Canadian aluminum fencing supplier PrimeAlux has appointed Shapes Unlimited, Inc. as its authorised US distributor, giving American contractors, fence dealers and builders a local channel to access its aluminum fence panels, gates and privacy screens. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, PrimeAlux said Shapes Unlimited, based in North Jackson, Ohio, will manage pricing, orders and customer support for its products across the US. The arrangement allows buyers to source the company's aluminum fencing systems through a domestic distributor rather than importing them independently. Shapes Unlimited is a privately held fabricator and wholesale distributor of aluminum building products that has served the trade since 1996. Under the agreement, the company will make PrimeAlux's product range...
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...
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The domestic aluminium industry in the US has demanded investigation into subsidies granted by Chinese administration to aluminium producers. This comes on the back of surge in imports of finished and semi-finished aluminium from China into the US. The demand was raised by Chicago-based Century Aluminium Company and the United Steelworkers union. The team of researchers who visited China during last year had stated that they had received clear evidence for allowance of billions of dollars in subsidies by the Chinese administration to some local aluminium companies. The companies were also found to have received low-interest loans. The slowdown in Chinese economy has led to less demand for aluminium produced in that country. The sharp drop in demand has led to oversupply of metals...
Constellium N.V. has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its Japanese partner UACJ Corporation (UACJ) to expand their existing joint venture to produce automotive Body-in-White (BiW) sheet in the U.S. The final contract is subject to the board approval of each party. By joining forces, the joint venture will become a leading player in the North American BiW market, combining strengths in technology, know-how and customer relationships. Under the expanded joint venture, Constellium and UACJ contemplate a joint investment in two previously announced 100 kt finishing lines, which would be funded 51 per cent by Constellium and 49 per cent by Tri-Arrows Aluminium Holdings, a U.S. affiliate of UACJ. Location of the finishing lines is still to be decided. This...
Alcoa Wheel & Transportation Products has expanded its range of aluminium wheels for medium-duty commercial vehicles with products designed specifically for the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Ford Transit and General Motors 3500 and 4500 models. Unveiled at the recent Association for the Work Truck Industry’s Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Alcoa said the expansion showcases its commitment to the medium-duty market. Each wheel in Alcoa’s M-Series collection provides the same benefits that the company’s forged aluminum wheels provide to heavy duty (Class 7 & 8) customers, the company said, but are customized to fit medium-duty class 2 through 6 applications. (Alcoa Wheel & Transportation Products photo) Medium-duty wheels are shown for (left-right) GM 3500/4500; Sprinter 2500; and Ford Transit,...
As part of the Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce’s annual “2016 Winter Gala: Honoring Local Legends & Leaders” held Friday night, February 26, 2016, the Chamber presented the 2015 Business of the Year award to Southern Aluminum Finishing (SAF). Jim McClatchey accepted the award on behalf of the company. The annual award recognizes a business distinguishable by their investment in Redding’s employment, development, and community involvement. In issuing the award, Redding Chamber of Commerce CEO and President, Jake Mangas acknowledged SAF’s 70 year history and the opening of their SAF-West branch in 2007 that has grown to more than 50 full time, manufacturing employees. Representatives from the City of Redding Mayor’s office, Shasta County Supervisors, the California State Assembly and...
Champagne Metals, a leading aluminium service center based in Glenpool, Oklahoma, recently commissioned their new Butech Bliss state-of-the-art 111 inch wide Cut-To-Length Line at its newly constructed Middlebury, Indiana facility. This line is one of the widest aluminium Cut-To-Length lines in North America and will satisfy the ever growing demand of aluminium material by the marine, commercial transportation, consumer electronics and appliances industries. The Cut-To-Length Line will feature entry equipment, over and under coil payoff capabilities, a hydraulic crop shear with auto-gap adjustment, side trimmer (up to 8” per side), scrap chopper, hydraulic roller cassette leveler and direct drive flying shear. The new line’s capabilities include the ability to process aluminium up to...
