ABB has secured two orders from China’s Southwest Aluminum to supply integrated automation and digital technologies for two six-high aluminium cold rolling mills, supporting the manufacturer’s wide-strip production expansion and upgrade. The projects involve a 2,500 mm two-stand mill and a 3,000 mm single-stand mill, with both lines expected to be fully commissioned and operational by the end of 2027. Chongqing-based Southwest Aluminum is a subsidiary of the Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco). The orders build on the longstanding cooperation between ABB and the aluminium producer, with the latest projects focusing on process stability, control precision and production performance. Explore insights and forecasts for the aluminium flat rolled products (FRP) market from our...
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...
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According to Shanghai Metals Market, stocks of 6063 aluminium billet across five major consumption areas stood at 81,500 tonnes as of Thursday, July 11, a drop of 1,700 tonnes from 83,200 tonnes on Thursday, July 4. Inventories of aluminium billet increased 5,500 tonnes in the previous week. Aluminium billet stocks in China decreased this week as fewer deliveries arrived at warehouses. Inventories of aluminium billet in Huzhou, Zhejiang and Nanchang, Jiangxi decreased 2,500 tonnes and 3,500 tonnes from Thursday, July 4to stand at 8,500 tonnes and 6,400 tonnes on Thursday, 11 July 2019. Stocks of aluminium billet in Changzhou, Jiangsu came in 9,800 tonnes, up 1,300 tonnes from last week. The billet stocks in Foshan, Guangdong and Wuxi, Jiangsu stood at 47,900 tonnes and 8,900 tonnes today,...
The U.S. total imports of aluminium for consumption stood at 1.95 million tonnes in the first four months of 2019, 18 per cent less than 2.38 million tonnes in the first four months of 2018, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey. Imports of aluminium (crude metals and alloys, plate, sheets, bars, etc., and scrap) came in at 510,000 tonnes in April, representing a drop 9.57 per cent from last year. Canada continued to be the leading source of imported aluminium materials, supplying 39% of all aluminium imports during the first four months of 2019, followed by the United Arab Emirates (9%), Australia (6%), India (5%), and Russia (4%). Canada exported 754,000 tonnes of aluminium to U.S. in January-April 2019, from 1 million tonnes exported in...
AMAG Austria Metall AG has signed an agreement with Japan’s Marubeni-Itochu Steel Inc. and Marubeni Corporation on July 8, 2019, in Tokyo for sales expansion of AMAG rolled products in the global automotive industry. They agreed to invest their individual strength to gain a strong foothold for AMAG aluminium rolled products primarily in the Japanese market with further expansion plans in other regions. The agreement will merge the quality of the AMAG flat rolled products with the strong market presence and local distribution and service network of the Japanese contracting partner Marubeni. The merger will bring significant advantages for the customers in the Japanese automobile industry in relation to quality and delivery performance. The collaboration is expected to expand to other...
Oman’s National Aluminium Products Co. (Napco) announced in a missive to Muscat Securities Market that it appointed Raees Ahmed, a member of Institute of Cost and Management Accountants (ICMA) of Pakistan, as its chief financial officer. Besides being a member of ICMA Pakistan, Mr. Ahmed has 11 years of experience in the aluminium extrusion industry. Before joining Napco, he worked as a manager of accountants at Forland-Foton JW Auto Park, said Napco’s chief executive officer Ihab Mouallem. National Aluminium Products Co. was established in 1984 and is one of the leading extruders of aluminium profiles in the GCC market. Located in the Rusayl Industrial estate in the Sultanate of Oman, NAPCO offers a wide range of aluminium profile extrusions in finishes that suit functional modern design...
Shanghai-based JuneYao Group has reportedly developed a world-leading aluminium alloy technology, a nano-ceramic aluminium alloy, which is expected to help China’s homegrown c919 passenger jets reduce 15 per cent of weight in the future. Besides being able to reduce weight, the new alloy is also capable of increasing the strength of traditional aluminium alloys by about 30 per cent. For foreign competitors, it may take one or two decades to catch up with such technology, JuneYao Group’s president Wang Junhao said at a conference on Sunday, July 7, 2019. Emphasising the importance of reducing airplane weight, Junhao also said that based on the oil price in 2015, losing one kilogram of a jet’s weight would be equivalent to saving 12,000 yuan in fuel consumption. Wu Guanghui, the chief...
