The US aluminum industry is placing renewed emphasis on workforce safety, domestic production, and material recovery, with the Aluminum Association’s sold-out Casthouse Safety Workshop in Charlotte, North Carolina, highlighting the importance of safe molten aluminum handling. The program trained more than 120 industry workers and has been running for over 30 years, with the Association describing it as a global benchmark for casthouse operators and supervisors. The workshop comes as the industry continues to focus on strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities and supply chains. Alongside workforce training, the Aluminum Association has called for bipartisan permitting reform to accelerate investment in US aluminum production, arguing that faster approvals could help unlock the...
Canada is looking to expand its domestic aluminium processing capacity as the government seeks to reduce the sector’s dependence on the United States. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly has described more than USD 193 million in federal funding for projects at five industrial sites in Quebec as a first step towards strengthening the country’s aluminium supply chain and building the capacity to process more metal at home. The funding, announced in La Baie, Quebec, covers projects at four Rio Tinto facilities in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region and the Alouette aluminium smelter in Sept-Îles. Joly, who also serves as the minister responsible for economic development in Quebec, said the investment reflects the strategic importance of aluminium to Canada’s economy and national sovereignty. The...
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Athens-based aluminium manufacturer ElvalHalcor’s newly issued shares have officially started trading on Euronext Athens on July 22. The shares were launched after the successful completion of the company’s recent share capital increase, which attracted strong interest from both institutional and retail investors. To mark the occasion, ElvalHalcor Chairman Konstantinos Katsaros formally opened the trading session alongside company executives, partners and representatives of Euronext Athens. Yianos Kontopoulos, Euronext Athens CEO, commented, “ The oversubscription of ElvalHalcor’s public offering and private placement demonstrates the strong response from both institutional and private investors and confirms the market’s confidence in the group’s growth strategy.” Kontopoulos noted that...
Within the January-May 2026 timeline, a considerable year-on-year dip can be noted in Bahrain’s export of all the aluminium product categories , viz., unwrought, bars, rods and profiles, foil, pipes and tubes, plates, sheets and strip, tube or pipe fittings, and wire. January-May export comparison: 2026 vs 2025 vs 2024 As of year-to-date (January to May) 2026, Bahrain’s aluminium export trend has been like this: YTD 2026 – 454,329.83 tonnes, down 14.21 per cent Y-o-Y from the 529,558.27 tonnes in 2025 YTD 2025 – 529,558.27 tonnes, down 1.34 per cent Y-o-Y from the 536,744.35 tonnes in 2024 While the Y-o-Y difference between YTD 2024 and 2025 represents a minor dip, the YTD 2025-2026 depicts a staggering decline. Explore the extrusion segment of the global aluminium industry with The World...
A research team at Purdue University has developed a new cobalt-aluminium (CoAl) alloy that has the potential to solve one of the major limitations of intermetallic materials, their tendency to break under stress. The newly developed material showed a strength of up to 10 times that of steel with the ability to deform without breaking. This research, published in Science Advances, could help the development of next-generation turbine engines in which materials are required to withstand extreme temperatures. Solving the brittleness problem Intermetallic compounds have long attracted interest for their high strength, excellent heat resistance and ability to withstand long-term mechanical stress. These properties make them suitable for components used in aircraft engines, gas turbines,...
China's Anda Group is expanding its aluminium die casting production capacity in Huzhou as demand for lightweight automotive components continues to grow across both internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicle (EV) markets. The first phase of the expansion is already operating at high utilisation, while the second phase is expected to be fully commissioned by the end of 2026. Once completed, the project will add approximately three million aluminium die cast components to the company's annual production capacity. According to the company, the investment is aimed at easing existing production constraints and fulfilling a growing order backlog that is already secured through the second half of 2026. Expansion supports EV component production Anda manufactures a range of precision...
The Aluminium Extrusion Manufacturers Association of India (ALEMAI) has launched 'Aluminium Bharat-2026', a national initiative aimed at strengthening India's aluminium midstream and downstream manufacturing sector. The initiative was unveiled at a press conference in Mumbai ahead of an exhibition that will be held alongside Alumex India 2026 from September 26 to 29, 2026, at the Helipad Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. ALEMAI said Indian aluminium manufacturers, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), continue to face high raw material costs because of elevated interest rates, energy expenses and taxes on inputs. The association noted that under Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with ASEAN countries and the UAE, downstream aluminium products can enter India at zero...
