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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Aluminium extrusion specialist Hydro is of the view that the use of extruded aluminium has a lot to offer in the making of conventional offshore vessels. Though the demand for offshore vessels is low currently, use of aluminium could have a number of advantages in the newly designed vessels. Hydro did a number of technical and cost studies with leading offshore support vessel builders that suggested that aluminium could not only reduce weight but also can be cost-competitive with steel. Hydro’s marine and offshore market manager Chris Moyle explained that aluminium can be a fitting material for the offshore environment with one-third of the weight of steel, lower maintenance cost; durability, strength and corrosion resistance. “By reducing weight, aluminium reduces costs,” said Mr Moyle....
After the success of Potline Failure: Case Studies & Observations and Raw Materials: CPC, CTP & Anode reports, AlCircle is back again with its third report! This time the comprehensive aluminium portal turns its focus from the upstream to the downstream vertical of the Aluminium value chain. The report titled Growing Consumption of Aluminium Rolled Products in Automotive Industry 2017 throws light on the market that is soon going to claim the biggest share of the global lightweight automotive materials pie. Lightweighting is the order of the day. Globally, automotive industry players are spending dollars to hit upon that one perfect material and technology that enables them to reduce weight of their next outgoing vehicle model so that they meet the now stricter sustainability rules. In...
Novelis, the world leader in aluminium rolling and recycling, announced that after the successful application in Europe its Advanz™ 6HF - e/s200 aluminium alloy is now available in North America. This heat-treatable automotive alloy offers greater design flexibility because of its superior formability, strength performance and weight savings. This 6xxx-series alloy can be used for new outer and inner applications in the automotive sector like body sides, door inners, decklid, outers and inners, and other closure panels. The alloy works best in applications that require bending without the risk of cracking. The company release claims Advanz™ 6HF - e/s200 can achieve weight reduction of nearly one-third over steel in inner door applications. The alloy can help automakers design lightweight...
COIL, the world leader for aluminium anodising, announced its revenues for the third quarter and first nine months of 2017. The company’s revenues were down in July- September period when compared with the same period of 2016, but the revenue in the quarter was higher than the second quarter of 2017. The company’s revenue dropped to €8.4 million in the third quarter of 2017, from €9 million in the corresponding period last year. COIL said revenues in the first nine months of 2017 fell 7 per cent to €22.8 million from €24.5 million in the first nine months of 2016. The company confirmed its full-year target of posting higher revenues of nearly €30 million in 2017. In September, COIL had inaugurated a new advanced line at its Bernburg site in Germany. The facility will enable the company to...
The U.S. Commerce Department has decided to impose tariffs ranging from 97 per cent to 162 per cent on Chinese made aluminium foil increasing it from the already existing 81% rate that the administration had imposed in the summer. Industry experts from the U.S. are of the view that the measure will not arguably protect domestic industry as claimed. Aluminum foil converters, the industry that processes and makes products from base raw material of aluminium foil rolls, have vehemently opposed the tariff. The converters claimed that they moved away from US-made foil to imported product not because of cheaper price but because domestic foil “was the source of over 95% of [their] raw material rejection”. Two American aluminium foil manufacturers are out of the league due to low production...
The acquisition deal between China Zhongwang and Cleveland’s Aleris Corporation has been called off on November 12, 2017. Aleris Corporation announced in a press release on Monday that the merger agreement will not proceed following the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) did not approve. “In July 2017, CFIUS raised concerns about the transaction, and the parties withdrew their filing while extending the merger agreement to allow for additional discussions,” according to Aleris press release. Sean Stack, Aleris Chairman and CEO said. "While this is not the outcome we intended, we remain committed to our growth strategy and have made great strides over the past year in expanding our capacity and developing the capabilities required to meet the future demands of our...