The global export-import data estimates that aluminium wire import by Turkey will record a marginal drop this year from 23,387 tonnes in 2018 to 22,012 tonnes, down 6 per cent. The data shows that the country’s aluminium wire import had even dropped last year from 38,905 tonnes in 2017 to 23,387 tonnes. The decline was by 40 per cent year on year. The data also indicates that in the last three years Turkey’s aluminium wire import only registered a rise in 2017 from 18,449 tonnes in 2016 to 38,905 tonnes, up 110 per cent. As far as Turkey’s aluminium wire import cost is concerned, it is likely to remain flat in 2019 at US$63 million, despite growth in import volume. The cost was down last year as well from US$92 million in 2017 to US$63 million, in tandem with the decline in import volume....
According to a recent report, the United States on Thursday, July 4, lodged a complaint to the World Trade Organisation against India’s move to impose customs duties on 28 American goods, alleging the decision violates international trade norms. Last month, the Indian government had announced an increase in customs duties on US products ranging from almond, pulses, and walnut. This move was in response to the United States’ decision of imposing 25 per cent higher tariff on Indian steel and 10 per cent on aluminium. In average, India exports steel and aluminium to the US worth US$1.5 billion every year. Initially, India had proposed to impose higher customs duties on 29 US items but later on removed artemia from the list. Before applying the duties, India waited for a long time hoping to...
Midland Pressure Diecasting (MPD), a supplier of aluminium and zinc pressure die castings in the UK, plans to hire 11 people after the company won a number of new contracts. MPD will recruit four casters, four manufacturing operatives and three linishers as part of its expansion plans. Managing director Ash Suman commented: "It’s great to be in a position to create new manufacturing jobs, especially when everyone is quoting uncertainty around Brexit. "Our ability to take on complex parts, deliver quicker than our competitors and also offer quality tooling has been crucial to us winning a number of new contracts and this, in turn, has created the need for additional people in casting, linishing and general manufacturing. The additional jobs will take the company’s total workforce up to 60...
United States and China are expected to resume talks next week to resolve their year-long trade war, an update from Trump office said on Wednesday. A principal-level phone call between the officials of the two countries is to be scheduled for next week. "Those talks will continue in earnest this coming week," White House Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters in a briefing. The principal negotiators on the U.S. side are U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, while China's top negotiator is Vice Premier Liu He. Telephonic discussions have been going on between both the parties since last weekend, when Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to relaunch the stalled talks. Kudlow however has not disclosed any timeline for...
The US exports of aluminium semi-finished products (plates, sheets, bars, etc.) decreased 14,700 tonnes or 15.62 per cent year-on-year to stand at 79,400 tonnes in April 2019. On a month on month comparison, the export volume increased 4.75 per cent from March export volume of 75,800 tonnes, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey. In the first four months of 2019, aluminium semi-finished products export stood at 306,000 tonnes as compared to 364,000 tonnes in the first four months of 2018. This represents a drop of 58,000 tonnes or 15.93 per cent year-on-year. Exports to Mexico in the first four months came in at 136,000 tonnes. In April alone, aluminium semi-finished products exports recorded 36,600 tonnes as compared to 43,700 tonnes last year....
Reuters said that the U.S. aluminium roller and recycler Novelis, a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group, India, has no plans for now to offer concessions on the deal to buy Aleris. The company remains firm despite EU antitrust objections over its US$2.6 billion deal to buy aluminium processor Aleris. Novelis, a leading supplier to the auto industry announced a bid for Aleris in July last year in order to gain a better foothold in the aerospace industry and other value-added segments globally. Novelis’ biggest acquisition is driven by its diversification strategies into premium markets. On Monday, July 2, EU antitrust regulators sent a charge sheet known as a statement of objections to the involved companies. The charge sheet expressed their concerns over the deal, particularly on over its...
Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Edmonton Mill Woods announced US$447,480 fund for Apollo Machine and Welding Ltd. The fund was provided by the Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada. The fund is provided under the Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) Steel and Aluminum Initiative, announced in March 2019. REGI provides financial support to steel, aluminium and manufacturing businesses from the Canadian SME sector in order to boost projects that enhance productivity and competitiveness while creating new jobs. Commenting on the investment, Minister Navdeep Bains said, "Our government supports the hard-working steel and aluminium...
