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 Metal Market update on June 4, 2018, aluminium rods processing fees in Shandong province have witnessed a plunge since early May to below RMB 300 per tonne ex-works as of Friday, June 1. The primary reason for this price drop is the growing competition among aluminium rod processors in Jiangsu province, as SMM learned. Previously, on May 2, the aluminium rods processing fees in Shandong had surged to as high as RMB 800 per tonne ex-works, owing to the rising fees as decided by the processors to offset lower profits from aluminium ingots. Subsequently, aluminium rod processors started operating on higher profits in Jiangsu from May, followed which profits across local processors in Yixing city increased to over RMB 100 per tonne. Before May, aluminium rod processors...
Turkey will respond to the US tariffs on aluminium and steel by imposing countertariffs on American produced products starting from June 21, Hürriyet Daily News reported. The move follows Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on aluminium and steel from many countries, including Turkey. Turkey, which exported $1.04 billion worth steel and $60 million worth aluminium to the U.S. last year, will impose tariffs on certain imported products from the US, including coal, paper, walnuts, almonds, tobacco, unprocessed rice, automobiles, machinery and equipment, and petrochemical products. The country had expected a positive response from the US in regards to aluminium and steel tariffs exemptions when Nihat Zeybekci, Economy Minister of Turkey, had written a letter to US commerce secretary Wilbur...
As soon as the Trump Government announced its final decision on Thursday, May 31, 2018, to impose additional 25 per cent tariffs on imported steel and 10 per cent on aluminium on the European Union, Mexico, and Canada, the EU decided to go ahead with its countermeasures. On Friday morning, June 1, 2018, the EU submitted a request for consultations with the United States on aluminium and steel tariffs, under the dispute settlement framework of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The request for consultations formally initiated a trade dispute in the WTO. After 60 days, if consultations fail to resolve the dispute, the EU will request adjudication by a panel. The European Union Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom said, “We are not in a trade war, but we are in a very difficult situation...
Canada, as one of the most important allies of the United States, expressed its dismay yesterday, on May 31, on knowing that it had not been removed by the US from the list of countries for additional 25 per cent tariffs on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland declared that the country would counterattack the US with stiff tariffs on C$16.6 million worth of US exports and challenge its aluminium and steel tariffs under the North America Free Trade Agreement’s (NAFTA) Chapter 2 and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Mexico and the European Union would also follow Canada and impose heavy retaliatory duties on imported American products, as they could not secure a reprieve from the additional tariffs. The Canadian tariffs are set to go into effect...
British group, Liberty Engineering, owned by industrialist Sanjeev Gupta has won its bid to take over AR Industries (ARI), the only French manufacturer of aluminium wheels, in a court ruling. In March, GFG Alliance, led by Liberty Group, submitted the bid to the court administrators for AR Industries at Chateauroux in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. GFG Executive Chairman Sanjeev Gupta said: “This is a very positive result not just for our business but first and foremost for the workforce at ARI. We’ve been very clear that France is one of the world’s great industrial economies and a key market for us. ARI is a perfect fit for our business and our investment strategy for France. We want to create the kind of sustainable, vertically integrated structure in France that we’ve...
The European Union seems to be in a difficult spot, as Donald Trump has asked for EU’s voluntary export restrictions on aluminium and steel for granting permanent exemptions from metal tariffs. Initially, while demanding a permanent relief from the US tariffs, the EU had taken a principal stance that it would not want to breach the WTO rules for international trade. This is now making the situation more critical for the EU to give in to President Trump’s demands without losing face. On the other hand, Germany is putting pressure on the EU to move away from a trade dispute with the US, fearing that it might take a toll on both. According to an update from a news agency, Washington and Brussels are working on an informal deal that would cap European steel shipments to the US at 90 per cent...
The production of aluminium flat rolled products in Japan is on the rise. The total flat rolled aluminium products production in April reached 107,000 tonnes, an increase of 4.7 per cent year on year, According to the data released by the Japan Aluminium Association. The country produced 14,000 tonnes of aluminium flat rolled plates for automobiles in April, up 7.1 per cent YoY. Production of aluminium cans came in at 37,000 tonnes, up 3 per cent on the year. Japan produced 65,000 tonnes of aluminium extruded products in April, up 0.1 per cent year on year. As shown by our data, Japan exported 49663 tonnes of aluminium plates, sheets and strips in Q1 2018. The value of export stood at US$207 million. Japan is estimated to export 49144 tonnes and 49575 tonnes of aluminium plates, sheets...
The global aluminium powders, pastes, and flakes market is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.03 per cent during the period 2018-2022, according to the latest report by ResearchAndMarkets.com. Russian Federation was the top supplier of aluminium powder and flakes to the country in 2017. According to recent statistics, Russian Federation exported about 472 tonnes last year. Poland, Austria, Australia and China were the key countries from where Romania sourced maximum volume of aluminium powder and flakes. Australia is expected to become the biggest aluminium powder and flakes supplier to the country in 2018. Romania’s aluminium powder and flakes import has been fluctuating year-on-year since 2015. In 2017, the country imported 1655 tonnes of aluminium powder and...
Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Monday, May 28, 2018, that Germany is looking forward to the end of trade dispute between the European Union and the United States. Altmaier said, “We need to try to avoid higher tariffs”, adding that he would discuss the issue with European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom and US General Secretary Wilbur Ross at a meeting of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris this week. This organisation is an intergovernmental economic organisation, founded in 1961 and headed by 35 member countries, to stimulate economic progress and world trade. Trump had imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminium in March but granted temporary exemptions to European Union until June 1. EU is now...
