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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Ever since the United States of America has signed for aluminium and steel tariffs on imported metals, aluminium manufacturers, traders and enthusiasts are busy evaluating the final impacts, even after some of the key aluminium supplying countries like Brazil, Argentina, Australia, South Korea, Canada, Mexico and the European Union are exempt from the tariff plans until May 1, 2018. “It’s one of those ‘you’re going to have to kind of wait and see cases,” said Dallas Fridley, regional economist for the Oregon Employment Department. Fridley had anticipated much before that the industries that used aluminium and steel would be affected maximum by higher prices. Local construction firms, farm equipment manufacturers and brewers who use aluminium cans for packaging have faced a massive strain...
Old Bridge’s Vantage Equity Fund and Raisonneur Capital jointly subscribed to the entire anchor portion of IPO, issued by Maharashtra based company MMP Industries Ltd. The company was formed in the year 1983 and primarily engaged in manufacturing aluminium powder and paste since then. The total anchor book reserved in the Initial Public Offering was INR 24.09 crore by the company, out of which Vantage invested INR 20 crore and Raisonneur Capital INR 10 crore, resulting in an over-subscription to the anchor portion by about 1.25 times. The company will now issue 45 lakh equity shares at a price band of Rs. 186-188 per share. The minimum lot price is fixed at 600 equity shares. The issue, which will close on April 4, 2018, will mop up INR 85 crore on the upper price band. So far, many...
After a winter heating season between November 2017 and March 2018, which had literally resulted in a temporary manufacturing halt, aluminium extrusion producers in North China are gradually recommencing their productions. As reported by Shanghai Metal Market, one company in Hebei province has begun operating its three out of five machines and receiving orders for April close to a maximum capacity. Shanghai Metal Market is thus expecting the aluminium processing companies to have a rise in their productions month-on-month in April due to a delayed downstream consumption recovery. However, regulations on heat and pollutant emissions from manufacturers will continue to be enforced by the Chinese government during the non-heating season from April 1, 2018 to November 15, 2018 for keeping air...
According to Shanghai Metal Market, a major producer of aluminium plate, strip and foil in Guangdong province witnessed orders jump this month, as compared with the contemporary period of the last month. Similar to the trading growth of aluminium rod that jumped up to RMB 500 per tonne in Shandong province, Guangdong province saw a rise in aluminium strip, plate and foil production, as it expanded to lower-tier cities, reported by SMM. Besides a rise in production, the expansion to lower-tier cities also led to a rebound in aluminium supplies, which likely to lift the company’s operating rate right from 80 per cent in March to 100 per cent in April. But despite all kind of optimistic growth in production and supply, there are still a few smaller aluminium processing plants in the province...
As reported by Shanghai Metal Market on March 28, 2018, aluminium rod witnessed a trading growth due to stringent supply and rise in processing charges, which jumped up to RMB 500 per tonne ex-factory in Shandong province. Some major sources at aluminium rod producers informed SMM that they were unable to deliver the new orders on the same day. They also reported that supplies of aluminium rods tightened and fell from a year ago, totalling 600,000 tonnes, especially after annual capacities, in Shandong, Henan and Inner Mongolia. Nevertheless, consumption of aluminiun rods surged as demands for cables in Hebel saw a steady growth after the heating season and shipments began to the State Grid in the second half of March.
Japan's aluminum industry on Thursday called for the United States to scrap import tariffs on aluminum as they are against international rules and pose a serious problem. Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump temporarily excluded six countries, including Canada and Mexico, and the countries of the European Union from higher U.S. import duties on steel and aluminum that went into effect on Friday. The exclusion included most U.S. allies, but not Japan. "We are also worried that aluminum products that are shut out by the United States may flood the Asian market," Mitsuru Okada, chairman of the Japan Aluminum Association told a news conference. "We will ask the Japanese government to continue seeking a country exemption from the new U.S. tariffs," Okada said, adding that Japanese aluminum...
A one day National Seminar on Development of Special Alloys and Composites of Aluminum for New India took place in Mumbai on 16th of March, 2018. The seminar was organized by Aluminium Association of India (AAI), an apex body for the Indian aluminium sector, in association with the primary producers of Aluminium and leading ancillary and Downstream industries with a view to encourage an increasing use of Aluminium metal in various application sectors. Dr A.K. Mukhopadhyay, a leading Scientist and Associate Director, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), Hyderabad spoke about the successful role of DMRL as a centre for taking up development-cum-industrial scale production orders for a variety of specialty aluminium alloys for critical defence applications. These applications...
The entire Shanghai base metals complex moved forward as the dollar index slipped by 0.1 per cent to 89.29. Average Aluminium ingot prices remained unchanged today. However in the individual market, primary ingot prices registered some changes. Alloy prices have also remained unchanged today. Analysts expect the market to pick up with a boost in downstream demand. As reported by Shanghai Metals Market, China's northern province of Shanxi on Tuesday offered preferential access to bauxite resources to some of the country's biggest aluminium companies. This was on condition that they would set up or transfer smelting capacity to the region. This would boost industrial growth in the region. On March 26, Bauxite prices at Shanxi province increased to RMB 320 to RMB 400 per tonne. While...
As per the latest export-import data published by China General Customs, China’s total aluminium semi-finished and finished products exports continued to surge in February 2018. Total exports of aluminium semis-finished products for February increased by 44.50 per cent on year-on-year basis, while exports for the first two months of 2018 surged by 26.50 per cent from the same period last year. Data Source: www.metal.com As per the Customs data, total aluminium semi-finished product export by Asia’s largest aluminium producer and consumer stood at 330,000 tonnes last month, while the volume reached 730,000 tonnes during January-February of 2018. Export of aluminium bar rod and profiles by the country witnessed an increase in February 2018. The total aluminium bar rod and profiles export by...
