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.
Emirates Global Aluminium IPO may take place in 2023: Mubadala
According to Mubadala Investment Company PJSC, the biggest shareholders of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), stated that the Middle East’s largest aluminium producer, may sell shares to the public as soon as the third quarter of 2023. On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, the CEO of Mubadala Investment, told Bloomberg, “It will happen maybe this year. We’ll see how markets react. If it’s appropriate and makes sense for the shareholders and us, we might go in the third or fourth quarter.” For some years, EGA, owned equally by Mubadala and the Investment Corporation of Dubai, has been considering an initial public offering. However, according to Bloomberg, it was planning to hire three US banks as lead underwriters for the deal...
Aluminium may revolutionize the market for electric vehicles: CEO, Vedanta Aluminium
On January 19, 2023, the CEO of Vedanta Aluminium, Rahul Sharma, said that the weight of a car is reduced by one kilogramme for every kilogramme of aluminium utilised in the vehicle. He continued that this correlates to an improvement in the driving range, meaning that 100 kg saved on any electric car might yield an additional 10-15 per cent increase in range, which will be crucial for promoting higher EV adoption among consumers. The CEO predicted that the transition to a net zero economy would be metal-intensive as nations quickly adopt clean technologies in response to the immediate need for urgent climate action and sustainable lifestyles. One of the essential metals that will facilitate this transformation and meet the growing need for sustainable systems, eco-friendly technologies,...
Vimetco subsidiary SMHL suspends bauxite mining operations in Sierra Leone
On January 10, 2023, Sierra Mineral Holdings 1 Limited, a subsidiary of Vimetco N.V., issued a memo stating that it would temporarily suspend all operations in Sierra Leone. The memo states that the suspension is due to the lack of bauxite sales on the global market, which has had a detrimental effect on the company's cash flow and capacity to continue with business as usual. However, the company has requested that all junior employees stay home during this time and be paid in full for January 2023. Sierra Mineral Holdings 1 Limited (SHML) is a subsidiary of Vimetco Holdings, a global aluminium conglomerate. SHML has been supplying bauxite to the global market. The company owns a mining lease covering 321.7 square kilometres in the same belt as the well-known Guinea bauxite deposit. They...
Automakers can use new casting technology to reduce costs
The car manufacturing process could be completed with much more reduced cost, eco-friendly, and rapid with new aluminium component production state-of-art technology. Typically, aluminium is essential to reducing a car's weight, which also aids in lowering fuel consumption. The modern vehicle contains significant amounts of aluminium, and the use of metal is increasing. The casting technology was developed by the Norwegian aluminium giant Hydro and is performed under vacuum conditions. The ability to cast aluminium bolts with small diameters and excellent surface qualities has allowed the metal to be employed directly in producing parts like automotive suspension components. Cast material reduces production waste while lowering costs, improving efficiency, and improving the environment...
Australian bauxite miners may gain from Indonesia's export prohibition
In the last days of 2022, the President of Indonesia finally announced that from July 2023, the largest country in Southeast Asia would prohibit exporting bauxite as it intensifies its protectionist policy to foster sophisticated domestic manufacturing. On January 18, 2023, Bahlil Lahadalia, the Investment Minister of Indonesia, confirmed the bauxite ban decision in remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The decision would be an advantage for Australian bauxite producers because China, the major consumer of Indonesian bauxite, will have to find new markets for its product. Indonesia has been the third-largest exporter of bauxite to China in recent years, after Guinea and Australia. Mr Lahadalia said, "The Indonesian government took this action to encourage the domestic aluminium...
Otium Capital invests €8 million in green industrial tech company IB2 to accelerate its development
The green industrial tech company IB2 founded by Yves Occello, has developed a green and innovative technology allowing alumina refineries to process and valuate low-grade bauxite ores. Many alumina refineries have so far chosen to import bauxite rather than utilize close-by local resources because the depletion of high-quality local resources constrains them. IB2 provides these refineries with a real alternative, making low-grade bauxite viable through its revolutionary and environment-friendly process. Thus, beyond the financial and strategic benefits generated by IB2 Technology, refineries will dramatically improve their carbon footprint and fully participate in the circular economy. Indeed, the IB2 technology not only reduces wastes but also evaluates them through producing a highly...
