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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CoreTech System Co., Ltd. (Moldex3D), a supplier of injection molding simulation solutions, announced the addition of Alumold to its mold material database. Moldex3D material database now offers: Alumold 500 ROLLED, Alumold 500 FORGED, Alumold 400 and Alumold 350. For this, the company teamed up with Constellium, a supplier of aluminum products and solutions to aerospace, automotive and packaging industries. “Partnering with Moldex3D enables mold makers to obtain detailed knowledge of aluminium mold materials and take into account material properties such as strength and thermal conductivity in the plastic injection molding simulation, “ said Sergio Buttignoni, Business Developer Manager and Segment leader – Molds at Constellium. Tober Sun, Division Manager of Product Support at Moldex3D,...
MWheels, a distributor of forged aluminium wheels throughout Europe, has signed a new five-year exclusive European distribution agreement with the manufacturing giant Wheels India for Xlite and Xbrite forged aluminium wheels. Xlite and Xbrite, which are five times stronger and 40 per cent lighter than the standard steel equivalent, are spin forged from a single aluminium billet. WIL, a part of the TVS Group, one of India’s largest auto-component businesses, revealed an upgraded multi-million pound production facility to improve the forged aluminium wheel finishes still further at the start of 2017. Matthew Mardle, Chief Operating Officer at MWheels, said: “The relationship between the two companies is built on history, operational excellence and a mutual respect of each other’s’ strengths...
B & C Aluminium Plc, a.k.a. Inter Africa Extrusion Aluminium Factory, has started to export aluminium profiles for the first time to Egypt. It received an order of 500tn of aluminium profiles to be exported in different phases. The first shipment of 28tn of aluminium profile was made on September 9, 2017, after it concluded the three months dealing with an Egyptian company, EADA for Exporting and Importing Co. The Egyptian company paid B & C 0.81 dollars a kilogram. Established in 2003, B & C had been engaged in aluminium profile assembly for 10 years, before installing an extrusion machine which enabled it to produce aluminium profiles. Before that, the factory was importing aluminium profiles as a raw material for the assembly of doors, windows and other fixtures. The company also...
Sarginsons Industries, a leading lightweight casting expert in Coventry, announced growth in growth in sales and profit following a strong 2017 to date. The company witnessed a growth in developing high performance cast aluminium alloys for the automotive and rail industries. Sarginsons said that the company is on track to grow year-on-year sales by 30 per cent to £7.5 million by the end of 2017. At present, the company is working with the Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST) for the development of new lightweight aluminium alloys. Anthony Evans, managing director at Sarginsons, said: “We’ve seen a huge rise in the demand for aluminium components in the global automotive industry and that is a major factor in our on-going success.” “This year we’ve seen a major...
UC RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer, is pleased to announce the completion of the modernization of Befesa-2 line for standard alloyed ingots production at the Irkutsk Aluminium Smelter (IrkAZ). In 2018, RUSAL plans to commission another line, Befesa-1, and the total investment in both lines will amount to USD7.6 million. The purpose of the project is to maintain share in the casting alloys market as well as to improve quality characteristics of the products to meet the demand of the IrkAZ’s customers in Europe and Asia. Within the framework of the Befesa-2 line, the specialists of the Engineering and Technology Center of RUSAL jointly with the experts of the Spanish firm Befesa Aluminio S.L. modernised various aspects including: installing a new casting wheel, a metal...
Magna, a leading global automotive supplier, is expanding operations to add aluminium casting capabilities at its Kamtek facility in Birmingham, Alabama. The $60 million facility will initially manufacture lightweight aluminium front shock towers for a major global automaker. “High-pressure aluminium casting allows production of full structures in one piece, reducing vehicle mass without compromising performance, structural integrity or safety,” according to company’s press release. John Farrell, president of Cosma International, Magna's body and chassis operating unit said: "We remain focused on lightweighting to help improve fuel economy while decreasing vehicle emissions over time.” “The Kamtek expansion demonstrates our dedication to meeting these challenges head-on through...
