Across Europe, aluminium extrusion has become closely woven into some of the region’s biggest industrial and construction markets. From automotive and transport to buildings and industrial applications, extruded profiles are finding demand across a wide range of sectors. This is reflected in Europe’s position in the global market: the region accounted for 12 per cent of global aluminium extrusion capacity, making it the second-largest regional contributor after China. At the same time, Europe represented 10 per cent of global aluminium extrusion usage, out of total global usage of 35.35 million tonnes . With production capacity and usage shares relatively close, Europe’s extrusion capacity and consumption are broadly at par. If we break down Europe’s 10 per cent share of global aluminium...
Taber Extrusions has launched a $70 million expansion in Russellville featuring North America’s largest aluminum extrusion press, with production scheduled to begin Wednesday and 70 new jobs expected at the facility. The company marked the grand opening of the expanded facility Tuesday, unveiling the new 10,000-metric-tonne aluminium press. Taber Extrusions has operated in the Russellville community for more than 50 years, making the latest investment a significant addition to its long-standing local presence. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders attended the ceremony and said the project would strengthen manufacturing employment in the River Valley while supporting the US industrial base. "This will be another major employer for Russellville and the entire River Valley. It will further...
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Kobelco Aluminum Products & Extrusions Inc. celebrated the commissioning of its Bowling Green facility Wednesday morning, which is expanding its operations. The company is adding an extra melting furnace and extrusion press in the plant, which will double the extrusion production capacity to meet growing demand from automotive customers. “We’re growing our business and enhancing our presence as a manufacturer of aluminium extruded parts for cars,” said Yukimasa Miyashita, senior managing executive officer and head of the Aluminum & Copper Business of Kobe Steel. He also added that with their automotive expansions, they would contribute towards meeting the need for lightweight cars that adhere to stricter fuel efficiency regulations, while contributing to the growth of the local economy....
According to the data shared by the US Geological Survey, the United States imports of aluminium semi-finished products from Oman increased over the year in the first half of 2019 by 87.45 per cent to come in at 49,300 tonnes. In the same period last year, the United States had imported 26,300 tonnes of aluminium semi-finished products from Oman. {newsStudioGallery} In June 2019, the US imports from Oman stood at 7,150 tonnes, compared with 6,440 tonnes in June 2018. This indicates that the US aluminium semi-finished products imports from Oman increased year on year in June by 11 per cent. However, month-on-month, the imports dropped by 2 per cent from 7,290 tonnes in May 2019. The United States imports of aluminium semi-finished products from Oman started declining May onwards. Until...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, inventories of aluminium billet rose for a fourth straight week as of Thursday, 19 September 2019. The rise was due to greater arrivals to social warehouses. Stocks of 6063 aluminium billet across five major consumption areas in China stood at 113,100 tonnes as of Thursday September 19, up some 6,000 tonnes from 107,100 tonnes on Thursday September 12. Inventories of aluminium billet in Foshan, Guangdong and Huzhou, Zhejiang rose 6,300 tonnes and 2,000 tonnes from Thursday September 12 to stand at 55,300 tonnes and 12,000 tonnes. Stocks in Wuxi, Jiangsu stood at 21,200 tonnes today, down 800 tonnes from 22,000 tonnes. Aluminium billet stocks in Changzhou, Jiangsu dropped 600 tonnes from Thursday, 12 September. Inventories stood at 13,000 tonnes on...
Bharat Forge America, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bharat Forge Limited, will invest approximately US$56 million initially to set up a new plant in the US. The company will construct a green-field forging and machining facility in North Carolina. The company aims to make a similar investment in the coming years to enhance the production capacity of the plant. The new plant will address the aluminium opportunity and have state of the art technology and processes, Bharat Forge said in a statement. The investment is backed up by orders already secured from OEM’s and has been achieved by leveraging R&D capabilities. “As the order book ramps up in the years ahead, we envisage enhancing the capacity through an investment of similar quantum in the coming years. This investment is a key...
Taiwan’s exports of aluminium semi-finished products to the US came in at 36,000 tonnes in the first half of 2019, a jump of 166.67% from 13,500 tonnes in the first half of 2018, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey. {newsStudioGallery} But exports of semi-finished products in June declined by 13.66% compared with the same period of 2018. Exports to the US stood at 3,540 tonnes in June 2019 as compared to 4,100 tonnes in June 2018. On a month-on-month comparison, exports stood 33.21% lower than May’s export volume of 5,300 tonnes. Taiwan’s exports of total aluminium including scrap to the US came in at 36,700 tonnes in January-June 2019, 149.66% higher than the corresponding period of 2018. Taiwan had exported 14,700 tonnes of aluminium in...