Metal Exchange Corporation promotes Mark Butterfield to President of Manufacturing
The family-owned private company dealing with non-ferrous metals with global headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, Metal Exchange Corporation, has announced that Mark Butterfield has been promoted to President of Manufacturing. In his new role, Mark Butterfield will be responsible for the overall strategic, financial, commercial, organizational, and operational aspects of all manufacturing across the Pennex and Electro Cycle, Inc. brands. Matt Rohm, the President and CEO, stated, “We recently unified the management of cast and extruded products under one manufacturing division. Our goal is to leverage resources and relationships across the enterprise better. The result is improved insights, efficiency, and end-to-end Advanced Aluminum Solutions for our customers. When it came time to...
Import duties on Indian aluminium and steel to pursue until excess capacity is addressed: US official
According to a senior US government official, the US government under Joe Biden will not lift the higher import taxes levied by the Trump administration on aluminium and steel products made in India until the "fundamental issue" of excess capacity and the actions that contributed to the issue are resolved. On January 17, 2023, Arun Venkataraman, the US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets, at a media briefing in New Delhi, said Washington, on the other hand, has taken note of the visa delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and is doubling direct hires at its embassy in India to expedite the process. Venkataraman added Washington was upbeat about its growing economic relations with New Delhi, and Indo-US trade crossed the $160-billion threshold in 2021. Still, both...
Bauxite and gold boom boost Guinea's exports by 30%
According to the data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS), based in Conakry, it has revealed that Guinea's export at the end of October 2022 recorded a rise of 29.5 per cent compared to September 2022. The INS highlighted in its note on the evolution of foreign trade that the country's exports amounted to 3,378.8 billion Guinean francs ($404.45 million) against 2,608.7 billion Guinean francs ($313.04 million) in September 2022. The bauxite and gold mining sectors have hugely contributed to the West African nation's export growth. One of the leading logistics companies reported record monthly shipments of Guinea bauxite supporting capesize trade. Volumes of bauxite exported from Guinea averaged 7.7 million tonnes in the first quarter of 2022 and 9.9 million tonnes in the year's...
Aluminium Recycling Coalition launched at EGA, aims to promote aluminium recycling in UAE
On January 15, 2023, Emirates Global Aluminium, one of the leading producers of aluminium and the leading beverage producers, can-makers and waste management companies, announced the launch of the Aluminium Recycling Coalition, intending to drive a step-change in aluminium recycling in the UAE. The partnership was launched at EGA in Al Taweelah in the presence of UAE Economy Minister Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri and UAE Climate Change and Environment Minister Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri. The alliance comprises EGA, Veolia, Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages Company, Coca-Cola Al Ahlia Beverages Company, BEEAH Tandeef, Pepsi-bottler Dubai Refreshment, Crown Bevcan EMEA, Abu Dhabi Waste Management Company (Tadweer), Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages Company. Aluminium is crucial to the...
Sony Walkman makes a comeback with aluminium casing
Almost everyone who grew up in the 1990s heard about or owned a Walkman. Sony recently launched the NW-A306, a new Android-powered portable music player. Sony's latest Walkman is made of aluminium and has a 3.6-inch touchscreen, 32GB of internal storage, and physical buttons that control the user interface and audio. In addition to weighing just 113 grams, the NW-A306 Walkman features Sony's S-Master HX digital amplifier. The device also includes an AI-powered sound engine called DSEE Ultimate, which the company claims can upscale compressed audio, improve CD quality 16-bit lossless codec audio, and restore acoustic subtleties and dynamic range.' Sony's current release supports various audio formats, including MP3, FLAC, WMA, AAC, AIFF, DSD, and Apple Lossless. It ships with Android 12...
World Economic Forum proposes long-term goals for addressing the energy crisis
On January 12, 2023, a new World Economic Forum report stated that inflation and sluggish economic growth result from the current energy crisis. However, taking short-term risks like broad-based consumer subsidies and increasing the power produced from coal is dangerous. The paper, ‘Securing the Energy Transition', put out a thorough strategic plan to make security and resilience the core elements of a system transitioning to alternative energy sources. It advocates coordinating ongoing efforts to deal with the energy crisis with long-term objectives for the energy transition. In the world of aluminium, the European and US industries suffer the most due to soaring energy prices. To a certain extent, primary aluminium production is slashed, and even companies owning the smelters have...