Yantai Lishin Electronic & Mechanical Co., announced that the company will supply aluminium die casting parts and die cast aluminium enclosures for a variety of industries. The company’s products are used in the electronics and electrical component industry. The aluminium enclosures are waterproof, and are designed according to the IP66 safety guidelines. The high quality aluminium die casting parts supplied by the company meet the ISO9001:2008 standards. The company can supply die casting parts of different aluminium materials which includes the A380, A360, ADC12 etc. Yantai Lishin Electronic & Mechanical Co. Ltd, located in Shandong Province, China, is one of the professional casting suppliers of aluminium casting, including high pressure die casting, gravity die casting and zinc alloy...
China posted trade surplus decreased to 286.50 billion yuan in August from 321.2 billion yuan in July. Trade surplus was estimated to be 335.7 billion yuan in August, according to Shanghai Metals Market report. China, one of the foremost producers of aluminium semis apart from being the biggest manufacturer of primary aluminium, witnessed a sharp fall in exports of unwrought aluminium and aluminium semis in August from July’s level. China’s exports of unwrought aluminium and aluminium semis fell 6.8 per cent to 410,000 tonnes in August, according to the latest numbers reported by China Customs. The country exported 440,000 tonnes of unwrought aluminium and aluminium semis in July. During the first eight months of this year, China’s total exports volume of the same reached 3.25 million...
Arconic announced that it has received two 2017 Values Partner awards from Spirit AeroSystems for superior performance. Spirit recognized Arconic’s Global Rolled Products (GRP) and Arconic Fastening Systems and Rings (AFSR) businesses at the Spirit AeroSystems Suppliers Awards Dinner in Wichita, Kansas, on August 31. “Spirit cannot be successful without world-class partners,” said Tom Gentile, Spirit president and chief executive officer. “We are proud to recognize these suppliers for sharing our passion in delivering high-quality products on time. We look forward to collaborating with them in the future as we continue to meet our customers’ delivery needs and rate requirements.” Spirit AeroSystems Supply Chain Management awards these honorees to recognize suppliers that have achieved...
Hindalco Industries Ltd., a subsidiary of the Aditya Birla Group, is planning to expand Novelis' auto lines in the US and China to meet the growing demand for automotive aluminium Sheets. Hindalco’s Managing Director Satish Pai said at the Annual Global Investor Conference on Tuesday. Satish Pai said: “Auto shipments from Novelis were 18 per cent in 2016 and in the next year or so, around 25 per cent of our shipments will be auto.” Novelis, a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries, is the world leader in aluminium rolling and recycling. The company is a global producer of automotive and beverage can sheet. “Electric vehicles are going to be a big trend. They are much more aluminium-in tensive than some of the other straightforward con versions for aluminium that we see,“ Pai said at the...
GRANCO CLARK, Inc. of Belding, Michigan, will exhibit at the Aluminum USA 2017, Music City Center, Nashville, Tennessee, October 25-26th, Booth 507. Granco Clark, a full-service company and global leader in the aluminum extrusion industry manufacturing a full range of equipment including some of the world’s largest aluminum extrusion systems. GRANCO CLARK produces all required equipment to heat, cool, pull, stretch, cut, stack, age, and store aluminum extrusions. We work with you to recommend the right equipment for your needs to ensure a smooth acquisition from purchase order to manufacturing. Once the equipment is installed, we adjust it, train your personnel for operation and get it into production. After installation, we follow up to make sure equipment is performing at peak...
Oman's National Aluminium Products Company (NAPCO) has named a new chief executive officer (CEO) following the resignation of Robert Holtkamp. Ihab Mouallem has taken over as the chief of NAPCO. Holtkamp resigned from the role due to personal reasons, and his departure was confirmed by NAPCO in a filing to the Muscat bourse this May. David Ponraj, financial controller at NAPCO, managed the company's day-to-day affairs in the interim period. Mouallem has more than 20 years' experience within the engineering, building, and aluminium sectors. NAPCO's new CEO holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Lebanese American University, with his education focussing on steel construction, hydraulics, transport, and environmental sciences. Prior to his appointment at NAPCO, Mouallem was...
