AlCircle News Edited By "Staff Editor"
AL Circle x Mayank Jain: On India’s evolving Façade market and VIVA’s foray into 0.7 mm aluminium Louvre & Baffles
Mayank Jain, the Director of VIVA ACP, holds a total experience of 6 years within the organisation. He focuses mainly on driving innovation in the future of façade architecture. His vision is to expand Viva ACP’s footprint to more than 100 countries in the coming time. He focuses on embedding both innovative ideas and sustainability for the entire global façade industry to shape iconic skylines. Jain, through an interview with AL Circle, shares his views on India’s evolving façade market as the best place for VIVA to enter the market, which supports performance, sustainability, and integrated design solutions. He believes VIVA’s entry into louvres and baffles aligns perfectly with the present demand of façade architecture in the market. He mainly emphasises the quality, durability,...
Rio Tinto to invest $50 million to improve waste handling at Tiwai Point
Rio Tinto’s New Zealand Aluminium Smelter is preparing for a major shift in how it handles spent pot lining, confirming a USD 50 million investment in a new processing facility for the aluminium byproduct at Tiwai Point. The facility will tackle spent cell liners (SCL) that have, until now, been stored either in covered sheds or within a sealed pad at the site. Its management has long been a point of contention and, at times, controversy. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain One of the defining moments came in 2021, when the global chief executive, Jakob Stausholm, travelled to Wellington to apologise to the Government for the company’s approach to waste handling. The apology followed the 2020 emergency in Mataura, when hundreds...
Alcore secures full funding for its Bell Bay hydrogen fluoride plant
ABx Group’s subsidiary ALCORE has secured full funding to go ahead with its hydrogen fluoride pilot plant in Tasmania. The plant, planned for the ALCORE Technology Centre beside Rio Tinto’s aluminium smelter in Bell Bay, will demonstrate a process to extract hydrogen fluoride from the by-products of aluminium smelting. This is indeed the next major step in ALCORE’s effort to commercialise a technology that has been under development for several years. ALCORE secured the lease for the Bell Bay facility in early 2025, giving it a 500 square meter industrial site directly adjacent to the smelter that will provide the by-product feedstock. The project’s financial base was further strengthened by a conditional loan from the Tasmanian Government and federal support through the Modern...
20-13 aluminium recycling initiative by Alspec to promote circularity within Australia
Alspec, Alspex, and Rio Tinto have recently come together to enhance a closed-loop aluminium recycling programme, aimed at supporting local industry with raw materials, help them reduce emissions, and strengthen low-carbon supply chain in Queensland. The initiative is called 20-13 as the aluminium content in the final product is supposed to be a minimum of 20 per cent. As part of the initiative, all the aluminium scrap generated from Alspec and Alspex would be collected and sent to Rio Tinto’s Boyne Smelters Limited (BSL) in Gladstone for the manufacture of aluminium billets with 20 per cent recycled content. These converted billets would then be destined to Alspex for being extruded into new aluminium profiles, and finally transported to local manufacturers for making windows, doors, and...
Hydro discloses plans for the closure of 5 extrusion plants across Europe
Norsk Hydro has revealed its plans for a major restructuring of its European Extrusions business, putting forward a proposal to close five manufacturing sites across the region. The company says the move is intended to consolidate its footprint and reinforce competitiveness in what it describes as a challenging market environment. Image for representational purposes only Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain As per the official disclosure by the brand, operations would cease at Hydro Extrusions’ plants in Cheltenham and Bedwas in the UK, Lüdenscheid in Germany, Feltre in Italy, and Drunen in the Netherlands. Consultations with employee representatives are set to begin immediately, and if the plans are confirmed, the facilities will...
Norsk Hydro stresses discipline at Investor Day amidst volatility
Norsk Hydro entered its 2025 Investor Day with a clear message: the company is prepared to navigate tougher markets while staying on course with its long-term plan for a greener aluminium value chain. Over the past year, Hydro has continued executing its 2030 strategy despite unpredictable demand patterns, relying on a mix of cost cuts, capacity reshaping and renewable investments to secure future growth. The centrepiece of this year’s update is a major tightening of the Extrusions footprint in Europe. Hydro plans to close five plants across the region as part of a consolidation effort designed to improve capacity utilisation and trim operating costs. The move carries an estimated restructuring charge of NOK 1.9 billion ( USD 190 million) but is expected to deliver NOK 0.5 billion ( USD...
