India-based PG Foils Limited plans to establish a downstream aluminium manufacturing facility in Bahrain, focusing on electric vehicle (EV) battery foil and pharmaceutical foil production. The proposed investment is expected to expand the kingdom’s aluminium downstream capabilities and strengthen its manufacturing base. Bahrain’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce signed a letter of intent with PG Foils for the project. The agreement was signed by Industry and Commerce Minister Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro and PG Foils Joint Managing Director Sahil Shah during the fourth edition of the Gateway Gulf expo, which opened on November 1 in Manama. Explore: The most comprehensive and forward-looking industry-focused report – Aluminum Foil Market Report Forecast Till 2035 Hosted by the Bahrain...
A major police operation in India’s Uttar Pradesh has exposed an inter-district network allegedly involved in stealing electricity transformers and selling their internal metal components, including aluminium wire and copper binding, to scrap dealers. Police in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, have busted an inter-district transformer theft gang and arrested eight people, including a scrap dealer accused of purchasing stolen materials. The operation led to the recovery of aluminium wire, copper binding, transformer coils and cash allegedly generated through the sale of stolen electrical components. The gang reportedly operated across several districts, including Kanpur Dehat, Unnao, Lucknow and Fatehpur. A joint team comprising Chaubeypur police, the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit and West...
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Central Europe’s some of biggest car-makers have declared their plans to re-start production weeks after closing down the plants due to the COVID-19 epidemic. This announcement has generated a ray of hope in the Aluminium downstream sector that supports the auto industry by supplying die-casting materials, parts, frames, accessories, etc. The lockdown has been accepted as a very positive move in numerous states across Central and Southeast Europe as the infection rate in most of the region has failed to reach the explosive growth seen in some of the major West European economies, remaining in the hundreds or low thousands. The other most crucial factor behind the decision of numerous automakers to resume work is that they have used the temporary shutdowns to put new social distancing...
The Missouri based Beckwood Press Company, a leading manufacturer of custom hydraulic and servo-electric presses, automation systems, and precision aerospace forming equipment, has secured a deal from H&R Parts Company to manufacture a 200-ton Triform sheet stretch forming machine. The machine is designed for stretch forming of aerospace and defence parts made from aluminium sheets up to 3/16-in. thick and 114-in. wide. This machine will feature 40-in. of stroke with a 12-in. x 100-in. mounting table that includes +/-15-degree tilt. The jaws will travel horizontally to allow for a maximum distance of 72-in. and a minimum distance of 18-in. between them. The segmented jaws provide 6,000lbf/inch and will allow for clamping of a wide range of sheet sizes. H&R Parts Co. 2018 installed a...
MRT, the die-casting company based in Hampshire is enhancing its production space by around 50% and opening a new foundry with the help of the MTC. A team from the MTC’s manufacturing support services operation worked with managers and operators from Queens Award-winning die-casting supplier MRT Castings, supporting the organization with the layout of its new facility, automation, and technology selection and robotic handling. Established in 1947, MRT delivers aluminium die-castings and machine components to leading companies across the UK and Europe from its factory. MRT reached MTC to get support for the planning of their new 20,000 square feet foundry, designed to accommodate the modern technology and enhance productivity while at the same time providing a first-class manufacturing...
The businesses in the USA are opening slowly amid COVID-19, though lacks in liquidity. The President of Norwegian Aluminium maker Norsk Hydro’s North American extrusion unit, Charlie Straface has been assembling a COVID-19 task force every other day to draw up the cost-cutting measures to balance the reducing revenues and also to protect the unit’s cash balance economic plunge related to the epidemic. Straface said: “Things are changing day-to-day. We have to anticipate everything that could go wrong relative to our cash-flow situation”. Straface also added: “My unit, headquartered in Illinois, has already furloughed employees and slashed operating expenses. The cash balance looks positive for six months.” At Hydro’s North American extrusion unit, the plunging of revenues has augmented...
Hydro has announced the re-opening of recycling plants and extrusion plants amid coronavirus to fulfill backlog and meet customer demand in different segments. Recyclers Azuqueca in Spain, Lucé in France, Rackwitz in Germany and Deeside in UK restarted this week after being temporarily closed. “US recyclers Henderson and Commerce operating at reduced capacity-utilization in response to falling demand and government-imposed restrictions,” Hydro said. Around 30 percent of the extrusion sites are running at approximately normal levels, around 50 percent are running at reduced levels and around 20 percent are either closed or running at very low levels. Hydro said several plants have or will re-open to serve customers in various segments. The Energy segment and Bauxite & Alumina segment are...
