AlCircle News Edited By "Rupankar Majumder"
A professional with a technical background, specialising in producing insightful content centred around metals, particularly aluminium, passionately engaged in the intricacies of the recycling sector.
Ecuador’s import of aluminium cans during 2018-20 reflects sustained growth, expenditure shrinks
The Economic activity of Ecuador plunged by 5.0% on a Y-o-Y basis during January 2021, dropping at a rapid pace than December’s 0.7% decline and falling at the sharpest rate since September 2020, while on an M-o-M basis, economic activity rose 1.4% in January, slightly above December’s 1.3% increase. LatinFocus panellists project GDP to grow 3.5% in 2021, which is unchanged from February 2021. The country straddling the equator on South America’s west coast, Ecuador has registered 1822 tonnes of aluminium cans importation during 2018-19 and the revenue expended for the import accounted for $11.95 million. The import for 2020 stood at 1031 tonnes and the expenditure remained at $6.14 million. Howbeit, when the import volume and expenditure for 2020 gets assorted with the existing two...
Iran’s aluminium production leaps 61% in the year to March, reports IMIDRO
Iran’s state-run institution ‘The Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organisation (IMIDRO) publicised a report that the nation’s aluminium production in the year to March 2021 leapt 61% from the previous year to nearly half a million tonnes. The report stated that the total output in four major aluminium smelters in Iran had reached 0.4468 million tonnes, up from 0.2783 million tonnes reported for the year to March 20. The report highlighted: “Iranian Aluminium Company (IRALCO) had the highest share of production at 185,000 tonnes. It was followed by Almahdi, Iran’s largest aluminium smelter on the Persian Gulf which includes Hormozal smelter, at 165,000 tonnes. The smelter set up in late 2019 by Salco in southern Iran, topped production with 72,100 tonnes,...
Spanish Govt. need to allocate European funds for Latem Aluminium: Luis Tudanca, Secretary General of PSOE
On 16 th March 2021, Luis Tudanca, the Secretary-General of the PSOE in Castile and León, has demanded that the Government of Spain should allocate European funds from the recovery plan for an aluminium industrial project that will create 700 direct jobs and 1,400 indirect jobs in Zamora province of western Spain. Tudanca visited with Macario Fernández, the President of Latem Aluminum at the facility of the aluminium rolling factory and the research and development centre that the company is building in Villabrázaro (Zamora) as a complement to the industry of the sector that it already has in operation in Villadangos del Páramo (León). The head of the socialists in the Community demanded that both the central and regional administrations bet with the funds that will come from Europe for a...
Alcoa reports Q1 performance the best in 4 years
The American industrial corporation and one of the global leading aluminium producer, Alcoa, has reported its best first-quarter performance in four years as demand heightened at the beginning of 2021. Wall Street prediction for Alcoa was averagely around $450.8 million, but the country’s largest metal producer holding consumers in beverage cans and vehicle production segment has toppled the forecast and posted earnings of $521 million. Per-share earnings also rose to $0.79 from a loss of $0.23 per share in the same quarter a year ago, on revenues of $2.9 billion. As the production in the automotive and aerospace industries enhances, the global demand for the metal has observed a steady rise from the COVID-19 strike downfall seen in 2020. Roy Harvey, President and CEO of Alcoa said: “We...
RUSAL accomplishes the acquisition of century-old Aluminium Rheinfelden
Rusal publishes that it has accomplished the acquisition of Aluminium Rheinfelden GmbH following the approval issued by the German Federal Cartel Office and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The transaction safeguards that operations can pursue and delivers job security for more than 200 highly skilled workers of Aluminium Rheinfelden. The acquisition reinforces RUSAL’s position as the supplier of choice to its international network of automotive customers and is expected to deliver strong commercial synergies by matching Aluminium Rheinfelden’s high end, niche product focus with RUSAL’s global scale low-carbon aluminium alloy production. Eric Martinet, Automotive and Transportation Director at RUSAL has been announced as the new CEO of Aluminium Rheinfelden....
Rwanda’s import of aluminium foil during 2018-20 exhibits unstable movement
The economy of Rwanda is almost dependent on agriculture. More than 90% of the population makes its livelihood by producing food crops or through industrial work involving the processing of crops. Agriculture contributes more than 40% of the nation's GDP. The landlocked country in East Africa has reported 1135 tonnes of aluminium foil importation in 2018-19 and the revenue expended for the import accounted for $5.05 million. The import for 2020 stood at 497 tonnes and the expenditure remained at $2.31 million. However, when the import volume and expenditure of 2020 gets assorted with the previous two years, it signifies 1632 tonnes and $7.36 million respectively. Rwanda’s import of aluminium foil in 2018 was recorded at 448 tonnes and the expenditure occurred was $1.80 million, whereas,...
