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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The Aluminum Association has expressed its concern over the Section 232 tariff exemption process of the DOC in a statement submitted to the Department of Commerce. According to the association exemptions were granted to massive volumes of metal including Chinese Common Alloy Sheet & Plate. Till date 4333 published requests have been submitted and 981 requests have been reviewed and published. This, according to the association is out of sync with the pace of business. The association feels the lack of adequate tracking system and analysis by the department makes it difficult for stakeholders to identify relevant requests. Further, the department has not made clear the appropriate basis for an objection. In many cases, the exclusion request themselves fail to properly identify key...
The French car parts firm Montupet’s new accounts has revealed a rise in turnover at the company’s Northern Ireland operation by 10.7 per cent to £87.3 million last year ended on December 31, The Telegraph UK reported. Headed by John McMichael, Montupet produces aluminium engine components for car manufacturers throughout Europe. But despite a hike in turnover, the company’s pre-tax profits took a 4.4 per cent year-on-year dip from £13.3 million to £12.7 million. However, the cost of sales increased by £6.5 million over the year to £69.2 million. Admin costs were also up by £1 million, although the company’s wage bill decreased from £21.6 million to £19.6 million. The employment rate also dipped from 582 in 2016 to 569 in 2017, the report said. Nevertheless, the company, which is now part...
According to the latest Mineral Industry Survey report from US Geological Survey, the U.S. exports of aluminium semi-finished products stood at 89,200 tonnes in August 2018, down 8% from August 2017 total of 95,100 tonnes. Month on month, aluminium plates, sheets, bars, etc. export increased 9% from the July export volume of 81,900 tonnes. In the first eight months of 2018, the U.S. exported 720,000 tonnes of aluminium semi-finished products, as compared to 703,000 tonnes in the first eight months of 2017. The figure represents a growth of 2.4% year-on-year. The U.S. exports of aluminium plates, sheets, bars, etc. to Canada rose 14% MoM to 33,500 tonnes in August 2018. The export volume was 29,300 tonnes in July 2018. Canada imported 273,000 tonnes of these products during January-August...
AP&C, a GE Additive company and specialist in metal powder production for additive manufacturing, has announced that it will produce aluminium alloy F357 powder in Q1 2019 and start supplying to customers from April 2019. Aluminium alloy F357 offers good weldability, high strength and better corrosion resistance and heat conductivity. AP&C aims to produce the F357 powder to cater to the growing demands from customers in the aerospace and automotive sectors. AP&C will produce the alloy powder using its proprietary Advanced Plasma Atomisation (APA™) at its recently expanded facility in Saint-Eustache, Canada, which currently offers a full production capacity of 1,000 tonnes. Aluminium alloy F357 powder is said to offer good processability, high flowability, low porosity and high purity like...
Shanghai Metals Market data showed operating rates across Chinese secondary aluminium producers averaged 56.81 per cent in October, down 1.44 percentage points from a month earlier and 3.19 percentage point from a year earlier. This month-on-month and year-on-year fall in secondary aluminium operating rate could be because of the weak demand for aluminium among downstream consumers. Production and sales of automobile in October decreased by 10.1 per cent and 11.7 per cent year-on-year respectively, showed data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). During January-October, production and sales also stood lower by 0.4 per cent and 0.1 per cent than the same period last year. The downbeat consumption figures came in line with SMM’s research on output across Chinese...
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reportedly hoping to reach an exemption deal from the Trump administration’s duties on imported aluminium and steel products later this month. Trudeau said in reference to the US President Donald Trump “"We will meet at the G20 in Argentina and we hope to have good news at that point." The Group of 20 (G20) leading global economies is going to host a two-day summit in Buenos Aires from 30 November. According to the report, Trudeau already had a brief discussion with Mr. Trump in Paris on the exemption of customs duties, where they both decided in commemorations to mark the end of World War I. Trudeau himself said that they both agreed to work on eliminating these tariffs. On June 1, 2018, the United States had slapped tariffs on imported aluminium...