Keith Gilbert, Andrew Spiers and a cross-service team at Freeths LLP have announced the acquisition of Harrison Castings. Harrison Castings Ltd is a specialist manufacturer of aluminium casting components in the UK. The company manufactures raw or fully machined aluminium sand castings and aluminium gravity castings in Leicester, employing 95 staff. The company produces over 1,500 tonnes of aluminium sand castings each year. After 108 years of family ownership, Managing Director Mick Jenney and his co-directors Carly Kicks, Adrian Burton and Lee Webster have led a management buyout of the company. Mick Jenney said: “All parties see this as a great opportunity for Harrison Castings to maintain its position as one of the leading aluminium sand foundries in the UK. The company has invested...
According a recent report, Hindalco managing director Mr. Satish Pai said in an interview that he believed the ongoing year (2019) to be a tough year for metals and commodities, with the US and China showing no sign of easing trade tensions. He pointed out the US-China trade wars which were expected to be sorted by the second half of the year did not yet happen, resulting in no growth in worldwide demand for metals. Commenting on the one-time plastic ban and aluminium being a better option, he said: “We took people from the Brazilian government to meet Niti Aayog on this topic because Brazil is a country that recycles a lot of more aluminium from cans and metals in general than this.” “Many countries in the world have started to ban single-use plastic and in general plastic in the forms...
A-Tech Australia, a leading supplier, manufacturer and installer of aluminium for Sydney’s urban landscape, has reportedly placed a plan with Orange City Council to redevelop the former Electrolux site for starting an aluminium factory. Under the proposal, A-Tech will locally produce aluminium components for the building industry, including windows, doors, curtain walls, facades, pergolas, and skylights, by investing around $30 million. “Currently around two-thirds of the local aluminium market (worth $832 million a year) is met by imports from China and Vietnam,” said A-Tech Australia CEO, Charlie Ibrahim. He also said, “By boosting the local aluminium manufacturing industry, home-grown businesses can substitute a significant proportion of these imports with locally-made products.” The...
Bahrain’s exports of total aluminium (crude metal and alloys and semi-finished products) to the US came in at 109,000 tonnes in the first half of 2019, 9.77% higher than the corresponding period of 2018. Exports were 99,300 tonnes in the first half of 2018, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey. {newsStudioGallery} In June, aluminium exports stood 28.57% higher compared with the same period last year. Exports to the US increased from 12,600 tonnes in June 2018 to 16,200 tonnes in June 2019. Exports decreased by 26.7% from May’s export volume of 22,100 tonnes. Bahrain exported 74,500 tonnes of crude metals and alloys to the US in the first six months of 2019, from 67,200 tonnes exported in the first six months of 2018. This records an increase...
At the 59th Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Annual Convention 2019, Vedanta Aluminium formally launched Primary Foundry Alloy (PFA) for the Indian automotive industry. With this, Vedanta became the first primary aluminium producer in India to supply the raw material for alloy wheels. PFA is a part of the cast aluminium alloy family, predominantly an alloy of aluminium, silicon, and magnesium. Vedanta aluminium said the new product will also help reduce the country’s import bill. “Until now, the auto and ancillary industries were completely dependent on import for the product,” Vedanta said. Ajay Kapur, CEO – Aluminium and Power, Vedanta Ltd. said, “As a long-term strategy, we are adopting various measures to serve the growing demand of our Indian customers. With the...
The week has seen a few major happenings in the downstream aluminium industry. The industry has witnessed acquisitions and plant shutdown by some of the top players in the downstream industry. Let’s explore the top stories covering the downstream products vertical for the week that went by: Hydro to sell its Romanian extrusion plant to Hammerer Aluminium Industries Hydro announced that it signed an agreement with Austria-based Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI) for the sale of its extrusion plant located in Romania. The move is a part of the overall review in Extruded Solutions aiming to optimise and streamline the portfolio. Hydro initiates restructuring; parts of foil production to close in Germany Separately, Hydro decided to initiate a comprehensive restructuring program in its...