Asian automaker taps AEM for aluminium motor tech amidst copper concerns
An Asian automotive giant has leveraged aluminium-wound motor technology designed by Newcastle-based Advanced Electric Machines (AEM) for potential use in high-volume passenger vehicles, following the vulnerable copper supply chain affecting the global EV industry. Where performance and price once dominated decision-making in the EV industry, procurement considerations have now taken centre stage. The volatility in the mineral geopolitics has made the situation even more vulnerable. Copper, which has so far been a default choice for motor windings, has now become a point of vulnerability, with almost 50% of copper’s global refining capacity being concentrated in one region. This has exposed automakers to strategic blockage and price concerns. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business...
Pahal Solar expands solar module portfolio with move into aluminium frame manufacturing
Pahal Solar, a Surat-based solar panel module manufacturing firm, is eyeing to push backward integration to expand its solar panel module components portfolio. The company aims to augment its product range as well as manufacturing capabilities to strengthen the domestic supply chain for solar module components in line with the demand growth. This shift is also aligned with the wider industry trend of reducing import dependence and improving production stability. Ayush Sharma, Head – North India at Pahal Solar, explained the firm is preparing to scale up by deploying more efficient technologies and introducing new groundbreaking solar products. Pahal Solar currently operates with 2 GW of module capacity, and is working on adding an additional 2 GW capacity in the near term . Explore- Most...
A leap towards green mobility: Vedanta deploys 116 new electric forklifts at Jharsuguda smelter
In a major push towards sustainable operations, Vedanta Limited Aluminium has expanded its lithium-ion electric forklift fleet to 142 units across Odisha and Chhattisgarh facilities. Doubling its previous totals, this move is one of the remarkable sustainability pushes of the country’s biggest aluminium producer, further strengthening its position with India’s largest electric forklift fleet. The announcement coincides with World Sustainable Transport Day on November 26, an annual UN observance that highlights the importance of safe, accessible and environmentally responsible transport networks to support socio-economic development in the coming years.. This year’s theme resonated well at Vedanta Limited, where sustainable mobility is increasingly viewed as an essential pillar of wider...
United States clean energy spending reaches a new high on EV surge, solar boom, and rising aluminium usage
The United States closed the third quarter of 2025 with a record investment of USD 75 billion in renewable energy, suggesting a rapid momentum in the country’s energy transition efforts. Figures compiled by the Clean Investment Monitor (CIM) show a similar trend, with spending on clean energy rising 9 per cent from the previous quarter and 8 per cent compared with Q3 last year. The momentum extends across the year with USD 279 billion invested in clean vehicles (zero emission vehicles), carbon management, building electrification and clean power deployment, contributing to 6 per cent annual increase, reveals CIM. A snapshot of a rapidly expanding market Based on the nationwide records covering 22,000 manufacturing and energy facilities, five million zero-emission vehicle registrations, 28...
ARC delivers key phase of Hulamin’s mill modernisation
Hulamin’s long-running modernisation of its aluminium rolling operations has taken a significant step forward, with A Richards Consulting (ARC) completing the second phase of the upgrade to the company’s S5 cold mill in South Africa. Hulamin is the largest aluminium rolling facility in Sub-Saharan Africa and is also one of the region’s biggest exporters, with overseas sales accounting for more than half of its revenue. At the centre of the project is the drive to process wider strips, a change that opens access to new markets and enables the S5 mill to concentrate on high-quality, 14-out can-stock material. Hulamin expects the shift to improve product flow across the entire plant, ultimately raising overall utilisation. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+...
Vesper: A new scrap grade set to reshape the world of wrought aluminium recycling
Recycled Materials Association (ReMA), a sustainable recyclable advocacy group, has approved a new aluminium scrap grade called “vesper,” marking a notable shift in how the industry handles the wrought fraction found in end-of-life (EOL) vehicles and other complex scrap streams. The update to the ISRI specifications was developed with Novelis and key aluminium recycling partners. The goal behind approving this new scrap grade is to create a clean, high-value scrap stream that can return to sheet, extrusion, and plate applications without being contaminated by cast alloys. Rising demand for wrought aluminium, leading to a birth of Vesper Demand for aluminium across mobility, packaging, and infrastructure is rising fast. Automotive trends show the sharpest rise. Ducker Carlisle, a global...