The winners of the ET Foundation’s 2018 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition were announced during Extrusion Design University – EDU ’18 held May 15-17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. Seven designs were recognized, including two professionals and five students, for designs that showcased the versatility and advantages of products using aluminum extrusions. Awards were announced by Jason Pickering, Vice President of Operations at Bonnell Aluminum in Newnan, GA; the AEC member company sponsored the 2018 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition. The competition received 72 entries; 58 student entries from 16 schools, including design/technical schools, universities and high schools from 7 different countries and 14 professional entries from 9 different countries. The Grand Prize of $3,500 was...
It is expected that Oman’s exports of aluminium bar rods and profile will be more than imports in 2018. The country is home to some of Middle East’s leading aluminium extrusion manufacturers. As shown in data, Oman imported an estimated 22150 tonnes of aluminium bar rods and profiles in 2016. The total cost of import was USD 62 million. In 2017, the country imported an estimated 24339 tonnes of aluminium bar rods and profiles and the cost of import was USD 61 million. Oman’s import of aluminium bar rods and profiles is expected to increase slightly in 2018. The country is estimated to import 24525 tonnes of aluminium bar rods and profiles in this year. The value of import is estimated to stand at USD 63 million by the end of the current year. United Arab Emirates and India imported the...
More than 135 design, engineering and extrusion professionals attended Extrusion Design University, or EDU ’18, the new event produced by the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC), held May 14-16, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. EDU ’18 included more than 25 hours of educational sessions, a general session, the EDU Expo, networking opportunities and co-located workshops covering various aspects of the extrusion process. Members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) were able to choose from 12 hours of AIA registered classes over the course of the event, potentially earning them a significant portion of their required continuing education learning units. In addition, educational sessions were potentially eligible for engineering professional development hours. Early feedback has been...
Novelis Inc. will invest approximately $180 million to double its production capacity at its Changzhou facility in China. The aluminium rolling and recycling manufacturer will begin expanding its automotive aluminium body sheet plant in 2018 in order to be operational by 2020. "Novelis has always had great commitment to the Chinese market and this investment is key to leading the next-phase of market development here," said James Liu, Managing Director of Novelis China, and Vice President, Automotive, Novelis Asia. "By adding not just manufacturing capacity, but also design and innovation capabilities, Novelis will be even more customer-centric and deeply devoted to promoting aluminium applications in the Chinese market." The company said the investment will be a continuous annealing...
According to the latest figures released by the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA), the first quarter of 2018 saw an export-led increase in aluminium foil deliveries in Europe, rather than improved domestic demand, in sharp contrast to Q1 2017. Overall production for the quarter was up 1.8% from 230,000 tonnes in 2017 to 234,000 tonnes in 2018. Domestic shipments dropped slightly by 2.2%, while exports of aluminium foil to non-European markets surged by 36%. The bullish trend in export started at the last quarter of 2017 when overseas demand went well above 30 per cent and it continued through Q1 2018. Shipments of thinner gauges, used mainly for flexible packaging and household foils; increased by 3.7%, in continuation with the steady demand recovery seen in the previous year....
Japan's import of aluminium alloy from China declined in the first three months of 2018. The country imported 73,393 tonnes of aluminium alloy in January-March, down 5 per cent YoY. The trend is expected to continue through 2018. As seen by Shanghai Metals Market, the prices of ADC12 aluminium alloys exports to Japan dippedUS$20 per tonne to stand at US$2,050-2,060 per tonne in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai area on Tuesday May 22 after prices in the Guangdong area lost US$20 per tonne to stand at US$2,050-2,060 per tonne fob on Monday May 21. The prices of ADC12 aluminium alloys to Japan surged in the last two weeks after China categorised the China Certification and Inspection Group (CCIC) in North America under an A-level risk alert. The month-long operation suspension of China...
European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, that European Union has still no clarity about the United States’ decision over imported aluminium and steel tariffs exemptions, while the permanent exemption deadline is about to expire on June 1, 2018. The bloc has so far been given only temporary exemptions and now, it has only until the end of the month time to negotiate for a permanent exemption from the tariffs. Last week, the European Union leaders had decided at a summit that the bloc would be willing to offer talks on trade liberalisation should the United States grant a permanent and unconditional reprieve from the imported metal tariffs. The EU stands ready to deepen trans-Atlantic energy cooperation, notably on liquefied natural gas, improve...
The growing use of lightweight materials for the development of new energy vehicles is driving demand for aluminium alloy in China and around the world. At the last Auto China show alone, leading brands showcased 174 new energy models and it is predicted that by 2020, the number of new energy vehicles in China will reach 2 million. This rapid growth in both production and sales is underpinned by government policies and high market demand. Aluminium China 2018 in Shanghai, from 11-13 July, will offer a major international platform for the growing range of new lightweight materials and production solutions. In particular, the event will highlight the vital role of aluminium in the future of the new energy automotive industry. 32 new energy auto-related policies were launched in China in...
Granco Clark, Inc. has announced through a press release that they are expanding its manufacturing facility by 50% at its single facility in Belding Michigan. The company says in its press release that they are expanding their operations to cater to the aluminium extrusion market growth driven by growing extrusion demands for their aluminium extrusion partners. A 50% expansion in Belding Michigan will significantly increase their capacity. The company expects this expansion to facilitate better material flow, multiple system demonstrations, and an increase in pre-shipment assembly and wiring. The arrangements will reduce the onsite commitment of its clients for installation and commissioning of equipment. Granco Clark believes this expansion will enhance their ability to grow and adapt...
