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.
Century Aluminum to invest US$116.5 million to upgrade Hawesville smelter and create new jobs
Century Aluminum, a global producer of primary aluminum has created a buzz with an announcement that it is going to invest US$116.5 million for the improvement of one of its smelters in Hawesville, Kentucky and offer jobs to 250 personnel. This announcement was made on Wednesday April 4, 2018 by Governor Matt Bevin, where he said that the company will upgrade its smelting technology and train new and existing employees to use the new equipment for producing aluminium required for aerospace, defense, and electrical industries, reported by The Messenger-Inquirer of Owensboro. On the advent of this news, many county leaders and business owners have started analysing its potential impact on the market. Hancock County Industrial Foundation Director Mike Baker said that this enhancement of...
China’s 25 per cent tariffs on imported aluminium scraps may affect the UK market
As a retaliatory move to the US tariffs on imported aluminium and steel, China has revived its aluminium scrap policy and imposed 25 per cent tariffs on imported aluminium scraps. This has already created mayhem among the countries who export aluminium scraps to China, including the United Kingdom. The British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) warns that this situation is affecting the aluminium scraps prices in the UK. President Donal Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on China’s aluminium and steel imports in an attempt to protect American smelters has engendered fear of a trade war between the two countries, which in the long run may not spare the UK. The BMRA said that the continuing lack of clarity over the US and China’s tariffs issues and the latter’s recent decision to...
Turkey starts communicating with the US for aluminium and steel tariffs exemption
Turkey’s Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci announced on Thursday April 5, 2018 that Ankara, the capital state of Turkey has got in touch with the United States, seeking exemption from the tariffs on imported aluminium and steel. "Our contacts [with the U.S.] continue through writing, telephone and our embassy in the U.S. and by all other means," Zeybekci told reporters after a meeting with Sudan's Agriculture and Forests Minister Abdullatif Ahmed Mohamed Ijaimi in the capital Ankara. The minister said 25 per cent tariffs on imported steel and 10 per cent on imported aluminium, as levied by the US in March, were totally unacceptable for Turkey. "The U.S. claims that 'While I fulfil all kinds of obligations related to the security of the world, the other countries do not spend on defense...
Vedanta may pay high costs to transport bauxite from Kodingamali mines to Lanjigarh
Vedanta, a global diversified metals and mining company, plans to sign a long-term contract with Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) to haul bauxite for its Lanjigarh (Kalahandi district) alumina refinery. However, the company is perplexed about the escalation of the transport cost of procuring raw material from OMC’s recently opened mine on the Kodingamali plateau. The estimated transport cost is INR 1000 to INR 1200 per tonne because of the absence of direct rail route between Lanjigarh alumina refinery and Kodingamali mines. This may lead to bauxite price rise by more than 100 per cent within the time it reaches Lanjigarh plant. “Logistics is an issue. In a competitive market, when companies like Nalco and Hindalco have refineries next to their captive mines, and have the advantage of...
Capral Aluminium extends support to trailer manufacturers
Capral Aluminium, the largest aluminium extruder in Melbourne, Australia, with a national footprint of five extrusion plants operating eight press lines, five powder coating lines, one anodising line and 7.2 hectare plot of land boasting three sprawling warehouses, earns a remarkable recognition in transport industry for providing strong, flexible and lightweight building materials to trailer manufacturers, reported by Trailer Mag. While the company takes pride in the field of various innovative technologies used in the automotive market, the new aluminium processing equipment that can extrude up to 400mm CCD and offers DNV certification adds a feather to its hat. Mark Murray, National Market Manager Industrial Products at Capral said that the company intends to further assist the marine...
Bauxite production in India showed overall downfall in FY2017-18
According to the estimates of the Ministry of Mines, bauxite production in India further fell by 16.34 per cent in 2017-18, totalling 20.63 million tonnes, after a decline of 12.3 per cent in 2016-17. On the other hand, Ministry further updated that the total domestic consumption of primary aluminium remained same in 2017-18 as that of 1.55 million tonnes in 2016-17. According to a senior aluminium industry executive, the sudden fall of bauxite production in India is due to the decrease of export to China. Earlier China used to import a significant amount of bauxite from India but now Australia and Guinea have become significant bauxite exporters to China due to better quality and low cost. Moreover, the domestic aluminium consumption remained low over the past few years. Hence, there had...