After receiving the ASI Performance Standard Certification last month, Jiangsu Zhongji Lamination Materials Co., Ltd achieved Certification to the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative’s Chain of Custody for its aluminium foil production facility in Jiangyin City, China. The certification covers post-casthouse activities related to the company's aluminium foil production. Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer at ASI, said: “Warm congratulations to Jiangsu Zhongji for achieving CoC Certification soon after their Performance Standard Certification last month. The commitment of foil suppliers to ASI supports the focus on sustainability and responsible sourcing by downstream customers in the packaging sector and other foil-using sectors.” The ASI CoC Standard sets out requirements for the...
Shanghai Metals Market data showed that aluminium billet inventories rose for the third consecutive week on greater arrivals in Wuxi and Nanchang cities. Stocks of 6063 aluminium billet across five major consumption areas in China stood at 107,100 tonnes as of Thursday September 12, up some 1,700 tonnes from 105,400 tonnes on Thursday September 5. Inventories of aluminium billet in Foshan, Guangdong and Wuxi, Jiangsu rose 100 tonnes and 1,600 tonnes from Thursday September 5 to stand at 49,000 tonnes and 22,000tonnes. Stocks in Changzhou, Jiangsu remained unchanged at 13,600 tonnes on Thursday. Aluminium billet stocks in Nanchang, Jiangxi increased by 2,000 tonnes from Thursday, 05 September. Inventories stood at 12,500 tonnes, from 10,500 tonnes. But the inventories of aluminium billet...
India’s exports of total aluminium including crude metal and alloys and semi-finished products to the US in the first half of 2019 stood 9.68% higher than the same period of 2018. India exported 136,000 tonnes of aluminium in the mentioned period. In June alone, exports came in at 15,300 tonnes, off 25.73% from June 2018’s export volume of 20,600 tonnes. Exports of aluminium declined 34.62% from 23,400 tonnes in May 2019, as updated by US Census Bureau. {newsStudioGallery} Exports of semi-finished products (plates, sheets, bars, etc.) to the US stood at 31,700 tonnes in January-June 2019 as compared to 22,900 tonnes in January-June 2018. This records an increase of 38.43% year-on-year. India exported 5,260 tonnes in June, up 45.3% from 3,620 tonnes exported in June 2018. On a...
Allison Transmission Holdings Inc., the largest global manufacturer of medium-and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions, has acquired Walker Die Casting and C&R Tool and Engineering in a deal worth approximately $103 million. Walker Die Casting, located in Lewisburg, Tennessee, produces high-quality aluminium die castings for various automobile parts, commercial vehicle parts and outboard motor parts for customers throughout the United States and in various foreign countries. Walker has been a supplier to Allison for 20 years. C&R Tool and Engineering, located in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, produces die cast dies and tooling using the latest technology and processes. The company supplies its products for use at Walker and other companies. “We are delighted to announce the acquisitions of...
Hydro has decided to initiate a comprehensive restructuring program in its rolling business in a bid to reduce costs and improve profitability. This will lead to redundancy of up to 735 full time equivalents (FTEs). The restructuring, expected to cost around €160 million, includes the planned closure of parts of the foil production at Grevenbroich as well as efficiency measures across the organization. Hydro said the total restructuring consists of a planned reduction of personnel cost of up to €60 million per year. Out of the total cost, €100 million to €120 million will be taken as a provision in Q3 2019. “Our cost position in parts of our foil business is too high, mainly due to manning-intensive and manual production processes, and we are also facing strong competition in this market...
According to a report, Hydro, on Tuesday, September 10, announced that it signed an agreement with Austria-based Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI) for the sale of its extrusion plant located in Romania. The decision to sell Hydro Extrusion is part of the overall review in Extruded Solutions aiming to optimise and streamline the portfolio. As per the report, the transaction is expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2019. Hydro Extrusion, part of the Extruded Solutions business area, has around 200 employees and produces around 20,000 tonnes of extruded profiles per year, mainly for the construction industry. Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI) supplies aluminium and aluminium-related products. It owns an aluminium extrusion factory in Santana, western Romania.
Malaysia’s total imports of aluminium including scrap from the US stood at 21,600 tonnes in June 2019, 43.05% higher than the corresponding period last year. Imports were 15,100 tonnes in June 2018. On a month-on-month comparison, imports increased by 5.37% from 20,500 tonnes, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey. In the first half of 2019, imports from the US stood 56.83% higher compared with the same period last year. Aluminium imports increased from 64,400 tonnes in January-June 2018 to 101,000 tonnes in January-June 2019. Malaysia imported 99,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap from the US in the first six months of 2019, from 61,300 tonnes imported in the first six months of 2018. That was up 61.5% year-on-year. Imports of aluminium scrap came in...