Aluminium rolled products will soon outpace aluminium castings and extrusions as the largest used automotive aluminium product category, an extensive report by AlCircle reveals. The report titled- Growing Consumption of Aluminium Rolled Products in Automotive Industry 2017 , is awaiting launch shortly. The report looks into various factors that have necessitated the use of rolled aluminium in cars, the markets presenting highest growth opportunities, leading automotive rolled product suppliers, top consumers from the auto industry, three automotive case studies, electric vehicle push, and challenges and barriers among many things more. We are standing at the edge of an emission-free, light vehicles era. Conventional, fuel-intensive and CO2-spitting vehicles made from steel are slowly...
Middle East and Africa region is logging significant growth riding the boom in oil as well as non-oil based business sectors. Recent data shows lightweight vehicle assembly in the region is slated to grow by 4.8% to almost 1.3 million units in 2017. Despite uncertainty and volatility in the international market LV assembly is expected to jump by 5.5% to reach 529 thousand units in 2017 predominantly due to stronger exports. Earlier, MEA has been relying more on imports to cater to the domestic demand for automotive aluminium sheet. Currently, it is consuming a lot of in-country produced aluminium rolled products. According to global trade data, major countries in the MEA namely Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Egypt in a combined manner imported 377476 tonnes of aluminium...
Logan Aluminum has invested a total of than $400 million in expanding its product mix and facilities. The company opened the first phase of its expansion in October and broke ground for the second phase which together is expected to create about 250 jobs. Logan Aluminum has been producing aluminium beverage can sheets since 1983 and is boosting its capacity for producing more aluminium sheets for beverage cans and for the automotive industry. A recent news release says the first phase of the expansion increases the plant’s recycling and new ingot casting capabilities by adding a 280,000-square-foot building. After the expansion the plant will be capable of manufacturing thicker-gauge aluminium sheets for automotive industry. Logan Aluminum will have more than 50 acres under roof on its...
Aleris Corporation today reported results for Q3 and first nine months ended September 30, 2017. The company reported net loss of $66 million compared to net loss of $22 million in Q3 2016. Adjusted EBITDA stands at $46 million compared to $53 million in Q3 2016. Operational cash stood at $43 million compared $2 million in Q3 2016. Lower volumes decreased adjusted EBITDA approximately $8 million. The volume reduction was primarily due to the scheduled outage at the Lewisport hot mill in connection with the North America auto body sheet ("ABS") project, destocking in the aerospace supply chain and delayed launches of automotive programs. Improved rolling margins, favourable metal spreads resulting from increased aluminium prices and improved scrap availability in North America increased...
Expromet Technologies Group Ltd recently acquired Haworth Castings Ltd, a family owned aluminium and copper based castings foundry and machining facility in Romsey and Basingstoke, Hampshire. Investacast, a subsidiary of Expromet Technologies Group, announced the acquisition of Haworth Castings. Investacast said that the transaction was completed on 31st October 2017. The acquisition will give customers a wider choice of engineering solutions beyond the range of investment castings, forgings and pressure die castings currently provided by Investacast. Alistair Schofield, Chief Executive of Expromet Technologies , commented: "Haworth Castings enjoys an excellent reputation it its key markets and, by operating as part of a larger group, customers of both businesses will now be able to...
Aluminium products demand in Oman is going to stay strong, industry experts who congregated at the recently ended Arab International Aluminium Conference (ARABAL) 2017 expressed their confidence putting at rest fears of weakening demand from the country’s construction sector. The GCC construction sector is the largest consumer of domestically produced aluminium extrusions. Yet, aluminium bar rods and profiles import by Oman has been rising on per year basis. The trend is expected to continue over the medium term. According to available export-import data, Oman imported 22150.5 tonnes of aluminium bar rods and profiles in 2016. The figure represented a drop from the previous year’s import volume when it reached 25827 tonnes. In 2017, the aluminium bar rods and profiles import is again...