Novelis Inc., the world leader in aluminium rolling and recycling, announced on April 14 that it completed the acquisition of Aleris Corporation, a global supplier of rolled aluminium products. Thus, Novelis is now better positioned to meet customers’ demand for aluminium, with a wider product portfolio, skilled and diverse workforce, and higher commitment towards safety, sustainability, quality, and partnership. In regards to the acquisition, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman Aditya Birla Group and Novelis Inc., said: "The Aleris deal marks a major milestone for Novelis, on its path to global leadership. The closure of this deal amidst challenging market conditions, reflects our conviction in the Aleris business and its value to our metals portfolio. Periods of turmoil have historically...
According to the latest export-import data released by China's General Administration of Customs, total unwrought aluminium and aluminium products exports by China stood at 518,600 tonnes in March 2020, a decrease of 5% from a year earlier. In the first three months of 2020, exports of unwrought aluminium and aluminium products came in at 1.19 million tonnes. This marked a drop of 17.5% from the same period last year. The downward trend in aluminium exports is expected to continue in the second quarter, as measures introduced by world authorities to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic take their toll on foreign demand, SMM reported.
The American import of aluminium crude, metals and alloys from Australia shows stability as the total import was recorded at 45,300 tonnes during Nov'19 - Jan'20. The total import of aluminium crude, metals and alloys of the US from Australia during Jan’19 – Dec’19 stood at 268,000 tonnes. Australia remains at number three in exporting aluminium crude, metals and alloys to the US, while Canada and UAE stand at one and two-position respectively. Canada exported 2.1 million and UAE exported 473,000 tonnes. In November’19 the US export of aluminium crude, metals and alloys from Australia remained at 13,600 tonnes, whereas in December’19 de-growth by 13.97% was recorded, as the M-o-M drop stood at 1900 tonnes and the total import reflected as 11,700 tonnes. The US import from Australia in...
On surveying 41 major aluminium processors in 12 provinces across China last week, Shanghai Metals Market found their average operating rate dropped marginally by 0.6 percentage point on a weekly basis to 74.4 per cent. Backlog orders could be a reason behind this overall steady operating rate, in addition to the robust performance of construction-related processors and less effect on exports. But export orders for May are likely to fall sharply, creating an impact on the operating rates of aluminium plate/sheet, strip and foil producers, as the latter largely rely on exports for their business. Also, the operating rates this week may get slightly affected due to fewer exports off late. Operating rates at major aluminium processors by industry (updated on April 10): Aluminium extrusion:...
Canada’s exports of total aluminium including scrap to the US stood at 220,000 tonnes in January 2020, an increase of 32.53% or 54,000 tonnes year-on-year. Canada had exported 166,000 tonnes to the US in January 2019, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from the US Geological Survey. On a month on month comparison, exports dropped19.71% from 274,000 tonnes. Compared with November, Canada’s exports to the US stood 6.28% higher from 207,000 tonnes. Crude metal and alloys export increased 78.99% or 94,000 tonnes year-on-year in January. Exports rose from 119,000tonnes in January 2019 to 213,000 tonnes in January 2020. On a month on month comparison, exports reduced by 6.99% from 229,000 tonnes. Canada’s exports of aluminium semi-finished products (plates, sheets, bars,...
The latest data from US Geological Survey indicates that the total aluminium (crude metal and alloys, semi-finished products, and scrap) imports in the US stood at 386,000 tonnes in January 2020, a decrease of 20.9% or 102,000 tonnes from 488,000 tonnes in January 2019. Aluminium imports decreased by 15.35% from December’s imports of 456,000 tonnes and 12% from November’s imports of 439,000 tonnes. The US imported 5.7 million tonnes of total aluminium in January-December 2019. Semi-finished imports came in at 28,400 tonnes in January 2020, representing a decrease of 79.12% or 107,600 tonnes year-on-year. The US had exported 136,000 tonnes in January 2019. Imports of semi-finished products declined by 70.35% from December’s imports of 95,800 tonnes. The US total imports of aluminium...
Hydro has provided updates on its business operations amid the coronavirus pandemic. While the situation is leading to closures and reduced production at many sites, Hydro has reopened some facilities to meet customer demand. The company has reopened some sites at extrusion solutions operations in south Europe this week. Around 30% of the extrusion solutions operations are running at approximately normal levels, around 45% are running at reduced levels and around 25% of the sites are either closed or running at very low levels, Hydro said. The Energy segment and Bauxite & Alumina segment are now running as normal. Primary production operations are mostly running as normal. “Husnes aluminium plant ramp-up postponed to Q3 2020 at the earliest. Recycler Azuqueca in Spain and Luce in France...