The global aluminium downstream market has been experiencing staggering declines, mapped with price and trade volatility. Recent incidents and market trends are must-watch, to be monitored closely for navigating and decision-making about future trading, hedging and subsequent investments. Products in the spotlight and where to buy them The global aluminium coffee capsule market is expanding rapidly, driven by rising coffee consumption and demand for convenient, premium-quality brewing solutions. Valued at USD 2.48 billion in 2025, the market is projected to reach USD 4.5 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 8.1 per cent. Europe accounts for about 40 per cent of global aluminium coffee capsule consumption, followed by North America with 32 per cent. The industry's growth is driven by...
Aluminium casting is the process of melting aluminium and pouring it into a mould, taking a fixed shape when it cools. That shape can be an engine block, a wheel, a gearbox housing, a window frame or a battery tray for an electric car. People pick aluminium over steel or iron for one simple reason: It is lightweight but still strong. A cast aluminium part can be up to half the weight of the same part in steel. Less weight means a car burns less fuel, an EV drives further on one charge and a plane carries more. There are three main ways to cast aluminium and the difference between them decides cost, speed and quality: Casting method How it works Best for Typical use Die casting Molten aluminium is forced into a steel mould under high pressure High volumes, thin walls, complex shapes Car...
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) materials scientists Aashish Rohatgi and Kate Rader have been awarded the 2026 ASM International Henry Marion Howe Medal for research that advances scientific understanding of aluminium manufacturing. The award recognises the best paper published in Metallurgical and Materials Transactions and marks the culmination of nearly a decade of work on how ultrasonic processing affects aluminium solidification. The research began in 2017, when Rohatgi set out to answer a challenging question: what happens inside aluminium castings when ultrasound is applied during solidification? While earlier studies had compared materials before and after processing, the underlying mechanisms remained largely unknown. Four years later, Rader joined PNNL as a...
Novelis Korea has announced that Choi Min-young, the company's Director of Government Affairs, has been appointed the inaugural chair of the Aluminium Committee of the Korea Nonferrous Metals Association (KONMA). KONMA is an industry association that supports the development of South Korea's nonferrous metals industry and works to improve the competitiveness of its member companies. The Aluminium Committee was established this year to promote the sustainable development of the aluminium industry and address common priorities across the sector. According to Novelis, the committee will focus on developing policy recommendations, supporting supply chain stability and responding to evolving global trade and environmental regulations. It also aims to strengthen the competitiveness of South...
Canada's aluminium extrusion industry is calling on the federal government to introduce trade protection measures, arguing that rising imports and US tariffs are placing increasing pressure on domestic manufacturers even as aluminium prices remain strong. Although aluminium has been one of the best-performing base metals over the past year, extrusion companies—which process aluminium billets into products used in construction, automotive, industrial equipment and other applications—say business conditions have deteriorated. Mike Flynn, President of Apel Extrusions Ltd., said the sector has already lost around 500 jobs since March 2025, representing about 12.5 per cent of its estimated 4,000-person workforce. He warned that another 800 jobs could be lost by the end of the year without...
Hydro Extrusion USA will close its aluminium extrusion facility in Delhi, Louisiana, next year, with operations scheduled to end on April 1, 2027. The closure will result in the loss of 226 jobs, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed with the Louisiana Workforce Commission in June. The layoffs are expected to take effect on March 31, 2027. The Delhi facility is one of two extrusion plants in the United States that Hydro plans to shut down. The second plant is located in the City of Industry, California. Together, the closures will affect around 350 employees. Hydro said, “Both sites face low capacity utilisation and require significant capital investment to meet operational standards.” As part of the restructuring, production from the two plants will be...
Postle Aluminum Co. has announced plans to install two new aluminium extrusion presses at its new 230,000-square-foot facility in Howe, Indiana. The expansion will increase the company's extrusion capacity and support existing customers, new business opportunities and OEM partners. The expansion includes a 10-inch extrusion press and a 7-inch extrusion press, both of which will be installed at a new 230,000-square-foot facility in Howe, Indiana. According to the company, the project is intended to support existing customers, expand into new markets and strengthen supply for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners. Mark Smith, president of the company, said, “We’re making this investment now to ensure we have the capacity, capabilities and reliability to support their growth without...