Hydro Hoogezand has become the world’s first extrusion plant to receive the Performance Standard certification by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). The plant specializes in extruding long-length profiles as well as anodized and painted components. ASI is the highest internationally recognized standard for robust environmental, social and governance practices across the aluminium lifecycle of production, use and recycling. Hydro’s President and CEO Svein Richard Brandtzæg said: “We always strive to be frontrunners in our industry. As our customers need to reach their own sustainability targets and meet the demand from more climate-conscious end-consumers, we believe the market will increasingly demand the most responsible aluminium.” “Seen in combination with our carbon footprint...
Novelis Inc. has invested US$175 million for the expansion of its Pindamonhangaba plant, located in the Paraíba Valley between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The expansion at the company's flagship Brazil facility will add 100 thousand tonnes of rolling capacity and 60 thousand tonnes of recycling capacity. This will bring the plant’s total aluminum sheet capacity to approximately 680 thousand tpy and recycled aluminium capacity to 450 thousand tpy. The expansion is designed to cater to its beverage can and specialty customers. The investment also includes a new water sourcing system and the purchase of approximately 90 acres of land for future expansion. "This investment in additional rolling and recycling capacity further strengthens our commitment to the South American region...
Hindalco, the world’s largest aluminium rolling company, has announced to invest INR 6,000 crore towards setting up of downstream facilities in Odisha and Gujarat. While in the Sambalpur district of Odisha the company will establish a flat-rolled products unit, in Mudra at Gujarat the company is considering to set up an extrusion plant. “We have committed to set up downstream facilities in Gujarat and here in Odisha by investing over ₹6,000 crore over the next four years,” Pai told BusinessLine during an interview on the sidelines of the Make-in-Odisha Conclave 2018, a biennial investor conclave, organised by the State Government. According to Satish Pai, managing director of Hindalco, expansion of units for downstream products takes time and will be done through a phase-wise manner. In a...
Germany’s import of aluminium powder and flakes are reportedly witnessing a year-on-year growth. According to global export-import data, Germany in 2017 had imported 31,135 tonnes, up almost 8 percent from 28,885 tonnes in 2016. This year is estimated to record no exception either. The total import volume is likely to be at 32,775 tonnes, up 5.26 per cent year-on-year. Aluminium powder and flakes are widely used in industrial, automotive, chemical, construction, explosives, defence, aerospace and other sectors. According to the Technavio's report, the global aluminium powders, pastes, and flakes market to grow at a CAGR of 4.87% during the period 2016-2020. In 2017, the top exporter of aluminium powder and flakes to Germany was the Russian Federation, which delivered 13,590 tonnes in...
According to the latest report from Aluminum Association, the “Index of Net New Orders of Aluminum Mill Products” for October 2018 increased 8.6 percent over September 2018. Compared to October 2017, total orders rose 8.3 percent YoY. Orders for both flat roll products (sheet, plate, can stock and foil) and extruded products registered a rise in October indicating more business for domestic producers. Orders for both flat roll products were up 8.8 percent over the previous month, while orders for extruded products increased 9.8 percent. Only orders for redraw rod were down by 1.6 percent. On average, orders recorded by domestic producers from January to October 2018 were up 4.6 percent over YTD 2017. On the other hand imports of aluminium ingot, scrap and mill products into the U.S. and...
Aluminum association applauded commerce department’s final affirmative determinations in unfair trade investigations on common aluminium alloy sheet from china. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Commerce said that imports of common alloy aluminium sheet from China are being sold at less than fair value in the United States. The final antidumping and countervailing duty margins calculated by the Commerce Department are as follows: Source:www.aluminum.org The next step in the trade cases will be the United States International Trade Commission’s (USITC) final phase determination of whether imports from China are a cause of material injury or threaten to materially injure domestic producers of common alloy sheet. The vote is scheduled to for December 5, 2018. “The Aluminum Association and...
