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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Big names in Japan’s aluminium fabricating industry such as Kobe Steel and UACJ are giving tough competition to the likes of Alcoa and Novelis by beefing up output in the United States. Their strategic move is aimed at leveraging rising demand for aluminium in the world’s second largest automobile market- the US. UACJ, Japan's biggest rolled-aluminium products manufacturer, started producing sample aluminium sheets for automobiles last month in their Kentucky plant, which they built with their Dutch partner Constellium at a total cost of $150 million. The plant has a production capacity of 100,000 tonnes per year. The company also acquired SRS Industries, a Michigan-based US manufacturer of automotive aluminium structural materials, earlier this year at an estimated total cost of $155...
The aluminium manufacturing market in Turkey is slated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3 per cent over the period 2015-2020, according to a recently published market report. A leading metals and minerals industry expert noted that rapid urbanization will likely boost investments in the country's construction sector. Investments will be made in R&D, engineering and designing as well, contributing immensely to the region's automotive industry growth. The overall buoyancy in the end-user industries will eventually perk up aluminium consumption. The report identified following three emerging trends that will drive aluminium manufacturing in Turkey during the forecast period: • More export of downstream and fabricated aluminium products • Increasing focus on R&D and process...
Triangle’s, the new aluminium bicycle and e-bikes frames manufacturer in Portugal, is all set to start its production in October, next year. Before production begins, the bike maker wants to fine-tune its two fully automated, robotized production lines. In March 2017, it will install machinery for hydroforming alloy tubes followed by a paint shop installation in June/July. Currently, Triangle’s brand new facility in Portugal is under construction. The main production hall, however, is complete and the first machinery is being installed. Triangle's plans to manufacture a batch of around 300 aluminium alloy frames this month. Once frabricated, the frames will be sent for rigorous testing at four different testing institutes. For 2017, Triangle‘s has a production plan of 150,000 aluminium...
More than five years have passed since the US aluminium industry first took to downstream production. Over the time the market has grown in size, both value-wise and volume-wise. The primary aluminium smelters had still managed to survive, but over the time they slowly turned uncompetitive thanks to cost escalation of power. The primary producers’ worries got aggravated when China started flooding world markets with excess aluminium supply. This prompted major primary producers come ahead to form consortiums which started pushing the government to impose trade barriers on Chinese imports of the metal. A bundle of other restrictions are also being recommended by the trade bodies to protect the domestic aluminium industry from Chinese dumping onslaughts. Despite all the initiatives taken,...
Sapa (Norsk Hydro joint venture) has announced the results for the second quarter of 2016. Higher demand for Sapa products and stronger margins during the quarter accounted for a rise in Underlying EBIT in comparison to the first quarter of 2016. Sapa also reported an increase in underlying EBIT YoY. Increased share of value added products, positive market development due to rising demand and various improvement programs improved earnings across all business segments. This is a positive development from the last year’s second quarter which reported a negative growth due to the sharp fall in North America’s metal premiums. Talking about the overall performance of the first half, underlying EBIT improved compared to the first half of 2015. This result was also influenced by the above...
Ryobi Limited will expand its operations in Shelby County, IN, creating up to 150 new jobs by 2018. The company will invest $97.5 million into its U.S. subsidiary Ryobi Die Casting USA, purchasing and equipping a 350,000-square-foot facility adjacent to its campus in Shelbyville. The facility, which will expand the company’s operations in Shelbyville to cover four buildings across 1 million square feet, will allow Ryobi to grow its structural and engine block die casting to increase production to process 500,000 castings annually by 2018. With construction expected to begin this fall, the company plans to begin operating in its new facility by late 2017. Ryobi, which employs 8,900 associates globally, including more than 860 in Shelbyville, plans to hire for additional manufacturing and...
