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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Japanese steel and aluminium product manufacturer Kobe Steel’s admission of presenting falsified data on aluminium and copper product shipments boost the shares of Japanese aluminium companies. Shares of Daiki Aluminium Industry, UACJ and Molitec Steel, rose by 9.3 per cent, 7.3 per cent and 16 per cent respectively. The company’s shares have fallen by 22 per cent. On 8th October, Kobe Steel said that about 4 per cent of the aluminium and copper products shipped by the company from September 2016 to August 2017 were falsely labelled as meeting the specifications requested by customers. The company admitted the data was about 20,000 tonnes of metals used in aircraft and automobiles. Falsified products included 19,300 tonnes of aluminium plate and extrusions; 2,200 tonnes of copper strip...
Constellium N.V. announced through a press release that it has signed a multi-year contract with Bombardier to supply aluminium flat rolled products in a variety of alloy mix, shapes and applications. The products would be supplied for a number of Bombardier’s aircraft projects such as C Series, CRJ Series, Q Series, Global and Challenger. After signing the contract, Constellium will become one of the leading suppliers of flat rolled products to Bombardier globally. The agreement will seal Constellium’s position as a strategic supplier to some of the top aerospace companies. “I am proud to see Bombardier and Constellium continuing to build on their partnership. This new contract allows us to further anchor our position as a key supplier of innovative aluminium solutions for Bombardier’s...
China market has reopened yesterday October 9 on a bullish note after the week-long Chinese National day holiday. According to Shanghai Metals Market update, SHFE base metals mostly opened higher yesterday. A00 Aluminium Ingot prices were up across all major markets after the holidays. The average price of A00 Aluminium Ingot today increased further to stand at RMB 16,260/t, up from RMB 16,220/t on October 9. The average price of A00 Aluminium Ingot would range between RMB 16,240 – 16,280/tonne. A00 Aluminium Ingot in spot China market is trading at discounts of RMB 220 - 180/t after resumed trading. Today’s aluminium A00 Aluminum prices across the various markets in China are presented in the table below: Prices of some of the Aluminium alloy ingot grades in specific Chinese markets have...
Japanese steel and aluminium product manufacturer Kobe Steel admits through a statement that the company has put forward fabricated data to falsely present that aluminium and copper products met customer specifications. The company statement says that about 4 percent of the aluminium and copper products shipped by Kobe Steel from September 2016 to August 2017 were falsely labelled as meeting the specifications requested by customers. The products were shipped to about 200 companies but they were never certified as meeting exact specifications from clients, as said by a company spokesman. Kobe Steel has admitted the data was about 20,000 tonnes of metals used in aircraft and automobiles. Falsified products included 19,300 tonnes of aluminium plate and extrusions; 2,200 tonnes of copper...
The week gone by has marked a few developments in the global aluminium trading sector. Merger and acquisition has played key role in the week’s business development. Expansion in the casting, extrusion and rolling segment indicates the aluminium demand growth in the automotive and construction sector. Chinese aluminium export continues to create tension in the west, while the domestic companies in the downstream sector keep their eyes on further capacity expansion. Below are a few headlines that made news in the week from September 2-6. U.S. Commerce Department defers anti-dumping decision on China aluminium foil In a statement published on Thursday, Sept 5 the U.S. Commerce Department said that it would defer the preliminary determination in an anti-dumping duty investigation into China...
According to the latest Resources and Energy Quarterly for September 2017 by Australian Government's Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, World aluminium production increased by 5.8 per cent YoY in the first eight months of 2017, to over 40 million tonnes. Production growth was driven by strong growth in China (7.7 per cent YoY), ex-China Asian countries (14 per cent year-on-year), and South America (3 per cent year-on-year). Due to reduced capacity at Portland Aluminium in Australia after a power outage in December 2016, production in Oceania fell by 11 per cent YoY. Environmental inspection and illegal capacity cut are expected to reduce China’s aluminium production by 4.3 per cent to 30 million tonnes by the end of 2017. The report further states that production rises in...
GF Linamar, a joint venture between GF Automotive and diversified manufacturing expert Linamar Corporation, inaugurated its new high-pressure die-casting facility focuses on lightweight solutions in aluminium and magnesium for the automotive industry. Josef Edbauer, President of GF Automotive, said: “The opening of GF Linamar LLC is an important milestone for us to serve our global customers even better. The strong order intake shows that our expertise in reducing vehicle weight and therefore emissions is well appreciated by our customers, certainly a promising sign for the future.” The first production is expected to start in 2018. The new plant is located on a 57-acres site at the Ferncliff Industrial Park in Mills River, North Carolina. Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of Linamar Corporation,...
Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Union Electric Steel Corporation, has won $4.4 million contract from Zhongwang High Precision Aluminum Industry, a Chinese manufacturer of high-end aluminium flat-rolled products, for the delivery of rolls for new hot rolling mill installation. The shipments are likely to start in the first quarter of 2018. Rodney Scagline, President of Union Electric Steel, said, “The agreement adds another accredited, large new aluminium mill to our customer list. Supplying the rolls needed for this new mill is an encouraging win for us, demonstrating our growing presence among major aluminum rolling mills around the world which require the most demanding, high-quality rolls.” The supply agreement includes Union Electric Åkers...
In a statement published on Thursday, the U.S. Commerce Department said that it would defer the preliminary determination in an anti-dumping duty investigation into China aluminum foil imports by the US. The delay according to the department, would allow it "to fully analyse information pertaining to China's status as a non-market economy (NME) country." Concerned over the dramatic growth of imports of aluminium foil from China to the US in 2016, when it was valued at an estimated $389 million, U.S. aluminium foil producers filed a petition with the U.S. government accusing China of dumping foils in the United States. In August, Commerce imposed preliminary anti-subsidy duties of about 17% to 81% on different types of China aluminium foil. The anti-dumping probe, according to the Commerce...
