Montenegro in 2019 is estimated to export around 1.39 million tonnes, in contrast to 1.08 million tonnes in 2018. This indicates that Montenegro’s bauxite export in 2019 is likely to rise by 29 per cent year-on-year. But in the year last, exports by Montenegro had fallen from 1.81 million tonnes in 2017, down 40 per cent. In 2016, on the other hand, Montenegro had exported 487,910 tonnes, which means 2017 had seen a...
Rusal's aluminium production records 1.3% growth in 2018
The world’s second largest aluminium company by primary production output - Rusal once again proves its potential by recording a year-on-year growth in aluminium production in 2018. Even after going through critical conditions led by United States sanctions, the Russian aluminium giant produced 1.3 per cent more aluminium totalling 3.753 million tonnes in the noted year. Per the report, Rusal’s aluminium production in the fourth quarter of 2018 increased in comparison with the third quarter by 0.4 per cent to 943,000 tonnes. Last year, although the average aluminium price went up by 7.3 per cent to US$ 2,259 per tonne, the price in the fourth quarter lowered 7 per cent to US$2,115 per tonne. The London Metal Exchange (LME) said in a statement last month that the LME lifted restrictions on...
Volvo Cars holds US-China tariff war responsible for its profit margins drop in 2018
According to a Reuters report, the profit margins of Volvo Cars dropped in 2018, as a result of pricing pressure in the China market due to costs hike led by prolonged trade war between Washington and Beijing. The company CEO Hakan Samuelsson told Reuters that to indemnify the impact on margins which is expected to continue this year, Volvo has decided to increase production volumes and cut operational costs. Samuelsson said, “We have a very, very strong product offering and a modest market share outside Sweden, so we are expecting and planning for further growth.” “I would say we enter now into a phase where we have to focus more on the cost side as well - not with any special packages, but with normal work to improve our cost consciousness and cost control.” The Chinese premium car...
Dudley’s Aluminium begins Exeter’s coach station work
A Cardiff-based aluminium fabricator Dudley’s Aluminium has reportedly begun work on the transformation of Exeter’s former bus and coach station into student accommodation, securing the £500,000 contract with Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd. Exeter’s new student accommodation is expected to reopen as student accommodation in summer 2019. The company will install Kawneer curtain walling and doors, and provide solar shading to the modern student accommodation facility. Colin Shorney, managing director of Dudley's said: “We are thrilled to be working on this project with Sir Robert McAlpine,” while also adding “It aligns with our extensive commitment to working within the education sector and we’re proud to support the construction of student accommodation in Exeter." The new student accommodation...
Australia’s alumina export likely to grow marginally in 2019: South Africa to top the importers list
With seven refineries operating, Australia is the world’s second largest producer and exporter of alumina. It mostly produces smelter grade alumina for both the domestic and export markets and accounts for 22 per cent of the global production. Rio Tinto, Alcoa, South32 are some of the few significant alumina refineries in Australia. The statistics by Australian Aluminium Council Ltd. shows that the country in 2016 had exported 17.1 million tonnes of alumina at the value of A$5.4 billion. In 2017, the volume remained the same at 17.1 million tonnes, but the value increased significantly to A$7.3 billion. In 2018, however, Australia's alumina exports were estimated to stand low at 10.3 million tonnes, down by about 40 per cent from both 2016 and 2017, according to our third-party data. In...
ALSCON in Nigeria to resume operations after a decade
After lying idle for a decade, Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON), located at Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, is all set to start its operations, said the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE). On February 4, local media reported that Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari will soon inaugurate the domestic smelting firm, allowing it to begin production once more. According to Nigeria’s Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises Alex Okoh’s statement on Sunday, the BPE, along with other industry interests, will begin by addressing the problem of consistent, affordable supplies of natural gas to the firm. He explained, “Upon the resolution of the gas price and supply issues, a new agreement will be signed in line with the current realities.” He also added, “It will also take...