Japanese steel producer Kobe Steel is all set to start aluminium sheets output for the automotive industry in China in the first quarter of the next financial year, said company spokesperson Tatsuro Kanoh on Monday, June 11. Kobelco Automotive Aluminium Rolled Products, Kobe Steel's wholly owned Chinese subsidiary started production on a trial basis in April 2016. The sample aluminium sheets manufactured by the company are to be sent for testing by global automakers ahead of commercial production. Sample shipments have already begun and are awaiting certification of automakers in Europe, North America, and Japan, Kanoh informed. The aluminium rolling plant in China is located in Tianjin Xiqing Economic Development Area in Tianjin city. It has a production capacity of 100,000 million...
Oslo based Sapa AS announced a shuffle in its management team yesterday. Rafael Fuertes and Katarina Nilsson have been named to the aluminium downstream manufacturer's executive team. Fuertes will replace Tolga Egrilmezer as EVP Strategy & Innovation, as the latter steps dow,n and Nilsson will succeed Lene Trollnes as Executive Vice President (EVP) Human Resources of Sapa AS. Both Fuertes and Nilsson will assume their respective offices on September 1. “I am very pleased that Katarina and Rafael will take on these challenging and important positions in Sapa,” said President and CEO Egil Hogna. “There is an excellent fit between their capabilities and the needs of the company going forward.”
Shandong Hongqiao New Materials Co., fully-owned subsidiary of China Hongqiao Group, will further strength its parent’s aluminium integrated business by acquisition of a local aluminium processor. Shandong Hongqiao New Materials Co. and Loften Environmental Technology Co. recently signed M&A agreement, making it the biggest acquisition ever in the history of Binzhou, Shandong, local media reported. Loften Environmental Technology, an aluminium processor headquartered in Binzhou, went through a major asset restructure in 2015 by disposing loss-making aluminium foil business, and changed its main business scope from manufacture of aluminium plates & strips and aluminium foils to high-precision aluminium plates & strips.
Aluminium leader Alcoa has initiated the separation of its upstream and downstream business and the process is going to be complete by H2 2016. The Value-Add segments of Alcoa will be listed under the company Arconic Inc. The separation is subjected to the final approval from the Alcoa Board of Directors; receipt of a favorable IRS ruling and other tax related issues. Alcoa reported its second quarter 2016 results on July11 2016 and its Arconic (Value-Add) segments grew year-over-year significantly. Highlights of Arconic Segments (Value-Add) results: • Revenue of $3.5 billion, up 1 percent year-over-year • 5 percent revenue increase due to acquisitions, slightly offset by a 4 percent revenue decline due to low metal price • Record Engineered Products and Solutions revenue of $1.5 billion,...
ALUMINIUM CHINA 2016, one of the most prestigious industry events opened its doors to exhibitors and visitors on 12the July 2016 at Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The three day exhibition and conference dedicated to the entire aluminium value chain is hosting visitors from more than 60 countries globally. The USP of this year’s exhibition lies in its innovative approach towards value added applications of aluminium and a sincere effort to make business networking more focussed and seamless for the international visitors. While the aluminium industry is fighting with a sluggish commodity market, a global industry platform like ALUMINIUM CHINA 2016 is rightfully turning the focus on the aluminium end uses in the electrical, consumer electronics and automotive sector and on the deep...
Russian aluminum expert UC Rusal has announced that they will be working with German machine tool developer Sauer GmbH to pioneer new aluminum 3D printing powders and solutions. Sauer is actually part of German firm DMG Mori AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT – a manufacturer of metal cutting tools that is currently paving the way in subtractive metal processing and additive metal 3D printing. Just a few months ago, DMG Mori revealed that they had begun using a LASERTEC hybrid 3D printer and CNC mill to produce parts for Porsche racing cars. The company further revealed that metal 3D printing is rapidly becoming a core part of the DMG Mori enterprise, both creatively and financially. In 2015, the company’s additive manufacturing products and services resulted in a turnover of 70 million euros, a figure...