Sustainability and new formats drive a surge in the beverage can market
Over the next few years, there will be a steady global aluminium demand for making beverage cans, suggests a new industry report. As per the forecast, the global beverage can market will reach USD 43.37 billion by 2029. The sector, currently valued at USD 33.64 billion, is expected to edge up to USD 34.84 billion in 2025, maintaining the measured growth seen in recent years at a 3.6 per cent CAGR. Analysts say that the foundations for this rise were laid in the past decade. For quite some time, aluminium can manufacturers have been swapping glass for cans and companies remain focused on recycling, sustainability and cost-effective production. With consumers leaning more towards convenient packaging, aluminium can manufacturers are embracing sustainable packaging solutions to capture...
South West Pinnacle wins 24-month bauxite consultancy contract from NALCO
South West Pinnacle Exploration, a company specialising in mining exploration services, has reportedly secured a mining consultancy assignment worth INR 11.78 crore (USD 1.41 million) from National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO). The project will span for 24 months, potentially boosting South West Pinnacle’s revenue from bauxite mine exploration consultancy services. The importance of this engagement lies in the nature of the resource itself. Bauxite forms the backbone of aluminium production, and NALCO’s long-term mining plan depends on the assessment of its deposits. At the same time, this assignment will allow South West Pinnacle Exploration to broaden its existing portfolio while reinforcing its reputation in advanced mineral investigation. Its continued focus on exploration...
Aluminium import duty cripples MSMEs, warns ASMA
The government is facing fresh pressure to rethink its tariff policy on aluminium, with the Aluminium Secondary Manufacturers Association (ASMA) warning that the current import duty on primary metal is crippling large parts of the downstream industry. Image source: https://ocdn.eu/ Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain In a letter to the government, ASMA argued that a 7.5 per cent duty on primary aluminium , a metal produced for the first time from alumina through an electrolytic process, is inflating domestic prices to levels that many manufacturers can no longer sustain. However, the secondary aluminium, made from recycled scrap, does not face this issue, but most downstream producers remain heavily dependent on primary metal....
PABC plans new aluminium cans manufacturing hub in Afghanistan
Pakistan Aluminium Beverage Cans Limited (PABC) is all set to expand its manufacturing reach beyond borders, in line with a consistent demand surge for sustainable packaging. According to a recent report, PABC is gearing up to establish a facility in Afghanistan, with a production capacity of 1.3 billion cans per year, involving a capital investment of about USD 110 million. The project is still awaiting regulatory and other standard clearances, but PABC says the move reflects its long-term intent to reinforce regional supply security. In its statement, the company highlighted a series of priorities tied to the expansion : improving supply-chain resilience, reducing delivery times for customers, supporting industrial growth in key markets and expanding access to high-quality, sustainable...
TALCO signs a preliminary agreement to acquire Eastern Aluminium Extrusion
Aluminium supplier Al Taiseer Group Talco Industrial Company (TALCO), an aluminium extrusion company in Saudi Arabia has opened a new chapter in Saudi Arabia’s aluminium sector with a preliminary agreement to acquire Eastern Aluminium Extrusion Factory. The non-binding MoU allows TALCO, an aluminium extrusion company, to begin feasibility studies and financial and legal due diligence, as stated in its filing to the Saudi stock exchange. The agreement runs for nine months, with an option for extension. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain This month, TALCO unveiled a strategic plan that prioritises mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. The company aims to expand its product portfolio and deepen manufacturing capabilities. The...
Aluminium firm Chuangxin Industries outperforms in its trading debut at SEHK
Chuangxin Industries, a leading integrated producer of electrolytic aluminium and alumina in China, has made a smart entrance in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising HKD 5.5 billion (USD 707 million) from the sale of 500 million shares priced at HKD 10.99 (USD1.41) each. The aluminium producer’s retail tranche was oversubscribed 447.2 times, and the stock closed at HKD14.59 (USD1.88), about 33 per cent above the offer price. The surge instantly lifted founder Cui Lixin’s wealth to an estimated USD 3.6 billion, turning the 56-year-old into a new billionaire. His fortune stems from his stake in Chuangxin and his separate ownership in Innovation New Material Technology, the Shanghai-listed aluminium products maker that also happens to be one of Chuangxin’s largest customers. Explore- Most...