The operators have confirmed that Liberty smelter plant is still on progress with its plan for establishing an alloy wheel manufacturing facility at Fort William. According to the report, Highland councillor Andrew Baxter and his colleagues lambasted the aluminium company last week for its slow progress on planning. But Liberty Aluminium Lochaber Ltd insisted in return that there were no delays and confirmed order books were open at the north plant. It further said workers already moved into temporary offices on the development site. Liberty also said that it was looking for 400 semi-skilled employees who would be based in the smelter and confirmed that plant managers were already in correspondence with the UK car manufacturers for orders of aluminium wheels. However, a definite date of...
Aleris reported net loss of $26 million in the third quarter of 2018 compared to a net loss of $66 million in the third quarter of 2017. Adjusted EBITDA increased to $77 million in Q3 2018, from $46 million in Q3 2017. Improved rolling margins and favourable metal spreads increased adjusted EBITDA. "Our dual focus on strengthening operational performance while executing our growth strategy led to a strong third quarter, as we achieved record automotive volumes and saw a sharp improvement in aerospace demand," Sean Stack, Aleris Chairman & CEO said. Capital expenditures were $25 million in Q3 as compared to $57 million in the third quarter of 2017. Aleris expects 2018 capital spending of approximately $115.0 million to $125.0 million excluding capitalized interest, including $76.3 million...
According to the data by Shanghai Metals Market, stocks of 6063 aluminium billet across five major consumption areas in China dropped by some 11,300 tonnes over the weekend ended on Thursday, November 8 to stand at 129,800 tonnes. SMM believes downstream buyers stockpiled as prices dipped over the week and this accounted for the decline in stocks. In Foshan, Guangdong, the inventory dropped by some 6,600 tonnes to stand at 66,300 tonnes on November 8 while in Huzhou, Zhejiang and Nanchang, Jiangxi, the inventories dropped by 3,200 tonnes and 3,400 tonnes to hover at 9,500 tonnes and 13,900 tonnes, respectively. Some other inventories like in Wuxi, Jiangsu, on the other hand, recorded a surge. The below chart shows the inventory status across major China markets in more details: But...
Bahrain-based Gulf Aluminum Rolling Mill Company (GARMCO) has announced that its subsidiary GARMCO (USA) was granted with tariff exemptions, of its major products imports from Bahrain. GARMCO USA produces wide range of premium aluminium flat rolled products at its manufacturing plant located in the Kingdom of Bahrain. As GARMCO’s General Manager, Mohamed Essa, commented: “As in the years prior, we remain firmly dedicated towards our primary mission of delivering exceptional quality standards at all times. Approach that has earned us the global reputation of a valued and responsible importer, a reputation we must maintain by continuing to reliably adhere to the strictest quality standards as always.” GARMCO USA was established in 1996. GARMCO’s aluminium products are used in marine,...
Novelis Inc., the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today announced it has agreed to partner with Impression Technologies to explore innovative ways to increase the broader adoption of aluminum through the hot stamping process. Impression Technologies has the exclusive rights to Hot Form Quench (HFQ ® ), a unique technology used to design and manufacture components using ultra high-strength aluminum for the high volume automotive and transport markets. This partnership reflects Novelis' strategy to collaborate with partners across the automotive and aluminum industries that are developing products and processes to achieve innovative and cost-effective solutions for lightweighting vehicles. Novelis will utilize ultra high-strength alloys, such as 7000 series, that offer...
The US Commerce Department reportedly announced on Wednesday, November 7, about levying final anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on Chinese common alloy aluminium sheet products of 96.3 per cent to 176.2 per cent. For the first time, these duties are issued in a trade remedy case initiated by the US government since 1985. The Trump administration has pledged to take a more aggressive approach to trade enforcement by having the Commerce Department launch more anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on behalf of private industry. "We will continue to do everything in our power under U.S. law to restrict the flow of dumped or subsidized goods into U.S. markets," said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in a statement. However, these final aluminium sheet duties are lesser from the initial ones...
