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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Major opportunities in the automotive sector are promising to help a leading Black Country manufacturer hit the £10m sales mark over the next two years. Alucast, a specialist supplier of sand gravity and aluminium pressure castings, is targeting £3m of new product introductions after impressing car markers and tier1s with its quality and technical expertise. Backed by MAGMASOFT® software, the company has been able to take a greater role in designing and prototyping lightweight structural parts and this has already led to £500,000 of work for a niche vehicle manufacturer. It has also used the expansion to enhance its management team by appointing Martin Haynes as Quality and Technical Director, responsible for delivering world-class performance and new model introductions. “There is a real...
Magna International Inc. today announced it will build a new world-class aluminium casting facility in Telford, United Kingdom, to support Jaguar Land Rover, the UK's leading vehicle manufacturer. The new facility is expected to be approximately 225,000 square feet and will create up to 295 jobs at full capacity. Working with the UK Trade & Investment and the Automotive Investment Organization, along with financial support from the UK Government's Regional Growth Fund, helped to secure this project. Construction is expected to start in the autumn of 2016. Once production begins in 2018, the facility will use Magna's innovative high-pressure vacuum die casting process to produce a number of advanced lightweight aluminium castings– a key building block in the next generation all-aluminium...
Novelis, Inc, a world leader in rolled aluminium products, is expanding its plant in lake Ontario, in upstate New York, in a move that could create about 250 jobs over the next four years. The expansion is due to rising demand for aluminium in the auto industry as the popularity of the lightweight metal continues to grow among automakers trying to meet the government's stricter fuel efficiency standards, says plant manager Kevin Shutt. Novelis has invested heavily in the plant outside Oswego, spending $500 million over the past five years to expand production of aluminium sheet. The company's third finishing line began making aluminium sheet in December for Ford's new F-Series super duty line of trucks, a company release stated. The plant in Scriba employs 1,100, an increase of 460 from...
There is vast growth potential for aluminium applications in transportation sector, and China ZhongWang Holdings, the country’s leading aluminium extrusion manufacturer, is sparing no efforts in tapping into this market. “With China’s ongoing energy saving and emission cut drive, aluminium, thanks to its lightness, has become the preferred choice in transportation sector. There is still large room to grow for applications of the light metal in transportation sector in the future,” Chen Quanxun, President of the CNIA said in a recent form. According to the Made in China 2025, a national plan, lightness will be the key point that needs technical breakthrough in automobile industry. China’s automobile output will reach 36 million units by 2020, and new energy vehicles output will hit 2...
Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today celebrated the commissioning of its third state-of-the-art automotive finishing line in Oswego, N.Y. Installed to support the production of stronger, lighter and safer vehicles, the line represents Novelis' latest investment of $120 million to expand high-strength aluminum alloy supply for Ford F-Series trucks, America's best-selling truck for 39 years and best-selling vehicle for 34 years. As a result of this expansion, Novelis has furthered its position as the leading automotive aluminum sheet supplier in North America. "As a result of our investments across the globe, Novelis is able to offer our automotive customers unique advantages and benefits through automotive lines such as this one in Oswego," said Steve Fisher,...
The winners of the 2016 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition were announced at the Eleventh International Aluminum Extrusion Technology Seminar & Exposition – ET ’16. The winning entries highlight how aluminum extrusions can provide versatile and cost-effective solutions to design challenges. Professional designers, manufacturers and students were awarded a total of $12,000 in the 2016 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition. The awards, sponsored by Bonnell Aluminum, included prizes and scholarships in two classes: a Professional Class and Student Class. Professional Winners Highlight the Versatility of Extrusions William Davis of Wrightspeed Powertrains in San Jose, California and Rob Nelson of Almag Aluminum, Inc. in Brampton, Ontario, Canada won the $3,500 Grand Prize/Transportation...
As a strong brand in the market for aluminium extruded products over a long time, ASAS Alüminyum Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. in Sakarya, Turkey, can look back on four successful years of building an ultramodern production plant of aluminium flat rolled products. By recent-ly placing an order with Achenbach for two more extra-wide aluminium foil rolling mills, one additional aluminium foil separator and another foil slitting machine, ASAS Alüminyum intro-duces the next step of expansion. In the near future, ASAS Alüminyum will produce high efficiently high-class aluminium foil for a wide range of foil products. They are used as basis for sophisticated packaging foil such as blister packs for pharmaceutical products or intelligent compound packagings for food prod-ucts for national and...
Customs data for the export of aluminium semis from the People’s Republic of China for the first quarter of this year are in. The numbers show an interesting trend – although the total year-on-year exports dropped, the flow into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam increased significantly. According to numbers obtained by Aluminium Insider, exports of aluminium semis exported from China in the first quarter of 2016 were 361,548 metric tons, which is down 18.5 per cent year-over-year from the first quarter of 2015, when China exported 443,774 metric tons. On a country-by-country basis, exports were down to Thailand by 14.1 per cent from 42,018 metric tons to 36,073, down to the Republic of China (Taiwan) by 14.9 per cent from 8,495 metric tons to 7,226 metric tons, down to Singapore by 15.3...
The global alloy market for automotives is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.69 per cent from 2016 to 2021, to reach a market size of USD 177.47 billion by 2021, according to a recently published market research report. The report segmented the alloy market for automotives by the alloy type (steel, aluminium, magnesium, and others), area of application (structural, powertrain, exterior and others), vehicle type (passenger car, LCV and HCV), and by region. The major growth factors identified in the report are growing vehicle production, increasingly stringent regulations governing fuel efficiency and emissions, and the rising weight of the vehicles. Adoption of lightweight aluminium alloys has increased in the LCV segment In 2015, the use of aluminium alloy has increased in automotive...