Altech Chemicals settle the purchase of Meckering mining lease freehold land
Altech Chemicals Limited has been aiming to become one of the world’s largest suppliers off 99.99 per cent (4N) high purity alumina (HPA), a high value, high margin and highly demanded chemical ingredient required for synthetic sapphire production. With that aim, it had exercised its options to purchase the freehold land on October 17, 2017. But the settlement of the purchase was subject to a number of conditions including the subdivision of the registered land title, the issuing of title certificates for the new lots created, and the final payment of the purchase price. Today the company announces that it now wholly owns subsidiary Altech Meckering Pty Ltd. after completing approximately 92 hectares of freehold land purchase, covering granted mining lease M70/1334, at Meckering, Western...
Chengdu’s aluminium die-casting firm anticipates to experience a lower operating rate this month
After Beijing and Shanghai, who have already engraved their names as the two most invincible provinces in China in terms of economic prosperity, Chengdu had set a target to establish itself as a primary financial centre in West China, formulating firm investment and development plans. While working towards the goal, one of its aluminium die-casting companies anticipates to see a lower operating rate in April. As updated by Shanghai Metal Market, the company expects its operating rate to be as low as 60 per cent, lower than the level seen during the contemporary period of the prior year. This might be a repercussion of a series of events like environment protection measures during winter heating season from November 2017 to March 2018, recent reservation on aluminium scrap imports from the...
China’s aluminium inventory registers a hike, while A00 aluminium ingot price falls
After a successive decline of aluminium refined inventory over the last couple of weeks, SMM updated on April 4, 2018, including SHFE warrants that it hovered at 2.231 million tonnes. Although the inventory went down from 2.243 million tonnes seen in the last week, it was slightly up from 2.227 million tonnes recorded in the early week Monday April 2, 2017. This hike after a continual fall over the past weeks might be due to tight aluminium supply in the domestic market because of China’s 25 per cent tariffs on sourced aluminium scraps from the US, resulting in a lesser secondary aluminium production in the market and forbidding downstream consumers from stocking. The above chart demonstrates the overall transactions in some of the major China markets, where there has been a slight rise...
China customs rejects 100 tonnes aluminium scrap imports from the U.S. due to import tariff
As a retaliatory move against the US aluminium and steel imports tariffs, China has taken the US aluminium scrap industry on storm and created mayhem by officially slapping a blanket of 25 per cent tariff on aluminium scraps imported from the Unites States, effective on and from Monday April 2, 2018. This tariff is applied to products under Harmonized Tariff Code 7602.00, which refers to aluminium waste and scrap. China, being the largest aluminium scrap importer from the US, with total import standing at 958,584 tonnes in 2017, up 19 per cent from 812,661 tonnes in the prior year, is now facing a steep price hike of US-sourced metals. Accordding to Shanghai Metal Market (SMM), this may continue, as domestic aluminium scrap prices would remain high in the short term because of the tight...
Paroc introduces 4mm thick aluminium decks and bulkheads; Expected to reduce running cost
Finland based leading manufacturer of energy-efficient and fire-proof insulation solutions, Paroc introduces new lightweight solutions for A60 aluminium constructions under Paroc Light Marine launch series. This is expected to reduce considerable weight, as well as cost in the shipbuilding industry. Paroc's A60 solutions for 70mm aluminium bulkheads and 60mm decks based only on one new technology product Paroc Marine Navis Mat 90, a non-combustible stone wool mat used for fire protection on ships in A-class constructions of aluminium decks and bulkheads. The design and installation of this product are easy as the same product is used on stiffeners. Since the 4mm thick aluminium decks and bulkheads, tested and approved by the new A60 solutions are expected to decrease the weight more than...
Bauxite price and import data show slow-but-steady growth over 1QCY2018: SMM update
On the face of refined aluminium inventory plunge and a rise of aluminium production after winter heating season, Shanghai Metal Market learns that the price of bauxite though remains unchanged since March 19, 2018 exhibits a steady rise. The price rise of bauxite indicates that the bauxite market was not oversupplied in spite of the shutdown of bauxite mines during winter heating season and thus, offers no room for negotiation at the present, unlike pre-baked anode, which was oversupplied due to the aluminium manufacturing halt. At the beginning of the year, the average bauxite price started diminishing from RMB 380 per tonne in the last year to RMB 370 and RMB 340 per tonne in January and February respectively. Then in March 2018, the price started reviving by attaining RMB 360 per...
