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 the latest details of Liberty House Group for establishing a plant at Fort Williams, the Highlands could become a key manufacturing centre of aluminium alloy car wheels in the UK. Liberty House is aiming to manufacture up to two million alloy wheels per annum at its planned facility. Sister company SIMEC is expected to supply hydro and bio-diesel power to the plant, as part of the company’s low-carbon “Greenmetal” strategy. The company believes its new plant could replace 25 per cent import of alloy wheels and provide the UK market with between 1.5million and 2million wheels each year. Currently, the demand of these products is met by imports. Ian Blackford, MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, said: “When you look at the vision that Liberty and its management have, there is no...
The United Kingdom is a major aluminium products manufacturing hub in Europe. Automotive is the key end user sector that generates maximum demand followed by the building and construction sector. Of late, UK aerospace industry has increased its operations. The world's second largest aerospace industry UK aerospace now stands to emerge as the next global powerhouse to reckon with. It is driving aluminium extrusions and special aluminium products demand in the domestic market significantly. {newsStudioGallery} The UK also exports a major volume of its domestically produced aluminium bar rods and profiles in the international market. Data shows, the country exported 17351.23 tonnes of aluminium bar rods and profiles in 2015, which increased by 36 per cent to reach 23615.68 tonnes in 2016. In...
Arconic today announced that Klaus Kleinfeld, by mutual agreement with the Arconic Board of Directors, has stepped down as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Arconic and has resigned as a Board member. David P. Hess, a current Board member, has been appointed as Interim CEO of Arconic and will remain on the Board. Mr. Hess has decades of experience in leading aerospace and industrial businesses. Patricia F. Russo, Arconic’s current Lead Director, has been appointed as Interim Chair of the Board. Ms. Russo has served on the Board since 2008 and has been serving as Lead Director since 2015. “The Board is focused on hiring a world-class CEO to lead Arconic into its next chapter. We are focused on ensuring a smooth leadership transition for our customers, employees and many stakeholders,”...
Aluminium major Nalco signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Defence ministry PSU- Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (Midhani) for manufacturing high-end aluminium products in order to reduce imports of such items. Nalco signed another MoU with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bhubaneswar on R&D under its Industry-Institution Interaction programme to enhance its research activities. Both the pact was signed on the occasion to dedicate a 198 MW wind power plant of Nalco’s to the nation on Saturday. Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, Govt. of India, said that Nalco is also working to set up green power plants of 150MW capacity in Odisha. The company has sought early allocation of land from the State Government. He said under Make...
With news coming up every day on downstream aluminium industry, AlCircle makes sure you’re informed on the latest acquisitions, installations, expansions and future outlook of the companies. Through this article, let’s revisit some of the news that you need to know from the downstream aluminium industry. China Zhongwang’s profit in 2016 up 12.1% on healthy automotive demand According to an SMM report, China Zhongwang posted a 12.1% rise in net profit to 3.14 billion yuan in 2016. The rise in profit was primarily driven by rapid expansion in the automotive aluminium market in Asia, North America and Europe. The result was published in the company’s 2016 earnings report. Midwest Steel and Aluminium to expand its operations to Rogers Midwest Steel and Aluminium is moving its operations to...
India's leading aluminium extrusions manufacturer Jindal Aluminium Limited has signed a contract with Vikram Solar to install a 20 megawatt solar power unit to power its plant near Bengaluru in Karnataka. The project covering 97-acres of land area with over 73,000 solar modules will deliver power output measuring up to 23,000 kWp. As per the contract Vikram will install, operate and manage the plant for initial five years of the project. Speaking about the development, Gyanesh Chaudhary, MD and CEO of Vikram Solar said, “Thinking and doing beyond conventional expectations is one of the primary mottos of the company. Our continuous success defines the superior operation practice in the field apart from robust planning and execution capabilities. It gives us immense pleasure to add more...