Hyfore Engineering has recently completed the delivery of the latest phase of work-holding fixtures to the Amtek Group. Throughout the past year, the Coventry-based engineering company has delivered 54 bespoke fixtures into the Amtek Group, which operates a major aluminium die casting foundry in Witham. Amtek also operates a machine shop and casts components in the range of 400 to 2700t. The company works closely with its fellow Group member Coventry based King Automotive Systems which is predominantly dedicated to machining and for which Hyfore is also a major work-holding and fixturing supplier. Amtek’s Witham facility produces mostly powertrain engine and transmission components offering customers a fully integrated die casting and machining facility with components delivered in...
Belgrade Polymer Products is celebrating its 40th anniversary in the vacuum-forming and injection-moulding industry with investments in plant and personnel as the firm gears up to expand its production capabilities to serve new markets. The Northamptonshire-based company has invested substantially in its 90,000 sq ft Wellingborough facility, including a new extruder and other improvements to its production process and rapid prototyping facilities. Capable of extruding sheet up to 5mm thick, the new Welex equipment has added greater flexibility to Belgrade’s production capability by creating their ‘raw material’ on site. Key products are supplied as original equipment to a wide range of industries including automotive, aerospace, building products, cosmetics, fenestration, oil and gas,...
CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, today announced it will expand its base metals offering with the introduction of a new Aluminum A380 Alloy (S&P Global Platts) futures contract to begin trading on June 6, 2016. Pending relevant regulatory review periods, the new contract will be available for trading on CME Globex, for submission for clearing through CME ClearPort, and will be listed with and subject to the rules and regulations of COMEX. "This new contract will provide our customers and market participants with an effective and transparent solution for hedging aluminum alloy price risk," said Young-Jin Chang, CME Group Executive Director of Metals Products. "Aluminum A380 Alloy futures will complement our diverse suite of physically delivered and...
Rusal, the global aluminium producer headquartered in Moscow, is in talks to supply Chinese firms with “valued added aluminium alloys” that are not currently available in China, as part of efforts to boost sales in the world’s fastest growing major market for the industrial metal. The Moscow and Hong Kong-listed company is seeking to sell aluminium alloy products in China, including cables used in infrastructure projects, deputy chief executive Oleg Mukhamedshin said via teleconference on Friday. “There are some opportunities from new regulation in China’s cable industry that allows the use of aluminium alloy cables in infrastructure projects ... once we sign a binding agreement we will make an announcement,” he said. Soloviev acknowledged that China’s aluminium producers, which have...
Lightweight metals leader Alcoa today announced that Karl Tragl, Group President of Transportation and Construction Solutions (TCS), has been appointed Group President of Engineered Products and Solutions (EPS), succeeding Olivier Jarrault, effective May 16. Jarrault will leave Alcoa after working with Tragl to ensure a smooth transition. Prior to joining Alcoa in February, Tragl was Chief Executive Officer of Bosch Rexroth, a $6 billion (€5.4 billion) automation solutions company with 31,000 employees in 80 countries. During his six years as CEO, he delivered sustainable profitable growth through innovation and significant operational improvements, while optimizing the portfolio through key acquisitions and divestitures. “Karl is the ideal leader to drive the future profitable growth of...
Constellium N.V. today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2016. The company began 2016 with solid first quarter results. Revenues for the first quarter of 2016 were €1.2 billion, a decrease of 17 per cent from €1.4 billion in the first quarter 2015, primarily driven by lower metal prices and a 5 per cent decrease in volumes. On a like-for-like basis (excluding the impact of movements in London Metal Exchange prices, premiums and currency exchange rates), revenue was down 5 per cent from the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA was €92 million, which represented a decrease of 3 per cent from the first quarter 2015 Adjusted EBITDA of €95 million. First quarter 2016 shipments were 362k metric tons, a decrease of 5 per cent from Q1 2015. Adjusted EBITDA per metric ton for the first...
A multimillion-dollar expansion is in the works for an aluminium die casting and other metal die casting operation in Maple Lake. According to the State Department of Employment and Economic Development, Arkansas based Pace Industries will add 60,000 square feet at its Maple Lake facility. Part of the $6.3 million expenditure will be funded by the department’s Job Creation Fund, which will contribute nearly $168,000. Pace Industries is an integrated company that provides quality die casting, manufacturing and engineering solutions worldwide. It supplies customized engineering tool & die making aluminum die casting, magnesium die casting, and zinc die casting and finishing solutions to automotive and trucking, recreation vehicles, lighting and electricals, medical devices, and aerospace...
Kobe Steel, Ltd. announces that it will manufacture and sell aluminium extrusions for the automotive sector in the United States. The new business will operate through a company called Kobelco Aluminium Products & Extrusions Inc. in Bowling Green, Kentucky. KPEX will make bumper materials for cars and car frame materials. The new company will have an integrated production facility, with operations ranging from melting to fabrication. Plans call for construction of the plant to begin this summer. Fabrication will start in the latter half of 2017, and the melting to extrusion processes will begin in the latter half of 2018. Total investment is expected to reach $46.7 million, and KPEX is anticipated to create 110 jobs. North America is the world's second largest automotive market and car...
Novelis, the world leader in aluminium rolling and recycling, yesterday reported net income of $29 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2016. Excluding tax-effected special items, the company reported net income of $50 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, a 35 percent increase over the prior year period. For fiscal year 2016, the company recorded a net loss of $38 million. Excluding tax-effected special items, net income was $131 million for the full year. "We ended fiscal 2016 with strong operational performance globally, enabling us to achieve record total shipments and automotive sheet shipments for the year," said Steve Fisher, President and Chief Executive Officer for Novelis. "This volume growth and our portfolio management strategy translated into our highest full...