Cans 4 Kansas Honor Flights expands aluminium cans collection site in Lincoln
McPherson resident Warren Vincent is reportedly expanding by putting up a new collection site for Cans 4 Kansas Honor Flights at the Citizen’s State Bank and Trust Co., parking lot in Lincoln. Cans 4 Kansas Honour Flights is a mission to help fund Kansas Honor Flights by recycling aluminium cans. Vincent had started this project in 2011. He noted Lincoln is the northern-most site of now 21 locations spread around central Kansas. Kansas Honor Flights is a non-profit organisation sending Kansas veterans of WWII, and the Korean and Vietnam wars to Washington, D.C., to visit memorials. Last year, Cans 4 Kansas Honor Flights had collected enough aluminium cans to send 32 veterans on an honor flight. In 2019, the aim is for sending 35 veterans, said Warren Vincent.
KEMPER’s extraction units and filter systems sales surpass 40 million euros in 2018
KEMPER GmbH marks another year with great financial achievements. 2018 became the most successful year so far for the Germany-based company. For the first time, the sales of the firm’s extraction units and filter systems surpassed the mark of 40 million euros, up 25 per cent from 2017. Björn Kemper, CEO of KEMPER GmbH said, "The fact that we have once again managed to increase our sales to an extremely high level is proof of the increasing demand for intelligent occupational safety solutions in the metal processing sector." KEMPER even managed to double its turnover – an outstanding development in an industry that is otherwise marked by moderate growth rates. The family-owned company intends to build on this trend and increase its sales by half of its current level by 2025. Germany...
Hayleys’ aluminium extrusions subsidiary Alumex reports Rs 63.4 million loss in December quarter
Alumex, the aluminium extrusions subsidiary of Sri Lanka’s Hayleys group, reported in its interim financial results that it lost 63.4 million rupees in the December 2018 quarter compared with a net profit of 102 million in the same period last year. However, sales rose 17 per cent to 1.3 billion rupees in the period. In August 2018, Hayleys PLC CEO Mohan Pandithage had said that the quick growth of the country’s construction sector resulting in significant demand for aluminium extrusion enhanced the sales and sales revenue of Alumex. The interim results also showed that costs grew faster than net profit during the December quarter, with net finance costs soaring to 147 billion rupees instead of 29 million in the contemporary period last year. December quarter’s loss per share was 21...
Government policy allowing 100% FDI boosts investments in aluminium industry: Mines Minister
While speaking at the concluding ceremony of INCAL-2019, Narendra Singh Tomar, union mines minister said that foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows raised in the aluminium industry led by the policy of allowing 100 per cent FDI in automatic route for mining and exploration in metal and non-metals sector. He further said the government would continue to develop and encourage greater FDI in the aluminium sector as a means to attract more funding for aluminium projects. “The Mines Ministry is committed to the development of the aluminium sector and will look into the recommendations that come out of INCAL 2019. Mining constitutes an important contributor to the economy. During the last three years, the sector has witnessed major policy interventions to promote exploration and enhance...
Ministry investigates bauxite mining led alleged environment damage in Bintan District
According to a report by Antara on February 5, the Environment and Forest Ministry has stationed a team at bauxite mining sites in Bintan District for the investigation of alleged environment damage in the region. The Environment and Forest Minister Siti Nurbaya said the team arrived at the spot on Tuesday, February 5, and would soon take legal measures. Riau Islands Governor Nurdin Basirun, however, refused to comment on this, claiming that he had not received any information on environment damage in Bintan District as a result of bauxite mining in the region. He particularly remarked on Monday, "I do not want to comment on this before I receive information from the related office. I will order the office to monitor the bauxite mining." Antara reported that bauxite mining areas such as...
Iceland likely to continue exporting 1 million tonnes of aluminium (alloyed & non-alloyed) in 2019
With three major smelting companies like Alcan, Century Aluminium, and Alcoa, aluminium is one of the major materials produced and exported by Iceland. As of Q3 2017, aluminium had reportedly accounted for 14 per cent of Iceland’s total exports of goods and services. {newsStudioGallery} Our third-party data shows Iceland’s exports of aluminium (both alloyed & non-alloyed) is recording a year-on-year rise for the past three years. This year, however, the country’s estimated volume of exports is estimated to remain flat at 1 million tonnes. Last year in 2018, Iceland had exported the same amount of aluminium, compared to 978,067 tonnes in 2017. Thus, this shows the country’s exports in 2018 grew 3 per cent from 2017. In 2016, on the other hand, Iceland’s aluminium exports were at 861,053...
