India-based KEC International Limited is pushing ahead with Phase II of its aluminium conductor capacity expansion, even as a difficult second quarter dragged consolidated profit down. The Q2 FY27 investor presentation, dated November 2, lists the expansion as underway in its Cables & Conductors business, one of the few segments that grew in the quarter. The update comes over a year after KEC’s commissioning of the first phase of the plant in Vadodara in February 2025, marking an investment of about INR 600 million (USD 6.33 million). The company has not disclosed the capacity to be added, the investment or a completion date. Explore AL Circle’s report ALuminium Wires & Cables - Insights & Forecast to 2030 for insights into aluminium applications, industry developments and opportunities...
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...
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Protectionist action is clearly on the rise and even as economies slowly recover next year anti-dumping action can be surely expected to get worse not better across the world. Aluminium along with other industrial metals have hit the headlines most this year, not surprisingly as the volumes are greatest for these major commodities and, arguably, China’s excess capacity is worst in these two metals than any other. But it is not just China that has been the subject of anti-dumping action. Brazil gratefully received news the EU was not persevering with a 17.6% levy on aluminium but UC Rusal is incensed that the European Commission turned a provisional 12.2% duty introduced in July on aluminium foil from Russia into a definitive five-year levy. That duty targets Rusal, the only Russian...
China's aluminium semis exports soared 40.2% month-on-month in November, but the growth is likely to slowdown in the short term. The significant increase was mainly driven by aluminium extrusion, whose exports rose 131,600 tonnes to 201,900 tonnes, Chinese customs data showed. Lower SHFE/LME aluminium price ratio, plus export rebate, added to the aluminum extrusion exports buoyancy, observed SMM. In fact, exports of other aluminium semis declined in November. Exports of aluminium plate/sheet and strip were down 10.4% from October to 113,000 tonnes in November, and exports of aluminium foil also slid 4.4% from October to 72,000 tonnes, according to the data revealed by China Customs.
Tata-owned British carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), will showcase its Range Rover Evoque Convertible premium compact SUV at the upcoming 2016 Delhi Auto Expo. The car is expected to go on sale in India by the end of next year with its international launch date set for some time in spring 2016. The drop-top Range Rover Evoque was first showcased as an ambitious concept back in 2012. In terms of equipment and powertrain options, there isn't much difference between the Range Rover Evoque Convertible and its standard hard-top twin. The car will feature optional LED adaptive head-lamps with DRLs as standard, a choice between all-aluminium 2.0-litre petrol and Ingenium diesel engines, and a 9-speed ZF automatic gearbox. By chopping off the roof, the convertible rendition of the Evoque may not...
DyCast Specialties Corporation, a custom job shop manufacturing company offering aluminium and zinc high-pressure die castings, is celebrating 25 years of operations and its association Starbuck community. The company opened its doors in Starbuck in 1990. Die casting is a metal forming process in which molten metal is put under high pressure and injected into a die. The molten alloy enters the die through a shot sleeve or sprue nozzle that is connected to the “A” half of the die. The alloy is then directed to the cavity by way of runners (passageways) and gates (inlets and outlets) in the ejector half. Aluminum type die casting molds can produce up to 100,000 casting shots in the life of the mold. DyCast with its pool of competent personnel has succesfully mastered this technique over the...
The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to provide some special incentives to Rexam HTW Beverage Can (India) Private Limited. The company will set up a new aluminium beverage can manufacturing plant in Sri City in Chittoor district with an investment of INR 588.88 crore. The proposed can plant, which will supply aluminium made food beverage cans to carbonated soft drinks, food packing companies in the Sri City, is expected to create employment to around 750 people. Apart from providing all the other benefits announced in the Industrial Development Policy (IDP) 2015-20, the State government would extend some other incentives such as reimbursement of 75 per cent VAT for a period of seven years from the date of commencement of commercial production or up to realization of 100 per cent...
Specially-adapted aluminium façade systems from the Wicona brand have been specified for a new £26m library for the University of Leeds, one of the largest universities in the UK. Wicona is one of Sapa’s aluminium building systems brands. The 6,500-square meter learning hub is expected to help the university attract more students in the competitive higher education environment and provide a cultural center to enrich the student experience and the wider community. Designed by ADP, the scheme occupies a sensitive location in a conservation area, surrounded by listed buildings, including two churches, and in a streetscape that has remained almost unchanged in 50 years. It is the fourth building on a challenging tear drop-shaped site, and its design had to be developed with careful...