In the aluminium casting industry, every decision, be it a new investment, adopting new technology or upgrading the cast house, always carries a cost. The most cost pinch is faced when a decision is made without having reliable access to market intelligence. Various factors are reshaping the aluminium cast house, such as electric vehicles (EVs), reshaping the component design and mega-casting is rewriting manufacturing economics. Moreover, for the casting industry, the recycled aluminium is becoming a strategic advantage rather than just a sustainable initiative. In addition to this, factors like rising energy costs, raw material volatility and the evolving OEM expectations are also continuing to squeeze the margins. Therefore, navigating through such a market, relying on historical...
Thrust Capital Partners (TCP) has acquired Alphacasting Inc., a Quebec-based manufacturer of titanium and aluminium precision investment castings serving the aerospace and defence industries. Founded in 1991, Alphacasting manufactures high-complexity precision castings using a range of metal alloys, with a primary focus on high-strength aluminium. The company also states that it is the only Canadian foundry with titanium casting capabilities. Following the acquisition, Louis Marc Pinard, former Chief Operating Officer of AP&C (GE Aerospace), has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Alphacasting. He said the company has established a strong position in the precision casting sector and that the focus will be on operational excellence, long-term value creation and sustainable growth....
The demand for aluminium wire rod, in the next decade, will not be defined by how much the market grows but rather by where that growth happens and what drives it. The demand will no longer be defined by conventional power infrastructure; it will move beyond due to the rapid expansion of renewable energy, electrification of transport, urban development and the modernisation of electricity grids. With more investments in cleaner, smarter and more resilient infrastructure by governments and industries, aluminium wire rod is emerging as critical to supporting the world’s energy transition, resulting in heightened demand. According to AL Circle's report, " ALuminium Wires & Cables - Insights & Forecast to 2030 ", from 8 million tonnes in 2023, the global aluminium wire rod usage is expected...
Aluminium is widely used in everyday consumer products, from smartphones and laptops to food packaging and household aluminium foil. However, many consumers associate the metal primarily with lightweight construction, durability or packaging, while overlooking its broader engineering applications. There are also several misconceptions surrounding aluminium, including the belief that aluminium foil always weakens Wi-Fi signals or that the metal serves only as a protective casing in electronic devices. In reality, aluminium's conductivity and reflective properties make it useful in a variety of electrical, industrial and communication technologies. These characteristics have led researchers to explore new applications for aluminium beyond conventional manufacturing. Rather than simply...
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The commodity death spiral: Sourcing standard, legacy aluminium alloys (like basic ADC12, 1350, or 6061) for next-generation, high-stress applications is a guaranteed margin trap. These materials warp under extreme EV manufacturing scale, suffer structural creep in high-voltage grids, and trigger crippling carbon tariffs at the European border. The nanolevel revolution: The global industry is rapidly pivoting to highly engineered, deep-tech metallurgy. From Oak Ridge's impurity-tolerant RidgeAlloy to zirconium-doped conductors and scandium microalloying, atomic-level chemistry is now the primary driver of corporate gross margin. The strategic imperative: This master playbook provides downstream foundries, extruders, and procurement officers with the exact chemical,...
Germany’s aluminium exports to the global market in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026 have taken a significant dip compared with the previous years. The cumulative exports in Q1 totalled around 469,178.09 tonnes, valued at USD 2.6 billion. Out of this, aluminium bars, rods and profiles contributed 52,071.88 tonnes or 11.1 per cent, valued at USD 423.34 million. Trade trends: bars, rods and profiles According to the data fetched from the International Trade Administration, the difference in export volume from Germany to the world becomes evident as we draw up a year-on-year comparison chart: Q1 2026 – 52,071.88 tonnes, down 31.11 per cent Y-o-Y from Q1 2025 Q1 2025 – 75,591.18 tonnes, down 2.31 per cent Y-o-Y from Q1 2024 Q1 2024 – 77,380.15 tonnes Looking at the annual export figures,...