LPW Technology Ltd, a supplier of high quality metal powders and software solutions for additive manufacturing industry, announced a partnership with AIRBUS APWORKS GmbH for the supply of Scalmalloy aluminium-magnesium-scandium alloy to the additive manufacturing sector. Ben Ferrar, LPW’s Chief Operating Officer said: “Expanding our metal powder range to include Scalmalloy, with its high strength, lightweight characteristics, enables manufacturers to access the technological and commercial benefits this proven metal AM alloy has to offer.” Scalmalloy is the world’s first material specifically developed for additive manufacturing. This material is best suited for aerospace, transportation and defence applications, among many others. The companies will support the global requirements for...
As projected by Shanghai Metals Market yesterday, downstream aluminium producers have been prompted to reduce price of alloys to keep pace with steady drop in aluminium ingot prices caused by poor consumption and increasing stock. No new orders have been registered in November. According to SMM the latest average price of Aluminum Alloys (ADC12) dropped to RMB 16,400/t today on November 8 from RMB 16,500/t yesterday and expected to move within a range of RMB 16300 – 16500 per tonne. The drop in average prices of different grades of aluminium alloy can be seen in the following table. ADC12 aluminium alloy ingot and A380 aluminium alloy ingot have reported the maximum drop in prices. It is learnt that high-end ADC12 products are being offered at RMB 16,000 per tonne in the spot market....
Auto sales in South Korea's domestic market dropped in October on less business days, industry data showed last week. The number of car sales by five South Korean companies, including Hyundai, Kia, Renault Samsung, GM Korea and Ssangyong, totalled 112,729 in October, down 11 per cent from previous year. Light vehicles sales, a major market for automotive aluminium sheet, is also showing muted growth- a trend which is likely to impact LV production in the country and hence, the overall rolled aluminium product import. However, international trade data shows that aluminium plates, sheets and strips import by South Korea has increased year-on-year since 2014. From 76971 tonnes in 2014 the volume reached 211,411 tonnes in 2016. In 2017, aluminium plates, sheets and strips import is estimated...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, there have been no recent upturn in consumption of aluminium products during September and October. Due to poor consumption during “Golden September and Silver October” no new substantial orders have been reported in early November. According to SMM the latest average price of Aluminum Alloys (ADC12) stands at RMB 16,500/t today and expected to move within a range of RMB 16400 – 16600 per tonne. The drop in average ADC12 aluminium alloy prices can be seen in the following graph. Recent steady drop in aluminium ingot prices due to poor consumption and increasing stock is prompting downstream aluminium producers to reduce price of value added products. Guangdong ADC12 aluminium alloy ingot has reported the maximum drop in prices. It is learnt that...
China’s Ministry of Commerce has asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) for consultations on a recent U.S. move to impose antidumping duties on imports of Chinese aluminum foil. The ministry, which accused Washington of breaking world trade rules after the United States on Oct. 27 imposed duties of up to 162 percent on Chinese foil imports, said late on Friday it had submitted the request for supplementary consultations under the WTO dispute resolution mechanism on Nov. 3. The move comes as U.S. President Donald Trump, who in April ordered a probe into the impact of U.S. aluminum imports on national security, prepares to visit China from Nov. 8-10. Beijing complains that the United States uses a now expired clause in China’s 2001 WTO accession deal that for years allowed other WTO...
Bharat Forge Limited has shown interest in buying Amtek Auto. The company announced that it has participated in the process of acquiring Amtek Auto. Amtek Auto manufactures auto components through a casting machining phases of manufacturing process. The company has the expertise in manufacturing aluminium die casting. Amit B Kalyani, Executive Director of Bharat Forge, told FE that “We are definitely looking at the company. However, we have not yet submitted any bid.” Commenting on the acquisition, Bharat Forge stated, “We would like to clarify that, from time to time, the company explores various opportunities on an ongoing basis. As regards Amtek Auto, there is currently a process being run under the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), in which Bharat Forge has also participated in...