Ghana Gas plans for distribution plant at Adupri in Ashanti region, an advantage for Nyinahini bauxite mining
The management of the Ghana Gas Company has engaged in a series of stakeholder consultative meetings on a proposal to cite a distribution plant at Adupri, a community in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti region. It has come as the government’s primary intention to mine the Bauxite deposits on the Nyinahini land. The Dawusaro-Kumasi Gas Pipeline Project, which can supply Liquefied Petroleum Gas and will be used as the main firepower in the mining and processing of the Bauxite instead of electricity which is highly expensive. Augustina Osei Asare Osei Asare, Senior Manager of the Public Relations Unit, is leading a team of experts and officials of the company to the district to ascertain among other things where the pipes will be laid; which communities will be affected and the...
Alucam’s electricity bills remain unsettled since mid-2020, says ENEO Cameroon SA
Eric Mansuy, the Director-General of the Cameroonian electricity company, ENEO Cameroon SA, has reported that the Aluminium Company of Cameroon, Alucam, has not paid electricity bills since mid-2020. Alucam has been countering serious difficulties for some time now. “This difficulty for the aluminium juggernaut to pay its electricity bills for about 9 months (at the end of March 2021) further increases its debt to its partner. It impacts Eneo's ability to pay other operators in the sector”, says Eric Mansuy. The volume of Alucam's debt to the electricity supplier, Eneo since mid-2020 has not been revealed. But, from sources familiar with the matter, the average monthly consumption of this aluminium producer is around FCFA 2 billion. Referred to only six months of unpaid corresponding to...
Corona crisis: Ultra-high-end aluminium products supplier, Hulamin reveals 24% downfall in sales
On 14 th April 2021, the South Africa based specialized aluminium rolled product, HULAMIN stated that the Covid-19 pandemic has triggered a major turmoil in its operations as sales volume downfallen by 24% to 166,000 tonnes in the year to end December’20. The group commented: “ The London Metals Exchange price of aluminium, which mainly affects working capital and metal price lag, was stronger during the period, climbing to $2 018 a tonne, up from $1 770 a tonne a year earlier and the rand price of aluminium rose by 18% by the end of 2020.” However, the group’s turnover dropped by 20% to R8.55 billion, while its headline loss progressed to R210 million compared to R240m reported last year. Richard Jacob, CEO, said: “The group faced strong headwinds during 2020 as local and export sales...
Japan’s export of aluminium tubes and pipes during 2018-20 denotes uneven movement
Japan remains one of the largest and most developed economies in the world. Its well-educated, industrious workforce and its large, affluent population make it one of the world's biggest consumer markets. It’s true, Japan’s annual GDP growth has averaged just 1.1% so far in the last decade, but its declining population and shrinking workforce are already translating into stronger per capital performance. The nation with the third largest assets in the world has registered export of 9283 tonnes of aluminium tubes and pipes during 2018-20 and the revenue generated from the export accounted for $96.94 million. However, when the export volume and earnings of 2020 get assembled with the existing two years, it denotes 13,254 tonnes and $134.70 million respectively. Japan’s export of aluminium...
RUSAL set to reconstruct four of its largest smelters in Siberia: Evgenii Nikitin, CEO of RUSAL
Evgenii Nikitin, the Chief Executive Officer of Rusal, one of the globally leading aluminium producers, delivered the statement from the Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum that Rusal is all set to reconstruct four of its largest smelters in Siberia. The modernisation strategy will be engrossed in building new production capacities at the smelters in Krasnoyarsk, Bratsk, Irkutsk and Novokuznetsk. At all four locations, new potrooms will be built using prebaked anodes which utilises the most modern and environmentally friendly technology. The modernisation program will shrink the environmental impact of metallurgical production and lower energy consumption by up to 20%. The work is catalogued to initiate this year, with forecasted to accomplish in 2030. It is expected that RUSAL’s board of...
Aluminium outperforming steel for its 100% recycling nature, says recycling equipment developer STEINERT
The Germany-based recycling equipment and systems manufacturer, STEINERT stated: “Aluminium is increasingly replacing conventional materials, such as steel and can be 100% recycled; the metal has a very promising future.” “What's more, using secondary aluminium, also known as green aluminium, cuts energy use in production by up to 90% compared with virgin material.” Aluminium in scrap form is recovered from any situation and is recycled to produce new products. Now, the aluminium producers require their secondary raw materials to display consistently with high levels of purity and here comes STEINERT's new EVO 5.0 generation of machines that are developed to do this job. Steinert said: “Dry density sorting using x-ray transmission is a proven method used by hundreds of metal recycling...