Taiwan’s government expects the country’s GDP to expand 1.9% in 2017. With the growth in GDP, aluminium consumption is expected to increase at a faster speed. The country ranks second in per capita aluminium consumption with a rate of about 33.3 kg. The island country has seen significant demand growth for aluminium alloy products in the domestic market. The country produces about 819,000 tonnes of aluminium domestically in four main categories: Secondary Aluminium Alloy, Casting, Rolling and Extrusion Industries. Taiwan imports substantial amount of aluminium alloys to make value added products. We are analysing Taiwan’s export and import data for Aluminium Plates, Sheets and Strips in 2016 and trying to figure out a trend in the current year below. As shown by the recent data, Taiwan...
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. announced through a press release that effective October 2, 2017; it acquired all of the common stock of Ferguson Perforating Company through its wholly-owned subsidiary Diamond Manufacturing Company. Ferguson manufactures perforated metal parts for numerous applications in domestic and international markets. Ferguson manufactures highly engineered and complex perforated metal for a number of industries like aerospace and automotive to industrial machinery, consumer electronics manufacturers, and sugar producers. The Company is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island with an additional facility in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Ferguson’s net sales stood at about $31 million at the end of CY 2016. With the takeover, Ferguson’s current CEO will retire while...
GFG Alliance is ready to submit planning application for the new aluminium wheels plant in Lochaber in November this year. A public consultation is scheduled to be held in October. The plant is a part of an expansion plan of its Lochaber Smelter .The company will use liquid aluminium from the smelter for the production of approximately two million alloy wheels a year. Brian King, GFG Alliance's managing director of operations at Lochaber, said: “Our ambition is for this plant to become a leader in its field, producing the most advanced products on the market and employing highly-skilled people.” The new wheel factory is expected to employ up to 400 people and could be operational by 2020.
The two-decade-old Upper Peninsula-based Superior Extrusion Inc has announced a $10.5 million expansion at K.I. Sawyer — a move that is expected to create about 30 jobs by 2020. According to the chairman of the board of directors of Superior Extrusion Inc, George LaBlonde III, the company needs to expand for future growth. “On behalf of the Board of Directors, management and employees, I am happy to express our pride in our team’s effort and all those that have overwhelming(ly) supported our efforts to expand our capacity and create additional employment opportunities,” LaBlonde said. The expansion cost would include the purchase of a 2,000-ton, 7-inch aluminium extrusion press and associated equipment and it is expected to expand the size of the existing operation by 75,000 square feet,...
Aluminium semi-finished product export by China was hit by reduced output in August 2017 following widespread environmental checks which mainly hit the upstream sector; but ripple effects were felt across the entire aluminium value chain. The export volume totalled 360,000 tonnes in August, down 3.2 per cent from the previous month. The cumulative export volume during January-August increased 5.2 per cent to reach 2.8 million tonnes, revealed data published by the General Administration of Customs on September 26. China’s monthly aluminium bar, rod, and profile export was down by 29 per cent at 360,000 tonnes in August. Aluminium foil export also dropped by 4.9 per cent. In the finished product category, aluminium stranded wire and cable export declined by 34 per cent, while aluminium...
Recently, Chongqing Hengya Industrial Co., ltd. has started manufacturing and transport of aluminium RB. It is reported that the company entered Beidu Aluminium Industrial Park in 2015 and invested to build production project of high-precision Aluminium alloy RB, vehicle-used AC flat tube, and vehicle parts. The total investment of the project is 300 million yuan, with construction divided into 2 stages. Currently, the first stage has been completed and started production, which can achieve annual output of 120 thousand tonnes' various series high-precision Aluminium alloy RB. The country is encouraging downstream industries to boost the menufacturing sector and the stready growth in the automotive sector with the growing trend for lighter vehicles is opening up more avenues for...
Norsk Hydro’s acquisition of Orkla’s 50% ownership in Sapa was completed today, October 2, giving Hydro full ownership in the global leader in extruded aluminium solutions and making Hydro a leading force in the global aluminium industry. The combination makes Hydro the only global company in the aluminium industry that is fully integrated across the value chain and markets, and gives Hydro unparalleled strength in technology, R&D, innovation and product development, as well as an unmatched product and service offering to the benefit of more than 30,000 customers throughout the world. It also provides Hydro with the capability and freedom to grow in the most attractive areas of aluminium, as well as further strengthening the sustainable solutions for the future low-carbon economy. “Today...
Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, announced Friday, September 29, that it completed the transaction for its joint venture with Kobe Steel, Ltd., a producer of aluminum rolled products in Japan. The joint venture, Ulsan Aluminum, Ltd., was formed by Novelis selling Kobe Steel its ownership interest in its Ulsan, South Korea facility for US $315 million. Novelis and Kobe Steel together own the Ulsan Aluminum, Ltd. facility, with each company remaining responsible for its own metal supply and commercial relationships. The Ulsan Aluminum plant is strategically located in the industrial hub of Ulsan, South Korea to support the increasing demand for high-strength and lightweight aluminum for automotive and specialty products including electronics and building...
Senior-level executives from Alcoa, Novelis, Scepter and the Aluminum Association will discuss continued demand growth and investment in the domestic aluminum industry during a media roundtable at the association’s annual member meeting in Washington, D.C on Wednesday, October 4. The U.S. aluminum industry has seen seven straight years of demand growth led by major increases in the light vehicle market, which has shipped record volumes for each of the past two years. The executives will also discuss a variety of ongoing global trade issues including the upcoming preliminary decision from the Commerce Department in its antidumping investigation of aluminum foil from China. Following brief opening remarks, the executives will be available for a Q&A session with reporters in-person and via...
