AlCircle News Edited By "Staff Editor"
Trimet expands German recycling capacity by 80,000 tonnes per annum
German aluminium producer Trimet has outlined plans for investments at its recycling operations, including the construction of a new aluminium recycling facility in Hamm and capacity expansions at existing sites in Gelsenkirchen and Essen. At its recycling plant in Gelsenkirchen, the company has expanded production capacity through the installation of new melting units. The additional equipment is expected to increase recycled aluminium output by up to 80,000 tonnes per year. The site is also incorporating renewable energy measures, with solar panels installed on building rooftops to supply electricity for operations. From August 2026, the melting furnaces at the facility will begin operating with hydrogen-rich process gas. According to the company, the fuel generates lower carbon dioxide...
Metro Mining's May bauxite shipments jump 45% as operations rebound
Metro Mining has reported improved operating performance at its Bauxite Hills Mine in Cape York, North Queensland, after weather-related disruptions affected activity earlier this year. Bauxite shipments reached 604,000 wet metric tonnes (WMT) in May, an increase of 45 per cent from April. The rise followed the return of the offshore floating terminal Ikamba after completing its statutory dry-dock programme. The terminal lifted shipping capacity despite undergoing recommissioning works and operating with a single crane while a luffing cylinder replacement was carried out. Higher throughput helped compensate for earlier setbacks, including adverse weather and an eight-day unplanned outage involving the TSA Skardon floating crane barge. Total shipments for the year to date stood at 1.12...
EU foreign minister set to address the reported alumina exports issue during Ireland visit
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is expected to discuss Irish alumina exports to Russia during a visit to Dublin this week, according to EU officials familiar with her plans. The visit comes ahead of Ireland taking over the rotating presidency of the European Union on July 1 and follows reports that much of the alumina produced at Aughinish Alumina has been shipped to Russia since 2023. The County Limerick refinery is owned by Russian aluminium producer Rusal, which is linked to businessman Oleg Deripaska. Although the exports have drawn criticism, alumina is not included in current EU sanctions against Russia, meaning the trade remains legal under existing rules. Explore: The most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report – Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to...
Kaiser Aluminum sees institutional changes as investors adjust holdings
Investment firm Intech Investment Management reduced its stake in Kaiser Aluminum during the fourth quarter, selling a large portion of its holdings in the company. The move came as a number of other institutional investors also adjusted their positions in the aluminium producer. Large shareholders, including Vanguard Group, State Street, Dimensional Fund Advisors, American Century Companies and Wellington Management, continued to hold significant stakes in the company. Kaiser Aluminum’s shares have performed strongly over the past year, trading well above their 52-week low and approaching record levels reached during the period. Kaiser Aluminum recently reported quarterly results that beat market expectations. The company posted earnings of USD 3.74 per share, compared with analyst...
China Hongqiao parent company buys 21 million shares in HKD 556M deal
Aluminium producer China Hongqiao Group Ltd. said on Monday, June 8, 2026, that its parent company, China Hongqiao Holdings, purchased 21 million shares in the company at an average price of HKD 26.464 per share. The transaction amounted to a total consideration of HKD 556 million (USD 71.28 million). The acquisition represents approximately 0.21 per cent of China Hongqiao's total issued share capital and increases China Hongqiao Holdings' stake in the company to 62.31 per cent. China Hongqiao Holdings is principally owned by Chairman Zhang Bo. The parent company said it believes China Hongqiao's current share price does not fully reflect the company's intrinsic value and added that it does not rule out further increases in its shareholding in the future. China Hongqiao shares opened flat...
LME aluminium cash bid price falls 1.77% on June 8 as stocks continue to decline
The London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium prices, as witnessed in the previous three sessions, have persisted on the declining graph at the close of the June 8 session. The LME aluminium cash bid price declined to USD 3,669 per tonne on June 8 from USD 3,735 per tonne on June 5 , marking a decrease of around 1.77 per cent. The LME aluminium cash offer price also eased 1.78 per cent to USD 3,669.5 per tonne on June 8 from USD 3,736 per tonne in the previous session. In the three-month contract segment, the LME aluminium 3-month bid price stood at USD 3,600 per tonne on June 8, down 1.88 per cent from USD 3,669 per tonne recorded on June 5. The three-month offer price fell 1.88 per cent to USD 3,600.5 per tonne from USD 3,669.5 per tonne. Meanwhile, the December 27 bid price declined 1.44...