Scientists at Brunel University London have perfected the first ever grain refiner master alloy for magnesium-aluminium alloys. A team led by Dr Hari Babu Nadendla from the Brunel Centres for Advanced Solidification Techniques found a patented niobium-based master alloy not only filled the missing gap in grain refiners for magnesium alloys but offered significant advantages over titanium in aluminium-silicon alloys. Said Dr Nadendla: “The Nb-based master ally is shown to be effective in refining aluminium-containing magnesium alloys which are typically processed using sand or high pressure die casting or direct-chill casting. Our research showed significant improvements in both tensile strength and ductility after using the niobium master alloy. “But we were also delighted to discover...
Aleris Corporation today reported results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2015. Except as otherwise indicated, all amounts reflect the divested recycling and extrusions businesses as discontinued operations. Fourth Quarter Summary • Adjusted EBITDA of $39 million, in line with the fourth quarter of 2014 • Global automotive volumes up 33 percent compared to prior year • Global aerospace volumes up 15 percent compared to prior year • Solid productivity savings in North America and Europe • Challenging metal spread environment caused by continued depressed aluminum price • Lower year-over-year North America building and construction volumes • Stronger U.S. dollar positively impacted Europe profitability • Positive Adjusted EBITDA generated by Asia Pacific Full Year Summary •...
China’s aluminium semis exports fell both on year-on-year and month-on-month basis in January, with extrusion being the biggest drag. Rising SHFE/LME aluminium price ratio and production interruptions around holiday period were to blame for the decline, SMM said. China exported 330,000 tonnes of aluminium semis in January 2016, down 11.26 per cent from December 2015 and 13.16 per cent from a year ago, according to China Customs. Of them, exports of extrusion plunged 18.01 per cent, those of plate/sheet and strip fell 10.37 per cent, those of foil dropped 4.65 per cent, and those of pipe/tube decreased 2.13 per cent, all on a month-on-month basis.
Constellium N.V. has notified that the company will announce its fourth quarter and full year 2015 financial results on March 15, 2016. A conference call and webcast to present the results will take place at 11:00 a.m. EDT on the same day. The conference call will be hosted by Pierre Vareille, Chief Executive Officer, and Didier Fontaine, Chief Financial Officer. Details of the conference call, webcast and accompanying presentation will be available on the Constellium Investor Relations page. The webcast can be accessed live at: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/999/13484 To participate by telephone, investors can dial the following number and ask to be connected to the Constellium Q4 earnings call: USA: 1 866 376 8056 France: 0 805 102 319 Germany: 0 800 589 5393 Switzerland: 0 800...
According to an Aluminum Association report, aluminum net shipments (including exports) by domestic U.S. and Canadian facilities totalled an estimated 1,853 million pounds during January 2016, down 3.4 per cent from the January 2015 total of 1,919 million pounds. Shipments of aluminum mill products totalled 1,245 million pounds, 3.0 per cent below a year ago, while shipments of aluminum ingot for castings, exports and destructive uses were down 4.3 per cent, totalling 608 million pounds. Compared to December 2015, total January shipments increased 6.2 per cent. Preliminary estimates indicate that during 2015, producer shipments totalled an estimated 23,033 million pounds, seven-tenths of one per cent below the 2014 total of 23,191 million. Inventories fell 4.8 per cent from December to...
Research analysts at KeyBanc issued their FY2017 earnings per share estimates for shares of Kaiser Aluminum Corp. in a research report issued on Monday. KeyBanc analyst P. Gibbs expects that the firm will earn $5.55 per share for the year. The consensus estimate for Kaiser Aluminum Corp.’s FY2017 earnings is $5.75 per share. Kaiser Aluminum Corp. last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 16th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.49. The firm earned $317 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $329.07 million. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.85 EPS. A number of other research...