After considering a 15 per cent tariff on US products, China is now asking for compensation from the US for lost trade due to the aluminium and steel tariffs by Donald Trump. This may lead to a great dispute between the two nations at the World Trade Organisation. In two filings with the WTO on Monday, China dispersed the US proclamation that the tariffs were introduced on national security ground, arguing that they were nothing but the safeguard measures and temporary trade restrictions for protecting domestic producers. According to the data published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, China’s aluminium and steel exports to the US are likely being affected by about US$689 million due to the tariffs imposition. In response to a such great loss, China threatened to...
China’s imports of aluminium alloy have come down 27 per cent year-on year in February 2018.China's purchase of aluminium alloy from the global sellers reduced to 4506 tonnes last month, according to the import-export data released by General Customs. The country’s total aluminium alloy import for the 2-months period stood at 10,068 tonnes, down 1.98 per cent YoY. Data Source: www.metal.com China’s imports from the United Arab Emirates were increased 57 per cent YoY in February. The United Arab Emirates exported 2,093 tonnes of aluminium alloy. Other top countries which supplied aluminium alloy to China were Taiwan (China), Russia, Venezuela, Malaysia, South Korea and others. China’s aluminium alloy export volumes dropped 10 per cent year-on-year in February 2018. China shipped 26,205...
China Zhongwang, world’s leading aluminium extrusions product manufacturer, announced its fourth quarter results. The company’s net profit jumped in the fourth quarter as it ramped up sales of new products for the transportation sector, according to news published by Reuters. China Zhongwang reported net income of 1.524 billion yuan ($241.12 million) for the fourth quarter of 2017, according to Reuters calculations. The company had posted net income of 1.08 billion yuan ($163 million) during the third quarter of 2017. Zhongwang’s annual profit stood at 3.87 billion yuan, up 33.1 per cent. For the full year of 2017, the company generated revenue of 19.46 billion yuan, an increase of 16.6 per cent. “The group developed and launched large-sectional aluminium parts for passenger cars and...
British Indian billionaire Sanjeev Gupta’s Liberty Group submits a bid for the French aluminium wheel manufacturer, AR Industries (ARI). This is not the first time Mr. Gupta’s group is attempting to acquire an aluminium firm. Earlier also, he had brought one of Europe’s biggest smelters Aluminium Dunkerque from Rio Tinto at a cost of $500 million. Gupta lives with a dream to create a €2 billion business in northern France to produce components for the automotive industry, reported by Financial Times. According to the report, Sanjeev Gupta’s global industrial group GFG Alliance, led by Liberty Group, has submitted the bid to the court administrators for AR Industries at Chateauroux in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. “ARI fits perfectly into our plans for the creation of an...
Kingswinford-based Mechatherm International has secured £25 million order to supply one of the largest aluminium producers in the Middle East with furnaces. Mechatherm International supplies furnaces and casting machines to the aluminium industry. The company plans to its first office in Dubai later in 2018 to bolster its presence in the Middle East. The furnace order has resulted in 10 new jobs being created at the company. Mechatherm has a customer base of blue chip companies and exports to more than 50 countries around the world. Andrew Riley, chairman of Mechatherm International, said: “Exporting is key to our business and some of our most valuable contracts are with overseas customers. Before working with the DIT, we encountered some difficulties with logistics. We were unsure who to...
The Aluminium Federation, which represents the UK’s aluminium sector, has welcomed the announcement that the European Union and six other countries will be exempt from steel and aluminium tariffs recently announced by President Trump. “The exemption of the EU, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and South Korea from these measures, which come into effect today, is good news”, said Aluminium Federation President Giles Ashmead. “However, this exemption is only temporary, and European markets are still vulnerable to flows of diverted aluminium product from producing countries that remain affected by the tariffs. This situation can only generate uncertainty in our industry.” “Tariffs in general are a blunt instrument, and the indirect consequences of any resulting trade war could be...
Chassix, Inc. announced the acquisition of BENTELER Automotive Farsund's lightweight aluminium low pressure automotive casting business. The Farsund business will operate under the name Chassix Norway AS. BENTELER Automotive Farsund’s casting business consists of a highly automated aluminium foundry in Farsund, Norway. It designs and produces lightweight aluminium structural castings. Doug DelGrosso, Chassix's President and CEO said "We are pleased to have completed our acquisition of the Bentler Automotive Farsund business, as this acquisition accelerates our vertical integration in Europe, provides customer and product diversification and further enhances our technical capabilities in our business.” "We welcome the Farsund team to Chassix and look forward to working collaboratively to...
The top United States and European Union officials announced yesterday that both US and EU agreed to have a round of discussion on trade issues of concerns, including the new aluminium and steel tariffs, which Donald Trump had threatened to impose from this Friday (March 23, 2018). The EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom met the US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross in Washington with an aim to secure an exemption from Trump’s aluminium and steel tariffs on imported metals. At the end of the meeting, they jointly declared in a statement: “We have agreed to launch immediately a process of discussion with President Trump and the Trump administration on trade issues of common concern, including steel and aluminium, with a view to identifying mutually acceptable outcomes as rapidly as...
The United States did not fully comply with a 2014 ruling against its anti-subsidy tariffs on a range of Chinese products, a World Trade Organization compliance panel said in a ruling on Wednesday that either side can appeal within 20 days. The ruling came ahead of the White House’s announcement on Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump will announce tariffs on Chinese imports aimed at curbing theft of U.S. technology. The move is expected to trigger retaliation from Beijing and stoke fears of a global trade war. China went to the WTO in 2012 to challenge U.S. anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese exports including solar panels, wind towers, steel cylinders and aluminium extrusions. At the time it said its complaint covered an annual $7.3 billion in exports to the United States. The WTO...