Bahrain along with producing primary aluminium has been focusing on expanding its downstream production over the years. Enhanced capacity at Bahrain’s largest industrial facility is set to boost downstream manufacturing opportunities and increase industry’s share of GDP. Expansion of Aluminium Bahrain’s (Alba) aluminium plant known as Line 6 is expected to create further significant opportunities in downstream aluminium manufacturing in the kingdom. Bahrain produces aluminium powder and flakes for surface treatments and for 3D printing. Let us analyse the aluminium powder and flakes export patterns by Bahrain in over the past four years to understand the market demand and domestic consumption trends. In 2017, Bahrain’s aluminium powder and flakes export had recorded a year-on-year surge...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, stocks of 6063 aluminium billet across five major consumption areas in China came in at 83,200 tonnes as of Thursday, July 4, an increase of some 5,500 tonnes from 77,700 tonnes on Thursday, June 27. Inventories of aluminium billet grew some 6,000 tonnes in the previous week. Aluminium billet stocks in China continue to increase as more deliveries arrived at warehouses and downstream consumption failed to pick up. In Foshan, Guangdong, aluminium billet stocks increased 7,900 tonnes to stand at 47,000 tonnes as of Thursday, 04 July 2019. Inventories of aluminium billet in Wuxi, Jiangsu and Nanchang, Jiangxi stood at 6,800 tonnes and 9,900 tonnes, down 1,700 tonnes and3,500 tonnes from Thursday, June 27. Stocks of aluminium billet in Changzhou, Jiangsu...
Gestamp, a designer, developer and manufacturer of highly engineered metal components for the automotive industry, announced the inauguration of a new plant specializing in aluminium in Nitra (Slovakia). With nearly 130 million euros investment, the facility will manufacture aluminium components for Jaguar Land Rover, which recently started operations in Slovakia. Production is expected to begin in 2019. Gestamp Nitra production is focused on the Discovery model currently being produced onsite. The plant will also manufacture aluminium parts for the New Defender model. Francisco J. Riberas, the Gestamp’ s Executive Chairman, said: “We always accompany our clients where they require us, which is exactly what we have done in this case: We have moved to Slovakia to proficiently serve Jaguar...
Turner Access, part of the Turner Group of Companies, has reportedly announced to scale down the manufacture and supply of aluminium towers and low-level access ranges. This includes the OCTO and BETA Aluminium Towers, BetaGuard, Alphastep, Sigmadeck and Omegadeck. According to the company, they intend to cease manufacture later in the year as part of a wider strategic decision. Report says the Glasgow-based firm has also closed down its Training Centre and Aluminium Tower Rental Division. Turner Access has, however, signed an agreement with Pop Up Products Ltd. to take over its Deltadeck business. The Deltadeck will now thus be available through Pop Up Products, which specialises in aluminium access equipment and low-level powered access. ScaffMag understands that Turner Access aims to...
Australian metal 3D printing developer Aurora Labs Ltd has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Swedish industrial company, Gränges AB. The MoU, which will operate for a term of up to five years, provides a framework for: pre-order an Aurora RMP-1 Rapid Manufacturing Printer by Gränges, supply of its proprietary aluminium powder to Aurora, engagement of Aurora to conduct research and development projects regarding the use of aluminium in additive manufacturing, and collaboration for the use of aluminium in additive manufacturing for the automotive and other industries. Aurora Managing Director David Budge said: “This is a remarkable relationship for Aurora and we are very pleased to partner with Gränges, a forward thinking and innovative company with products extensively placed...
H.I.G. Europe, the European arm of H.I.G. Capital, a leading global private equity investment firm, purchased a controlling stake in Metalprint. Founding families Strazzari and Cerutti sold the majority stake to H.I.G. and reinvested in the transaction. Metalprint, based in Italy, is a manufacturer of forged brass and aluminium industrial components. The company generates 85% of its sales outside of Italy, with a leadership position in Europe and North America. It also operates in Canada through Jebco Manufacturing, a leading provider of high precision machined aluminium components in North America. The company acquired Jebco Manufacturing in 2017. Raffaele Legnani, Managing Director of H.I.G. Capital in Italy, commented: “Metalprint is one of the international leaders in brass and...