Oklahoma governor backs proposed Inola aluminium plant despite opposition
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has expressed his support for the proposed aluminium production facility in Inola amidst increasing local opposition and state officials. Stitt, in a video posted on social media, said the project is important for U.S. manufacturing and aluminium production, linking it to efforts to increase domestic output of materials used across a range of industries. The Governor said the facility would be the first aluminium production plant of its kind to be built in the United States in over 45 years. It would be the biggest aluminium producing plant ever built in the country, he said. Stitt said boosting domestic aluminium production is important as the US continues to reduce its reliance on overseas supplies. Aluminium is used extensively in aerospace, defence and...
Titagarh Rail targets fully indigenous aluminium coach manufacturing by FY27
Titagarh Rail Systems aims to achieve full domestic manufacturing of aluminium railway coaches by FY27, marking a significant step in India's efforts to localise advanced rolling stock production. The Uttarpara-based rail equipment manufacturer has already supplied aluminium coaches for the Pune Metro project and has secured an additional order to produce 12 more aluminium trainsets. The company previously depended on imports of flat packs and sub-assemblies from Italian rolling stock manufacturer Firema for aluminium coach production. However, it has since invested in the machinery required to manufacture these components domestically, enabling it to move towards complete in-house production. According to the company, the localisation drive will allow it to manufacture aluminium coaches...
MBK completes Altemira acquisition after clearing Japan's security review
MBK Partners has completed the acquisition of Japanese aluminium packaging producer Altemira Holdings, a deal that successfully cleared Japan's economic security review process. The private equity firm acquired a controlling stake in Altemira from Apollo Global Management. The transaction was valued at approximately JPY 130 billion (USD 811 million) on an enterprise value basis. The deal comes just weeks after MBK withdrew from its planned acquisition of Makino Milling Machine, which faced objections from Japanese authorities over national security concerns. According to industry sources, both transactions were reviewed under Japan's foreign exchange law, which requires government approval for foreign investments in sectors considered important to national security and public safety....
Ghana's mining future depends on local investment, not just ownership debates, says industry expert
Ghana's mining sector already provides avenues for local participation, but the bigger challenge is encouraging more Ghanaian investors to commit capital to the industry, according to mining engineer and consultant Ing. Wisdom Gomashie. Speaking to The High Street Journal during WAMPEX 2026, Gomashie questioned why local investors are not making greater use of mining concessions available through the Minerals Commission. He said debates about mine ownership often focus on foreign companies while paying less attention to the investment, management and operational requirements needed to build successful Ghanaian-owned mining businesses. Gomashie also rejected suggestions that local participation in mining is lacking. He pointed to Ghana Bauxite Company, which is majority Ghanaian-owned, as...
Scandium Canada teams up with University of Waterloo on aluminium-scandium alloy research
Scandium Canada has signed a mutual non-disclosure agreement with the University of Waterloo to begin research on aluminium-scandium alloys for additive manufacturing applications. The collaboration brings together Scandium Canada's Scandium+ division and the University of Waterloo's Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing Laboratory (MSAM), a research centre based at Catalyst137 in Kitchener, Ontario. The first phase of the project will focus on developing manufacturing parameters for Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), a metal 3D-printing process widely used for producing complex components. The partners said the work is intended to help expand the commercial use of aluminium-scandium alloys while lowering production costs. Aluminium-scandium alloys have attracted growing attention because they...
UNFOLD pavilion rethinks temporary architecture through circular design
Design studio Unknown Surface Studio has unveiled UNFOLD, a thematic pavilion created for Aluframe that challenges traditional ideas of temporary architecture. The project presents a new approach to exhibition spaces by focusing on circular material use and long-term sustainability. Rather than building a short-term structure that becomes waste after an event, UNFOLD has been designed as a regenerative system. The pavilion is intended to continue contributing to material life cycles long after the exhibition ends. It functions not only as an exhibition venue but also as a model for future temporary architecture that prioritises reuse and adaptability. The idea for the pavilion came directly from Aluframe’s warehouse environment. Inside the facility, rows of aluminium profiles stored in...