RUSAL donates $1.5 million worth ultra-modern bauxite analysis and quality control laboratory to Guinea
Rusal, a completely vertically integrated aluminium company has donated a bauxite quality control and analysis laboratory to Guinea. RUSAL has been operating successfully for 20 years in the Guinea mining sector. On 12 th April 2021, the official handover of this laboratory took place in the presence of Ismaël Dioubaté, the Guinean Minister of Budget, General Toumany Sangaré, the Director-General of Customs, as well as several executives from the Ministries of Mines and Budget. RUSAL contributed towards this ultra-modern modern laboratory to the Guinean State, as it includes the framework of its traditional support to the government and the people of Guinea. This laboratory is the first of its kind in the country and is located in the Kamsar (Boké) sub-prefecture. The infrastructure is...
Namibia’s import of aluminium cans during 2018-20 illustrates strong growth with a sharp downswing
The economy of Namibia is projected to grow by 2.6% in 2021 and 3.3% in 2022, astride of a steady recovery in financial services, tourism, retail and wholesale trade and the mining industries—combined with a refinement in the regional and global economic environment. But the economy still faces substantial risks and challenges in the short to medium term, for instance, if the pandemic continues, the revival of critical sectors such as tourism, agriculture, and retail and wholesale trade would be slower than much anticipated. The southern western African nation has recorded 32,908 tonnes of aluminium cans importation during 2018-19 and the amount expended for the import remained at $270.07 million. The import for 2020 stood at 6848 tonnes and the expenditure accounted for $57.68 million....
MBF Aluminum employees to demonstrate in snail operation between Saint-Claude and Lons
On 14 th April, the MBF Aluminium employees are going leave with their vehicles to show a demonstration from Saint-Claude to reach Lons-le-Saunier as slowly as possible, as agreed on 12 th April 2021. The start of this snail operation demonstration is scheduled for 1 p.m., in front of the factory. The procession will be heard in particular in the villages crossed as far as Lons-le-Saunier. Employees will park on Rue de la Préfecture and avenue Aristide-Briand. A meeting between their representatives and the prefect of Jura is planned. “We will thus address directly to the representative of the State in our department," recalls Naïl Yalcin of the CGT. “Since we have understood that only ministers can now put pressure on car manufacturers so that they keep their commitments, as far as...
Egypt imposes anti-dumping duty for 3 years on selective aluminium imports
Nevine Gamea, Egypt’s Minister of Trade and Industry send out a decision to impose anti-dumping measures on imports of selective aluminium products for three years. The products comprise moulds, cylinders and wire, with the measures to initiate from mid-April, at a rate of 16.5% of Insurance and Freight (CIF) value with a minimum of $333 per tonne for the first year. Moreover, this enfolds 13.5% of the CIF value, with a minimum of $271 per tonne for the second year, and 10.5% of the CIF value, with a minimum of $211 per tonne in the third year. Ibrahim Al-Sigini, Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry for Economic Affairs, said: “The ministry had previously agreed, in April 2020, to start implementing preventive measures against the large increase in imports of aluminium products that...
Self-taught British designer Tom Dixon launches ‘HYDRO Chair’ made of recyclable aluminium
On 13 th March 2021, the self-taught British designer Tom Dixon will unveil on a digital platform, the new and innovative chair at his Studio '24 hours in Milan'. The chair made of recyclable aluminium is named as ‘HYDRO Chair’ and is designed for longevity, multiuse and importantly for easy recycling. As it is manufactured with 100% aluminium and with few components, it is effortless to take apart when sometime in the future it will reach the end of its life as a chair. Tom Dixon is renowned for his love of metals and chose aluminium due to its endless design opportunities like light and robust and the chair is designed keeping sustainability in mind. Tom Dixon, Founder and Creative Director of Tom Dixon Studio, said: “I have always been obsessed with materials and aluminium in...
Bangladesh import of aluminium stranded wire during 2019-20 shows exponential growth; 2021 envisions 2% upswing
The economy of Bangladesh has visualized being one of the fastest-growing contenders in the world in context to the past few years, with a stable economic performance that has supported to shrink poverty and social inequalities. The country’s GDP growth was estimated to have reached 8.2% in 2019 and remained positive at 3.8% in 2020 despite the global economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is predicted to shot up to 4.4% in 2021 and 7.9% in 2022, according to the updated IMF forecasts. The South Asian nation to the east of India has registered importation of 26,061 tonnes of aluminium stranded wire in 2019-20 and the foreign revenue expended for the import remained at $68.86 million. Bangladesh import of aluminium stranded wire in 2019 was recorded at 9242 tonnes and the revenue...