UC RUSAL, a leading global aluminium producer, acquires share of the foundry and mechanical production facility SKAD (SKAD), which is a producer of aluminium alloy car wheels, located in Krasnoyarsk. Under the terms of the transaction, RUSAL will own a stake in the authorised capital of LMZ SKAD LLC and its founder, Idris Zakriev, will remain as Chief Executive Officer of the production facility. SKAD produces alloy wheels for the Russian and overseas auto markets and, due to the growing consumer demand, SKAD’s management decided to raise funding by attracting a strategic partner for further development of the production facility. ‘Integrating LMZ SKAD into the RUSAL's structure fits perfectly with the Company’s goals, and will also contribute to a further increase in the sale of value...
Bahrain's value of exports of commodities produced within the country reached BD177 million (US$469.5 million) in February this year, while import value surged to nearly BD333 million (US$883.2 million), revealed data published by Bahrain’s Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) in its Foreign Trade Report of February 2017. Aluminium wires emerged as the top product exported with BD26 million ($68.9 million). The Gulf country's last three-year aluminium wire export data shows the volume has logged a steady growth year-over-year. {newsStudioGallery} According to international trade data, Bahrain exported 165948.28 tonnes of aluminium wires in 2016, up 9.65 per cent from 151333.79 tonnes in 2015. In 2017 (till November), the Middle East country is estimated to ship around 142050.22...
European aluminium foil exports are charting a steady growth. According to delivery numbers released by the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) in March 2017, exports in 2016 rose by 1.3 per cent year-on-year, reflecting a smaller-than-expected competition impact in the overseas market. Increases in the first and third quarters were more than sufficient to offset flagging numbers in the final quarter. Armenia, a region covered by EAFA, stands as a bright spot in the European aluminium foils market. The country's offshore sales increased at around 2 per cent rate year-on-year since 2015. {newsStudioGallery} EAFA’s Executive Director Guido Aufdemkamp said, “To have exceeded the previous all-time high is very encouraging. But we have seen volatile swings in demand patterns quarter on...
Arconic announced today that the installation of its new manufacturing technology – the Very Thick Plate Stretcher (Stretcher) – is complete. The Stretcher produces highly-differentiated aerospace and industrial plate. The investment in the Stretcher is backed by customer contracts, including one with Airbus, valued at approximately $1 billion. The project was completed on time with an investment of approximately $150 million, approximately $40 million under budget. Located at the company’s facility in Davenport, Iowa, the Stretcher improves the performance of thick aluminium and aluminium-lithium plate in aerospace and industrial applications. The stretching process reduces stress introduced into the plate as part of the manufacturing process, resulting in a part that is more easily...
Rusal, one of the world's largest aluminium producers, inked a Joint Venture (JV) agreement with Runaya Metsource on equal terms to produce high technology aluminium paste and powders in India. Runaya Metsource is a Mumbai-based company promoted by the shareholders of Vedanta. Alexey Arnautov, RUSAL's director for new projects said, "RUSAL s strategic priority includes the increase in production and sales of high value added products, including the creation of joint ventures”. Furthermore, he also added: "A combination of RUSAL s long lasting experience in production of aluminium powders and pastes as well as Runaya Metsource s strong position as a local player create solid competitive advantages for the JV and is an excellent foundation to penetrate the market." The project is likely to...
According to an SMM report, China Zhongwang posted a 12.1% rise in net profit to 3.14 billion yuan in 2016. The rise in profit was primarily driven by rapid expansion in the automotive aluminium market in Asia, North America and Europe. The result was published in the company’s 2016 earnings report. China Zhongwang is the second largest industrial aluminium extrusion product developer and manufacturer in the world and the largest in Asia. It has more than 90 production lines with a total annual production capacity of about 1.2 million tons. Aluminium processing business is main driver of its performance in 2016, with sales registering an increase of 22.7% YOY to 90,000 tonnes and sales revenue up 25.1% to 2.44 billion yuan. Total sales increased 3.9% YOY to 765,000 tonnes, generating an...