Metalco-Alupack partners with CBC India to grow its pharmaceutical packaging business
CBC India’s Ingredients & Packaging Solutions (IPS) Division has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Metalco-Alupack, a European manufacturer of pharmaceutical aluminium packaging solutions. The partnership will support the distribution and market development of Metalco-Alupack's products in India and expand CBC India’s packaging portfolio for the pharmaceutical sector. Metalco-Alupack manufactures seamless anodised aluminium containers used for chemical and pharmaceutical products, including sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The company supplies pharmaceutical packaging solutions to customers in multiple markets and provides regulatory support for its products. Commenting on the partnership, Mario Bartolomei, Managing Director of Metalco-Alupack, said the...
Goyal Aluminium posts strong March quarter growth as net sales rise 80.89% Y-o-Y
Financial performance by Goyal Aluminium in the quarter ending March 2026 was very strong, and this is due to an increase in both revenue generation and profitability relative to the previous year. The firm generated standalone net sales worth INR 285.1 million (USD 3.34 million) for the March 2026 quarter, registering an impressive jump of 80.89 per cent from Rs 157.6 million (USD 1.85 million) reported in the March 2025 quarter. Net profits posted in March 2026 were very healthy at Rs 18.3 million (USD 214 thousand), compared to just INR 100 thousand (approx. USD 1,100) posted in March 2025. There was a huge jump of 24 thousand per cent in profits from a year ago. EBITDA for the company was INR 22.7 million (USD 266,000) during the quarter of March 2026, an increase of 845.83 per cent...
Japan faces a $480/t, amounting to a 36% hike in aluminium premiums for Q3’26 contracts
A global aluminium producer has offered Japanese buyers a USD 480 per tonne premium on primary aluminium shipments for the July-September quarter. The proposed premium is around 36-37 per cent higher than the USD 350- USD 353 per tonne agreed for the April-June quarter. Japan is Asia’s largest importer of aluminium, and the quarterly premium paid by Japanese buyers over the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price serves as a benchmark for aluminium pricing across the region. For the April-June quarter, Japanese buyers agreed to pay premiums of USD 350-353 per tonne, up 79-81 per cent from the previous quarter and the highest level in 11 years amid tightening supply conditions linked to the conflict in the Middle East. Recent negotiations indicate that premiums could rise further in the...
Vedanta Aluminium promotes Ashish Khilnani from COO to the Vice Presidential role
Ashish Khilnani has been promoted to Vice President at Vedanta Aluminium. Before the promotion, Khilnani served as COO – Logistics at Vedanta Limited's Aluminium Business, where he was responsible for logistics operations at the company's aluminium facilities in Jharsuguda, Odisha. He has more than 20 years of experience in logistics, plant operations, procurement, inventory management, industrial purchasing and supply chain management across the cement, aluminium and manufacturing sectors. Prior to joining Vedanta Aluminium, Khilnani worked at Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd., where he held positions including Logistics Cluster Head – Odisha and General Manager. During his time with the company, he was involved in logistics management, plant operations and supply chain activities across...
Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is to team up with RUSAL to explore aluminium investment near Pioneer refinery
Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT and Electronics, Nara Lokesh, met senior officials of RUSAL on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2026. The main objective was to discuss RUSAL’s potential investment in Andhra Pradesh and opportunities to expand aluminium manufacturing in the state. Lokesh reviewed the progress of RUSAL’s investment in Pioneer Aluminium Industries, where the company bought a 26 per cent stake in March 2025. Pioneer Aluminium runs a 1.5 million tonne-per-annum alumina refinery in Andhra Pradesh and supplies both domestic and export markets. During the meeting, Minister Lokesh invited RUSAL to analyse the next phase of investment by setting up aluminium smelting capacity beside the existing alumina refinery. According to the...
Louis Vuitton launches aluminium luggage collection with rivet-free design
Luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton has unveiled Horizon Aluminium, a new luggage collection developed by collaboration with industrial designer Marc Newson. The collection marks the tenth anniversary of Louis Vuitton Horizon Aluminium Collection travel range and is the brand's first luggage line made entirely from aluminium. According to the company, the suitcase is built from a single-piece aluminium shell and does not use visible rivets. Traditional external hinges have also been replaced with concealed internal hinges, giving the luggage a cleaner appearance. The aluminium surface has Louis Vuitton's Monogram pattern, which the company said helps strengthen the shell by spreading stress evenly across the surface. Explore: The most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused...
