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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According to Shanghai Metals Market, casting and processing operation of aluminium rod, coil, and plate producers in Gongyi, Jiaozuo, and Zhengzhou cities of Henan province are affected to varying degrees since September 4. The reason is the tightened environmental curbs by the local government to prepare for the 11th Chinese Ethnic Games taking place in Zhengzhou during September 8-16. The latest SMM survey indicates the actual impact of the output controls could be temporary, for about 10 days. SMM learned large logistics vehicles are not allowed to enter Zhengzhou. Also, checks against vehicles overloading are tightened since August 25, ahead of the Chinese Ethnic Games. In Huiguo county of Gongyi, the production that involves volatile organic compound (VOCs) emissions, such as...
The US imports of aluminium (crude metals and alloys, plate, sheets, bars, etc., and scrap) stood at 500,000 tonnes in June 2019, 8.7% or 40,000 tonnes more than that in June 2018, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey. Canada continued to be the leading source of imported aluminium materials, supplying 44.8 % of all aluminium imports in June 2019, followed by the United Arab Emirates (6.6%), Russia (5%), Australia (4.66%), and Mexico (3.5%). Canada exported 224,000 tonnes of total aluminium to the US in June 2019, down 2.61% from 230,000 tonnes exported in June 2018. But exports increased 32.54% month-on-month. Exports of crude metals and alloys, semi-finished products, and scrap were down 1.12%, 9.84%, and 6% YoY to stand at 176,000 tonnes,...
Peter Kohling, Engineering Manager, Hydro Precision Tubing (HPTT) and Steve Short, Sales Manager, Inductotherm Heating & Welding Ltd, confirm the final commissioning of a new Banyard Aluminium Induction Billet Heating System for the HPTT P27 9” press upgrade programme. Inductotherm Banyard provided LFi Smart System Induction Heaters, which consist of 2 x Zero Friction, Multi Zone Coil Induction Heaters for 9” aluminium billets. - The Heaters are each 750kw and the system includes Cold Billet Pallet Systems, Overhead Transfer Manipulator and full Control Interface to the press. Inductotherm Group offers advanced technology for the engineering, manufacturing and service of thermal processing equipment used in the melting, heating, heat treating, forging, galvanizing, coating, cutting and...
The US exports of aluminium semi-finished products (plates, sheets, bars, etc.) stood at 68,600 tonnes in June 2019, off 23.52 per cent from last year’s total of 89,700 tonnes. On a month on month comparison, exports declined 7.05 per cent from May export volume of 73,800 tonnes, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey. Semi-finished products export dropped by 18.4% year-on-year in January-June 2019. The US exported 448,000 tonnes of semi-finished products in the first half of 2019 as compared to 549,000 tonnes in the first half of 2018. Mexico was the top importer of the US aluminium semi-finished products in June 2019. Mexico imported 28,700 tonnes of these products in June. But the import declined 26.79 per cent year-on-year and 8.89 per cent...
Notwithstanding the lawsuit by U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to prevent the acquisition of Aleris, Novelis reaffirmed its commitment towards the proposed acquisition through a press release. The company says it will strongly defend against the DOJ's challenge which is without any merit adding that the acquisition will only strengthen aluminium’s position against steel in the U.S. automotive body sheet market. According to Novelis, DOJ lawsuit is ignoring the scope of competition from steel in the U.S. automotive body sheet market, while concentrating on the competition between aluminium manufacturers such as Novelis and Aleris. Steel automotive body sheet currently occupies nearly 90 per cent of the total market and aluminium contributes just 10 per cent. "The day-to-day reality of the...
Global consumption of aluminium rolled products is expected to hit 30 million tonnes by 2020 at a CAGR of 5 per cent. Transportation sector is likely to surpass packaging industry to emerge as the largest application market of aluminium rolling within the said year. Along with the demand, the production and exports are also rising in many countries to meet the increasing global demand. According to the international export-import data, the United Kingdom is one such country which has been ramping-up the exports of aluminium plates, sheets and strips. Let us here analyse its growing trend. {newsStudioGallery} As the graph below shows the United Kingdom in 2016 approximately exported 97,756 tonnes, which in 2017 increased by 41 per cent to 137,475 tonnes. Recording a further rise of 19 per...