According to the Preliminary estimate of Aluminum Association, aluminium demand in the United States and Canada (shipments by domestic producers plus imports) stood at 13,890 million pounds through the first half of 2017, up 4.1% over the same period of 2016. Demand for semi-fabricated (mill) products stood at 9,951 million pounds, up 5.8%. Apparent consumption (demand minus exports) in domestic markets stood at an estimated 12,413 million pounds, up 5.3% YoY. Aluminium net shipments (including exports) by domestic U.S. and Canadian facilities totalled an estimated 1,803 million pounds during July, up 1.1% over the amount shipped in July 2016. Shipments of aluminium mill products increased 2.1% over the previous year to 1,314 million pounds, while shipments of aluminium ingot for...
The Hamad Port that is being officially opened in Qatar is expected to play a significant role in increasing Qatar’s foreign trade and in the development of the country’s major industries. Al Shaheen Aluminium, Glass & UPVC Factory chairman Shaheen al-Muhannadi said the port is a big step in the globalisation of the world economy, which has increased trading among countries in the world. The world-class facilities in one of the largest ports in the region will have the ability to meet up global demand. “The function of Hamad Port is not limited and has expanded to a logistical platform .The efficiency of a port is important in international trade since it is the nerve of a county’s foreign trade,” al-Muhannadi said. He also stressed that Hamad Port will help the major industries like...
According to a spokesperson from Aleris, the acquisition deal between China Zhongwang and Cleveland’s Aleris Corporation has not been called off by any side. According to a report published in Blloomberg on Friday, the merger agreement between both the companies has been extended to the middle of September. The initial agreement, announced at the end of August 2016, was scheduled to expire Aug. 31. “We remain in discussions with Zhongwang USA on the pending acquisition,” said Jason Saragian, an Aleris spokesman to Bloomberg News via email. If the transaction takes place, it would be the biggest-ever acquisition by a Chinese company of an overseas metals processor. The transaction faced regulatory hurdles in the U.S. as U.S. officials raised concerns over national-security. Recently, there...
According to the latest report from United Nation’s Geological Survey (USGS) total aluminium imports for consumption for the first 6 months of 2017 increased by 21% compared with the amount in the same period of 2016. Imports of crude metal and alloys increased by 23% while imports of semi-fabricated materials increased by 14%, and imports of scrap increased by 24% in comparison to the first half of 2016. Canada remained the leading import source of aluminium and aluminium products to the United States for the period, contributing 45% of total aluminium imports, followed by the United Arab Emirates (11%), Russia (11%), and China (6%). Total import stood at 3,610,000 tonnes in comparison to 2,980,000 tonnes in the same period of 2016. On an interesting observation, Canada accounted for 51%...
The downstream aluminium sector has shown remarkable developments in the field of expansion, product shipments, acquisition and innovation in the week gone by. A few major companies have signed new deals or announced plans of expansion or acquisition. The moves indicate a bullish aluminium market globally. The price rise in aluminium driven by China’s capacity cut announcements has already generated enthusiasm among aluminium producers and product manufacturers. Here is a look back into the top newsmakers from the last week: China Zhongwang acquires Germany’s Aluminiumwerk Unna Zhongwang Aluminium Deutschland GmbH, a subsidiary of China Zhongwang Holding Ltd., a manufacturer and developer of aluminium extrusion products, has acquired Aluminiumwerk Unna AG (Alunna) in August 2017. After...
According to sources close to the company, Aditya Birla Group is currently looking at growing its aluminium operations overseas by evaluating possible bids for Constellium NV and Aleris Corp. The Indian billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla is seriously evaluating such possibilities though the group hasn’t yet decided on proceeding with an offer for either of these two businesses. Sources also say that the conglomerate might pursue an acquisition through Novelis Inc., a subsidiary of Birla’s Mumbai-listed Hindalco Industries Ltd. “Hindalco successfully managed to turn around Novelis, which was once considered a white elephant,” Sanjiv Bhasin, an executive vice president at local brokerage India Infoline Ltd., said. “The way forward in the U.S., especially with an expectation of Trump...