Epsilon Carbon lays the foundation stone for its second phase expansion project
India's only backwards integrated Carbon company with a fully dedicated source of raw materials, Epsilon Carbon, is set to begin its second phase of expansion. The team got together to perform the laying of the foundation stone ceremony. It's a significant progress milestone for the company as it ushers in a new dawn of growth and development. The groundbreaking ceremony occurred at the company's Vijayanagar plant in Karnataka, India. Vikram Handa, the Managing Director of the company, led the event, with his family participating in the ceremony. There was a feeling of new beginnings in the air, and the energy was energizing for all who attended. Epsilon Carbon Pvt Ltd, founded in 2010, is a manufacturer of coal tar derivatives led by a dedicated, experienced team of industry...
Romanian PVC joinery firm Casa Noastra eyes the UK market with its introductory aluminium products
The leading manufacturer in Romania for PVC joinery under the QFort brand Casa Noastra is building a new factory to include aluminium products in its offering. It has also publicised that in 2023 it would open a showroom in London, UK. Ştefan Cherciu, the company owner, stated, "The demand is very high in the UK, and the margin is the highest in Europe. In addition, due to the exit from the European Union, it is now much more difficult to reach Great Britain with goods, as quite expensive certifications are needed, so not everyone can do it anymore." The company made a 20-million-euro investment in an aluminium joinery manufacturing facility, for which it was given a 9-million-euro state grant. The step occurred after the Romanian joinery leader, Casa Noastra, attained record revenues of...
Aluminium Dunkerque to reactivate its idled capacity
On January 11, 2023, one of the largest aluminium smelters in Europe, Aluminium Dunkerque's spokesperson, said that the primary aluminium producer had begun resuming production capacity that had been idled when it was stung by skyrocketing electricity prices last year. The spokesperson added that the site, which reduced output by around a fifth in the fourth quarter, is expected to reach full capacity by May 2023. Several factors contributed to the move, including easing French power prices and government support for energy-intensive industries. Aluminium production in Europe has dropped to its lowest level since the 1970s as rising energy costs dealt a crushing blow to this energy-intensive industry.
Alba awards contract to Advanced United Systems for installation of ‘Solar Photovoltaic Panels’ over 37,000 m2
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), one of the world's largest aluminium smelters, announced that it had awarded its Solar Farm Project to Advanced United Systems (AUS) for the installation of Solar Photovoltaic (P.V.) Panels covering 37,000 m2 with a capacity of more than 6 Megawatts (M.W.). The Solar Farm Project will include approximately 11,300 solar panels that will be installed on the roofs of Alba parking lots and some of its buildings, including the Spent Pot Lining Treatment (SPL) Plant. The Solar Farm Project will generate approximately 10,539 MWHr per year and reduce approximately 7,591,760 kilogrammes of carbon emissions per year, for a total reduction of 189,794,000 kilogrammes of carbon emissions over a 25-year period. Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa, the Chairman of...
INR 700 crores to be raised through NCDs by Hindalco Industries
The world's largest aluminium flat-rolled products maker and aluminium recycler, Hindalco Industries' board has approved fundraising of up to INR 700 crore by issuing non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on a private placement basis. Hindalco Industries stated while filing in the exchange, "The capital raising committee of the company's board of directors at its meeting held on January 10, 2023, approved the issuance of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on private placement basis, for an amount not exceeding Rs 700 crore." On November 11, 2022, the company's board of directors approved borrowing up to INR 1,000 crore through loans, issuance of bonds, notes, debentures, or other securities to banks, financial institutions, or other eligible investors. The Aditya Birla Group's flagship company...
“Ball offers AI-based solutions to customers, like QR codes which can facilitate various interactions between brands and their customers and which we can print on cans”, Amit Lahoti, Senior Commercial Director & General Manager – Asia, Ball Beverage Packaging.
AlCircle: “Ball is bringing innovations in sustainable packaging that will help people live more sustainably and improve the health of the planet,” - following the information on your website, may we please ask what are initiatives taken by ball under its sustainability mission? Amit Lahoti: Ball is a leading manufacturer of aluminium beverage cans, the world's most recycled drinks package. We have a responsibility to our stakeholders and the planet to improve our business's environmental performance, social impact and economic returns and to take a leading role in driving industry-wide solutions to the climate crisis. Ball has been engaged in sustainability initiatives for many years. Our sustainability vision comprises Product Stewardship and Social Impact. For Product Stewardship, we...