Shanghai Metals Market data showed that stocks of 6063 aluminium billet across five major consumption areas in China stood at 105,400 tonnes as of Thursday September 5, up some 13,700 tonnes from 91,700 tonnes on Thursday August 29. Aluminium billet inventories grew for the second consecutive week as of Thursday September 5 on greater arrivals in Guangdong. Inventories of aluminium billet in Foshan, Guangdong and Wuxi, Jiangsu rose 6,500 tonnes and 3,500 tonnes from Thursday August 29 to stand at 48,900 tonnes and 20,400 tonnes. Stocks in Changzhou, Jiangsu and Huzhou, Zhejiang stood at 13,600 tonnes and 12,000 tonnes on Thursday, 05 September 2019, from 13,300 tonnes and 9,000 tonnes. Aluminium billet stocks in Nanchang, Jiangxi came in at 10,500 tonnes, up 400 tonnes from 10,100 tonnes...
According to a recent report, Hindalco’s United States unit Novelis Corporation has again faced a lawsuit for its $2.6 billion proposed purchase of aluminium parts manufacturer Aleris Corporation. The news came after the Justice Department said this on Wednesday, September 4, citing that this acquisition may create a monopoly in the North American market for rolled aluminium sheet for automotive applications. The deal had also faced antitrust objections in the European Commission earlier this year. If this transaction is allowed to proceed, Novelis would be able to lock up 60 per cent of the United States’ total automotive body sheet capacity and the vast majority of uncommitted capacity. This will further enable Novelis to raise prices, reduce innovation and provide less favourable terms...
The US imports of aluminium including scrap increased 40,000 tonnes or 8.7 per cent year-on-year to stand at 500,000 tonnes in June 2019. On a month on month comparison, the import volume increased 4.6 per cent from May’s import volume of 478,000 tonnes, according to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey. {newsStudioGallery} In the first half of 2019, total aluminium imports stood at 2.93 million tonnes as compared to 3.37 million tonnes in the first half of 2018. This represents a drop of 440,000 tonnes or 13.06 per cent year-on-year. The US imported 808,000 tonnes of aluminium semi-finished products (plates, sheets, bars, etc.) in January-June 2019, with a year-on-year increase of 10.23 per cent. The US had imported 733,000 tonnes of these products in...
An Ottawa-based materials science company Equispheres reportedly announced that after extensive testing it found its aluminium alloy powders suitable for sintering following binder jet Additive Manufacturing. The testing was done in collaboration with McGill University, Montreal, Canada, said Equispheres itself. According to the company, binder jet AM technology was unable to produce sinterable aluminium alloy parts, primarily because of the aluminium’s oxide layer that results in rapid oxidation. But now that the powder is developed has thinner oxide layer and smoother surface will make sintering of aluminium alloy parts viable. The specific findings of extensive testing include compaction-free, sub-solidus sintering of the company’s standard AlSi10Mg aluminium alloy powder, good...
Unionized workers of Windsor Nemak plant reportedly staged a protest on Monday, September 2, against the company’s decision to close the Windsor facility. The workers vowed to stay off the job until Nemak reverses its decision. In mid-July 2019, Nemak had announced that it planned to close down its aluminium casting plant at Windsor by mid-2020, as a result of which 270 employees might lose their jobs. These employees are from Unifor Local 200, a local union of the general trade union Unifor. Jerry Dias, Unifor National President, said, “Nemak is out of business until further notice. We will be here until we have a solution.” Parent company Alfa said Nemak was closing its Windsor facility because it was too small and inefficient. Dias, on the other hand, said the closure was part of a...
Wood Mackenzie research shows that replacing 7.7 billion plaster water bottles a year with 7.7 billion aluminium cans would require 99,000 tonnes of additional aluminium sheet stock. This analysis attempted to answer the question of whether at all replace plastic bottles could be replaced with aluminium cans. According to Pieterjan Van Uytvanck, Wood Mackenzie Principal Analyst, PET bottles consumption is increasing. Currently, in Europe, the yearly consumption is at around 140 units per person, while in the US 290 units, as shown in Mackenzie’s report on the European United’s single-use plastic directive. Van Uytvanck said, “Globally, around 57 per cent of these are collected, and political pressure will see that figure rise. One of the most ambitious targets of the EU directive is the...