Extrusion manufacturing facility based outside Toronto, Spectra Aluminium, has reportedly ordered a 28-MN front-loading direct extrusion press and 5,000 kg/h, high-efficiency gas billet oven from Danieli Brada for producing industrial profiles starting from 8” to 9” aluminium billets. The new extrusion press and the gas billet oven will be installed in Bradford, Ontario, Canada. The press will be equipped with the Danieli-patented Energy Saving solution ESED 4.0 that allows average energy savings of 25-30 per cent compared to traditional systems available in the market. The press will also feature fully electric billet loading right from the oven to the press, which will significantly reduce the billet heat/energy loss and improve billet temperature accuracy. The automation system, also...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, aluminium billet inventories in China have declined today, on April 9, for the fifth consecutive week, as stocks in east China have begun to shrink. The data shows the stocks of 6063 aluminium billets across five major consumption areas in China have totalled at 170,100 tonnes after declining by 4,100 tonnes over the week. Last week, on April 2, the inventories had plunged by 18,500 tonnes week-on-week to 174,200 tonnes. The chart below indicates the current status of aluminium billet inventories across China in more details: In Wuxi, Changzhou, and Nanchang, the aluminium billet inventories have dropped by 4,520 tonnes, 4,230 tonnes, and 1,530 tonnes to come in at 47,100 tonnes, 21,100 tonnes, and 7,400 tonnes, respectively. Foshan and Huzhou, on the...
Atlanta-based world-leading aluminium rolling and recycling firm Novelis Inc. announced today, on April 8, about the receipt of the final clearance needed to complete the acquisition of Aleris Corporation, a global supplier of rolled aluminium products. Thus, it will now move expeditiously to close the buying deal. Earlier, the European Commission had governed a rule that Novelis could acquire Aleris if the former divested Aleris’ plant in Duffel, Belgium, to a third party approved by the Commission. Novelis met the condition, and therefore, the European Commission determined Liberty House Group a suitable buyer of the Duffel facility. The purchase price of the Duffel facility is €310 million. The facility will be acquired by Liberty House Group under its newly formed aluminium vertical...
The latest data from the US Geological Survey shows the United States’ exports of aluminium plates, sheets and bars increased in January 2020 after two consecutive months of decline. From 56,100 tonnes in December 2019, the export amount increased by about 22 per cent to 68,200 tonnes in January 2020. In November, the US’ aluminium semi-finished products exports were 63,800 tonnes, meaning the export amount in December was lower by 12 per cent month-on-month. Also in November, the US’ exports of semi-finished products stood down by 11 per cent from 71,400 tonnes in the previous month. Year-on-year, however, the US’ exports of aluminium plates, sheets and bars in January 2020 decreased 12 per cent from 77,400 tonnes in January 2019. The total aluminium plates, sheets and bars exports by...
The National Investment Commission (NIC) of Iraq has announced five new investment opportunities in Iraq and it includes aluminium. Iraq’s import of aluminium bar rod and profiles during 2017-19 has shown very positive growth for the industry as the total importation volume stood at 92,972 tonnes, while the foreign income expended stood at $290.93 million. Iraq, the oil-rich country is also recovering from the civil war and needs to invest hugely in infrastructure and development and the need for aluminium will be enterprising in the sector. In 2017 the total aluminium bar rod and profiles stood at 29,719 tonnes, whereas the amount paid remained at $93.76 million. The Aluminium bar rod and profiles importation of Iraq in 2018 got a rise by 5.43%, as the total importation stood at 31,333...
The latesty data from the US Geological Surve showed the United States started the year 2020 with month-on-month growth in aluminium (including FRPs and scrap) exports. From 213,000 tonnes in December last year, the United States’ aluminium exports grew 8.45 per cent in January 2020 and came in at 231,000 tonnes, according to the data. In November 2019, the export amount by the US was 233,000 tonnes, which represents a downfall in December of about 8.6 per cent. In November as well, the United States' aluminium exports had declined over the month by 5.7 per cent and totalled at 233,000 tonnes. In October, however, the export amount had increased, although marginally by 1.22 per cent, from 244,000 tonnes in September to 247,000 tonnes. Compared to January 2019, the United States' aluminium...