As reported in the Aluminum Association’s “Index of Net New Orders of Aluminum Mill Products” for March increased 13.6% over February 2017. {newsStudioGallery} Month on month, orders for flat roll products (sheet, plate, can stock and foil) were up 14.7%, while orders for extruded products increased 13.0% and orders for redraw rod were off 2.2%. Total orders were up 4% YOY. On average, orders recorded by domestic producers through the first quarter 2017 were up 3.3% over the same period of 2016. Aluminum imports of ingot, scrap and mill products into the U.S. and Canada (excluding cross-border trade) stood at 379500 tonnes in February 2017, up 50.2% over the February 2016 total of 252500 tonnes. Total aluminium exports in February including scrap, which accounted for roughly 53.2 % of it...
Midwest Steel and Aluminium is moving its operations to Rogers, Arkansas, USA in order to implement its $5.2 million expansion that will enable the company to double its space and hire 15 more people over its current capacity of 22 employees. Midwest Steel & Aluminum is a leading metal service center and distributor specializing in Aluminum, Stainless Steel and Brass products. The company currently leases about 27,500 square feet at 9151 International Parkway in New Hope for its facility. According to a media release from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Midwest plans to build a 55,000-square-foot office and distribution facility in Rogers over next three years. The company was founded in 1960 and since then it has been purchasing metal products from...
Indian aluminium companies are shifting their focus from being primarily a smelting oriented sector to a value-added industry, and in their endeavour to become one they are finding in the Mines Ministry a true facilitator. Piyush Goyal, minister for power, coal, mines and new and renewable energy recently said in an industry meet that his ministry will encourage value-addition initiatives in the aluminium sector and work hand in hand with the companies to enhance their self-sufficiency in the face of surging imports. Goyal was addressing industry executives at the CII Global Natural Resources Conclave in New Delhi, where he said it was time India targeted aggressive expansion not only in mineral exploration but also in downstream aluminium value-added product creation and marketing....
Arconic Inc. announced the divestiture of its Fusina, Italy rolling mill to Slim Aluminium on April 6 2017. The transaction follows a thorough review process and is part of Arconic Global Rolled Products’ (GRP) continued drive to convert the business from a commodity producer to a high-margin aerospace and automotive supplier. Arconic expects to record restructuring-related charges representing the loss on sale of approximately $60 million after tax, or $0.12 per diluted share, in its Statement of Consolidated Operations for the first quarter of 2017. The charges primarily relate to the non-cash impairment of the net book value of the business as well as the injection of $10 million in cash into the business prior to its sale. GRP has increased its adjusted EBITDA margin by 890 basis...
UAE-based Taweelah Aluminium Extrusion Company (TALEX), a joint venture between Abu Dhabi’s SENAAT and Gulf Extrusions has announced its expansion plan in the city of Melbourne in Australian with an initial investment of AU$500,000 with a plan to increase it to $40 million over eight years. The expansion has been planned to leverage on the “substantial opportunity” to promote the company’s exclusive hard alloys, designed for high-end engineering applications and supply the market directly through local warehouses and distribution network. TALEX has plans to invest in key local industries like major building systems suppliers for residential projects, big fabricators, wholesalers and engineering application sectors through the project. The company will start with a commercial office in...
Hydro, one of the largest aluminium companies worldwide, is set to open new automotive production line in Grevenbroich, Germany on May 4. The new state-of-the-art production line will manufacture aluminium parts with capacity of 150,000 tonnes of aluminium per annum for the automotive industry. Hydro has invested EUR 130 million in European automotive industry to help the car makers to minimise the car weight resulting in less emissions. The company had already made strategic investments in Norway and Germany in order to meet this requirement. Hydro President & CEO Svein Richard Brandtzæg said, “I look forward to showing the result of great efforts made by our sharpest engineers, leaders and operators. It has taken years of research, experience, ingenuity, in close cooperation with...