Sapa’s Cressona plant in Pennsylvania has become one of the first in the aluminium extrusion industry to receive Ford Motor Company’s Q1 Award. “This is an awesome achievement by our employees in Cressona and our Ford program team,” says business area president Charlie Straface, who leads Sapa’s extrusion organisation in North America. “I have no doubt that the work we have done with Ford has made us better as a whole, and that we will continue to improve as a supplier to Ford as well as to all our other customers.” The plant was notified in March that it had achieved Q1 status – Ford’s highest award for excellence in quality, service and on-time delivery. The plaque presentation and flag-raising ceremony in Cressona will be held on July 20. Sapa has been supplying Ford from the Cressona...
According to a recent market research, the global consumption of aluminium rolled products is projected to hit 30 million tonnes in 2020 growing at a CAGR of around 5 per cent. Transportation is likely to surpass packaging to become the fastest growing application market of aluminium rolling, data published in the report suggested. Global consumption of aluminium rolled products amounted to 23.8 million tonnes in 2015, increasing 5.1 per cent year-over-year. Packaging industry contributed the largest proportion to aluminium rolled products consumption (41 per cent), followed by the transportation sector (23 per cent). China, as the world’s most important aluminium processing and consumption base, produced 10.70 million tonnes of aluminium sheets & strips and 2.665 million tonnes of...
Gränges AB has emerged as the winner in the court supervised auction to acquire Noranda Aluminum Holding Corporation’s downstream aluminium rolling business in the United States. The final bid values the business and related assets to USD 324.2 million on a cash and debt free basis (Enterprise Value). The transaction is anticipated to be accretive to Gränges earnings per share in 2016. Gränges and Noranda have obtained required clearances for the transaction under US antitrust laws and Gränges has secured committed bank financing for the transaction. Gränges' Board of Directors may also consider to utilize the mandate given by the Annual General Meeting 2016, which entitles the company to issue new shares in Gränges up to 10 per cent of the total number of shares outstanding. Should...
According to a recently published market report, the global aluminium market for the automotive industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5 per cent during 2016-2020. “With the developing transport and aircraft sector, aluminium's presence in the market is increasing due to its efficiency, cost effectiveness, sustainability, safety, durability, and performance. The growing demand for energy-efficient lightweight vehicles will also augment the growth of the global aluminium market for the automotive industry over the next four years,” says Chandrakumar Badala Jaganathan, a lead analyst at Technavio for research on metals and minerals. Based on type, the report categorizes the global aluminium market for the automotive industry into three major segments: Castings and forgings, Extrusion,...
“Airframe and Engine OEMs—bring your challenges to us. We have the material expertise, resources and the personnel to ‘crack the code,’” promised Alcoa executive Eric Roegner. The senior executive was addressing an industrial gathering at the Farnborough International Airshow with the U.S. company’s management team. Late last month during a media event at the Alcoa Technology Center in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh, Roegner told reporters, “We’re truly material agnostic.” Kicking off the event, Ray Kilmer, executive VP and chief technology officer at Alcoa, pointed out the ubiquity of Alcoa’s expertise on lightweight metals and other materials. “If it moves, we’re on it,” he boasted, adding that Alcoa products are found not only in structures, but engines as well,...
The Global Aluminium Foil Roller Initiative (GLAFRI) has become a member of the ALUMINIUM Global Partnership Programme, which will help the organisation to raise its profile at the ALUMINIUM series of shows organised by Reed Exhibitions. These events are staged across the world, encompassing USA, Brazil, India, Middle East and China. Membership of the Programme supports GLAFRI’s aim of promoting aluminium foil on the global stage. As part of the continuing GLAFRI activities the association will be present at the remaining exhibitions in 2016, which will be held in China (12-14 July, Shanghai) and Germany (29 Nov – 1 Dec, Dusseldorf). They will participate at the latter event in conjunction with EAFA, the European Aluminium Foil Association. Prior to this GLAFRI attended and presented at...