Preliminary estimates from the Aluminum Association indicate that aluminium demand in the United States and Canada (shipments by domestic producers plus imports) totalled an estimated 6.4 million tonnes during the first six months of 2019, a slight increase from YTD 2018. Demand for semi-fabricated (mill) products totalled 4.7 million tonnes, up 2.2 per cent from the same period of 2018. Demand for aluminium semi-fabricated (mill) products in the United States and Canada (measured in shipments by domestic producers plus imports) was up 1% YoY to an estimated 770,653 tonnes in June. Shipments of aluminium sheet and plate increased 6% YoY to 439,077 tonnes. Extruded product shipments declined 7.5 per cent YoY to 217,724 tonnes. Estimated shipments of aluminium ingot for castings, exports...
Aluminium consumption in Brazil is expected to match the record levels of 2013 by the end of 2019 or the beginning of 2020, backed on better sales in the aluminium packaging industry. According to the industry association Abal, apparent consumption will grow by some 7.5 per cent this year compared to 2018 figures and then will hit 1.5 million tonnes during the first quarter of 2020. Abal president Milton Rego said, "We have noticed the market rapidly turning to aluminium and replacing other materials in the packaging segment." According to him, aluminium packaging for medicines, food and beverages would expectedly sustain the industry’s growth in the coming years. However, earlier, the growth estimate was at 10-12 per cent but now revised down to 7.5 per cent, Rego pointed out....
Government of Canada has announced fund for 10 Alberta steel and aluminium companies in order to diversify their products, improve productivity, and reduce costs. Canada's steel and aluminium sectors are key contributors to the Canadian economy by virtue of the jobs they create and the revenue brought. Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister announced $5,701,738 in funding for 10 companies in Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, and Nisku. The support is provided under the Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) Steel and Aluminum Initiative, announced in March 2019. "Our government is supporting Canada's hard-working steel and aluminium workers and companies from coast to coast to coast. Our investments in support of small- and...
Constellium’s casting and rolling operations in Singen, Germany, have been certified against Aluminium Stewardship Initiative’s (ASI) Performance Standard for responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium. The facility has high-grade cold mills and an integrated hot/cold rolling line. Singen facility serves the automotive and packaging markets. The independent, third-party audit of Constellium was carried out by GUTcert (AFNOR Group). “We congratulate Constellium and the Singen team for this certification, a tribute to their longstanding engagement in ASI and dedication to implementing sustainable practices in their business,” said Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer at ASI. “As a founding member of ASI, Constellium has greatly contributed to defining responsible...
China’s exports of unwrought aluminium alloy in July declined 6.6 per cent compared with the same period last year. Exports in China came in at 39,500 tonnes last month, showed data from China Customs. Unwrought aluminium alloy exports declined 22.3 per cent month-on-month, as exports of primary aluminium alloy A356 dropped, reported Shanghai Metals Market. CITIC Dicastal exported 22.61 tonnes of unwrought aluminium alloy to the US in July, from some 10,000 tonnes exported in June. Shanghai Metals Market expects that exports of this product are unlikely to significantly pick up in the near term, as outflows via general trade will face a 15% duty. In another update from SMM, daily average retail sales of passenger vehicles in China dropped 17% year-on-year during August 19-25, after a...
A new aluminium plant by Hansens Aluminum, which was supposed to start operations from 2019 and create 50 new jobs in Henderson is put on hold. The 75,000 square-foot automotive aluminium plant within the Henderson County Riverport Industrial Park was supposed to connect this area to a global automotive industry. The Henderson County Judge-executive Brad Schneider has said that Hansen’s Aluminum wasn’t going to meet key deadlines to get nearly a million dollars in Kentucky incentive money. Media was told that the company can reapply for the incentives. They can reapply for the incentives and the plant could come in the future. Hansens Aluminum a South African company established in Port Elizabeth in 1956, announced this project in November 2016. "The facility was supposed to house...