Aluminium production rises; research is in full swing for recycling 150 tonnes of red mud
Many experiments with red mud have been performed till date all around the globe for its reuse in a more efficient and sustainable way. Red mud is a toxic by-product generated in the industrial production of alumina. It is rich in iron and considered as a treasure trove of elements. With an annual generation of about 150 tonnes of red mud during bauxite to alumina production, more and more scientists are getting involved in examinations for its reuse in metal industry. In the recent time, some scientists at an experimental metallurgy plant in Aachen in Germany are also pursuing an experiment on the same. Mixed with carbon and then melted at high temperatures, the scientists are striving to prepare the red mud for reusing it in the steel industry. Bernd Friedrich, a metal recycling expert...
Aluminium and steel tariffs are taking US local markets on storm; Metal Fabrication is hit high
Ever since the United States of America has signed for aluminium and steel tariffs on imported metals, aluminium manufacturers, traders and enthusiasts are busy evaluating the final impacts, even after some of the key aluminium supplying countries like Brazil, Argentina, Australia, South Korea, Canada, Mexico and the European Union are exempt from the tariff plans until May 1, 2018. “It’s one of those ‘you’re going to have to kind of wait and see cases,” said Dallas Fridley, regional economist for the Oregon Employment Department. Fridley had anticipated much before that the industries that used aluminium and steel would be affected maximum by higher prices. Local construction firms, farm equipment manufacturers and brewers who use aluminium cans for packaging have faced a massive strain...
NALCO recently sets a global benchmark in bauxite mining
Bhubaneswar based premier and integrated company in the aluminium value chain, National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) sets a new world record by excavating total 8 million tonnes of bauxite in FY2017-18. The company seems to be enjoying to have graced top news with its successive achievement, projects and developments, as it recently eyed the possibility of gaining access to bauxite deposits in the West African country Guinea. Besides, the company cherishes innumerable recognitions for being the lowest cost producer of alumina in the world. Now another feather adds to its hat as it sets a global benchmark in bauxite mining. Chairman and Managing Director of NALCO Dr. Tapan Kumar Chand acclaimed the mines and refinery team for achieving 100 per cent capacity utilisation in mines and...
Pre-baked anode prices decline due to re-stocking by smelters; A00 aluminium ingot price sees a sharp hike
As updated by Shanghai Metal Market, pre-baked anode prices are experiencing a decline on 4th month in a row. As per the update, Weiqiao Group has negotiated with its suppliers to lower the purchasing price by RMB 300 per tonne for April and closed it at RMB 3,590 per tonne. This indicates that an oversupplied pre-baked anode market is lessening prices due to growing demand for raw materials from smelters and falling of refined aluminium inventory post winter heating season. Following Weiqiao's move, other smelters are getting involved in negotiation with their respective suppliers and lowering prices by some RMB 300 per tonne. Prices are expected to be cut by another RMB 200 per tonne in May and likely to fall below average costs based on current input cost. On the other hand, other raw...
MMPIL IPO’s anchor portion oversubscribed; a turning point for aluminium products
Old Bridge’s Vantage Equity Fund and Raisonneur Capital jointly subscribed to the entire anchor portion of IPO, issued by Maharashtra based company MMP Industries Ltd. The company was formed in the year 1983 and primarily engaged in manufacturing aluminium powder and paste since then. The total anchor book reserved in the Initial Public Offering was INR 24.09 crore by the company, out of which Vantage invested INR 20 crore and Raisonneur Capital INR 10 crore, resulting in an over-subscription to the anchor portion by about 1.25 times. The company will now issue 45 lakh equity shares at a price band of Rs. 186-188 per share. The minimum lot price is fixed at 600 equity shares. The issue, which will close on April 4, 2018, will mop up INR 85 crore on the upper price band. So far, many...
ICF strikes 2,500th mark for the first time: aims to craft aluminium coaches from 2020
General Manager of Integral Coach Factory S. Mani declared on Saturday 31st March, 2018 that the company will start manufacturing aluminium coaches from 2020. This is going to be a significant step towards crafting light-weight rail coaches, at par with international standards. At an event to mark the achievement of 2,500 coaches in 2017-18, Mani made an announcement that ICF rolled out a total of 2,503 coaches of various capacities on March 31, 2018, adding that the company will export the coaches to Sri Lanka. According to ICF higher officials, the manufacturing unit of Indian Railways crossed 2,500th-mark for the first time. “We had manufactured 2,277 coaches in 2016-17. That feat remained as our top performance until we crossed 2,500 today (Saturday). Our 2500th coach with 102 seats...