Lightweight metals leader Alcoa has been awarded a five-year contract from the U.S. Army worth up to $50 million for R&D projects focused on developing innovative, lightweighting solutions for ground combat vehicles. The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) awarded Alcoa Defense a “Ground Vehicle Light-Weighting” contract to support efforts to accelerate technology research and development and provide engineering solutions for Department of Defense ground vehicles and intelligent ground systems. “This agreement with TARDEC builds on Alcoa Defense’s decades-long partnership with the U.S. Army to advance military ground vehicles,” said Eric Roegner, President of Alcoa Defense. “Alcoa’s lightweight solutions have improved troop protection while...
Aluminum extrusion has beat aluminum plate/sheet and strip as China’s biggest driver of aluminum semis exports, takungpao.com reported. Aluminum extrusion took up as much as 54.8% of China’s total aluminum semis exports in 2015. According to the 2015 Nonferrous Metals Market Development Report, there were about 850 aluminum extrusion producers in China in 2015, with total annual capacity at roughly 23.8 million tonnes, accounting for 66.3% of global capacity. China Zhongwang Holdings, China’s leading aluminum extrusion producer, boasts an annual capacity of more than 1 million tonnes.
Aluminium fabricators Dudley’s Aluminium will begin work on a new office development at Gatwick Diamond this year, which will generate revenue for front-line emergency services. The offices are being developed on a brownfield site which has been pre-let by the South East Coast Ambulance Service. Surrey County Council believe this approach is a blueprint for other councils to follow; using land assets to provide long-term revenue streams that off-set budget cuts elsewhere. The Gatwick Diamond, which has one of the strongest local economies in the UK, is home to over 45,000 businesses and the new office developments will create more jobs for the local economy. Dudley’s Aluminium has secured a £670k contract to provide essential façade and glazing at the new office development. The company...
Aleris, the global leader in aluminum rolled products, is scheduled to announce fourth-quarter and full-year 2015 financial results on Wednesday, March 9, 2016. President and Chief Executive Officer Sean Stack and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Eric Rychel will host an earnings conference call to discuss the company's fourth-quarter and full-year 2015 results and take questions from analysts at 9 a.m. ET on March 9, 2016. Conference Call and Slide Presentation Live dial-in number: 1-866-364-3817 or 1-412-902-4207 for international callers Analysts who wish to ask a question following the prepared remarks should press "star and 1" on their push button phone during the call. Your name will be placed in queue. If you need assistance, press "star zero" on your touch tone phone to reach...
China reported large declines in both volume and value of its aluminium alloy wheel exports in January 2016. China exported 65,100 tonnes of aluminium alloy wheel in January, down 13.5 per cent from a year ago, and export value also dropped 19.4 per cent year-on-year to $304 million. The US was the top export destination –53.60 per cent of China’s total export value - followed by Japan and Mexico. Exports to the United States were 33,451 tonnes in January.
New Zealand commodity prices rose 0.4 per cent last month riding gains in the price of aluminium products . The ANZ Commodity Price Index rose to 233.4 in February from 232.4 a month earlier and was down 18 per cent on an annual basis. In New Zealand dollar terms, the index was unchanged in February and down 10 per cent on the year as a weaker kiwi helped offset the global decline. Aluminium product prices gained 2.6 per cent on a monthly basis. "Aluminium prices were supported by tightening Chinese inventories and coincided with price improvements for the rest of the industrial metals complex," ANZ Bank New Zealand agri-economist Con Williams said in a note. The price rise across a wide range of aluminium products somewhat balanced off price delines in other commodities, especially dairy...
Sergio Luiz Vendrasco is the new president of Sapa’s Precision Tubing business area, the area in Sapa providing aluminium solutions for heat transfer applications to the automotive and HVAC&R industries. Vendrasco has been appointed business area president of Sapa Precision Tubing, succeeding Salvador Biosca, who has taken over responsibility as business area president for Sapa Building Systems. Vendrasco will take up his new position on March 1, reporting to Sapa’s President & CEO Egil Hogna and serving as part of the corporate management team. Vendrasco comes from the position as vice president of Sapa Precision Tubing South America and will relocate to Oslo, Norway, where the company’s headquarter is located. “I’m very pleased that Sergio will head up one of our most successful and...