Ford is betting big on its new aluminium-bodied F-150, which has been taking traditional business away from the steel industry. The Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker announced it was going to invest $1.3 billion in Kentucky to make the F-Series Super Duty. Ford will invest in an all-new body shop, retooling and various facility upgrades to building the pickup, which has been the best-selling vehicle in America for more than three decades. The Louisville-based plant will make the 2017 Ford F-Series F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty trucks, which consist of more aluminium to help meet new federal emissions standards. "With the introduction of the all-new Ford Super Duty, America's best-selling heavy-duty pickup, we expect to continue growing our truck leadership," said Joe Hinrichs,...
Coca-Cola is celebrating its 100-year-old glass bottle in 2015 by expanding the global availability of the iconic package's 10-year-old aluminium sibling. Coca-Cola Amatil (Fiji) Ltd general manager Roger Hare said the company was looking at introducing this in the country as one of its primary focus next year. "For some countries in the world, we have aluminium contour bottle which is a mix of a can and a bottle," Mr Hare said. While expansion efforts have been tremendous, the company has aggressive plans next year, which will be revealed later. The company launched the 100th birthday of the Coca-Cola brand on Tuesday in Suva by honouring the past yet focusing on growth for the future. Coca-Cola, together with key suppliers and manufacturing partners, launched the aluminium bottle...
The 15 large Chinese A356 aluminium alloy producers reported higher operating rates and output in November, stimulated by recovering automobile market, SMM survey showed. The average operating rate at those surveyed was 61.67% and total output was 111,000 tonnes in November, both up from October. Data from the CAAM showed that China’s automobile output and sales both hit record highs in November. Automobile output was 2.54 million units in November, up 16.24% month-on-month and 17.74% year-on-year; sales were 2.51 million units, up 12.93% month-on-month and 19.99% year-on-year. Automobile output and sales were 21.82 million units and 21.79 million units, respectively, in the first eleven months of 2015, up 1.80% and 3.34%, and with the growth up 1.78 percentage points and 1.83 percentage...
Aluminium is the preferred material for outdoor fencing due to its strength, durability and non-corrosive properties. Aluminium fencing for one's garden or pool can be easily installed; it is lightweight and looks good too. It can be molded to any design of one's choice and can be combined with other fencing materials like glass to create a beautiful fencing for one's garden and pool. Above all, it works out cheaper than any other fencing material. There are several other benefits to using aluminium as fencing material. Since it does not corrode even after being exposed to the elements, one's garden and pool fence will look as good as new even after years of installation. It is particularly suited for properties that are in close proximity to the sea or other water bodies. There is little...
Ball Corporation announced that it has completed acquisition of the remaining 39.9 percent minority interest in Latapack-Ball Embalagens Ltda., which supplies beverage cans and ends to the local Brazilian market. Latapack-Ball was founded in 1995 and was one of the most successful joint ventures in Ball's history. Approximately 5.7 million Ball common shares were issued to the main joint venture partner, Participações Industriais do Nordeste S.A. (PIN), for its controlling ownership in Latapack S.A., equivalent to a 38.1 percent economic interest in Latapack-Ball, and $17.4 million of cash was paid to the smaller joint venture partner, in exchange for their respective interests in the former joint venture. Ball is pleased to welcome PIN as a large and important shareholder. "As a global...
Kaiser Aluminum Corp announced that it will spend US $150 million on capital improvements at its Spokane, Washington facility over next five years. The investment, according to Kaiser Aluminum, will help to reduce cost, increase opreational efficiency and expand production capacity. Kaiser Aluminum manufactures aluminium coil, sheets and plates for the aerospace, automotive and general engineering industries at its Trentwood rolling mill. President and Chief Executive Jack Hockema said he expects continued growth and an increasingly competitive environment in markets served by Trentwood. “This capital project represents a very attractive organic investment opportunity to advance Trentwood’s position as a world class facility for quality and cost efficiency,” Hockema said in a news...
New technologies in aluminium extrusion were presented at the recently concluded Innovative Technologies for Aluminium (ITA) seminar in Dubai, UAE. Organised by Interall, a leading meeting and event planner, the special invitation event was attended by about 75 selected delegates, representing 38 companies from 13 Gulf states. Companies that developed the new technologies included Italtecno, specialized in aluminium surface treatments, Tecam, expert in systems and equipments for waste water treatment and Turla, specialist in the aluminium extrusion field manufacturing wrapping machines and complete packing lines for extruded aluminium. The seminar was opened by Turla, which highlighted ADAM - Advanced Data Acquisition & Management, the modern software where data are collected, analyzed,...
International Metal Technology Taiwan Exhibition and Conference (iMT Taiwan) was a resounding success. Held at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Centre, from 2-4 December 2015, the event saw industry professionals from 11 countries across the globe congregating at the venue in impressive numbers. 172 globally renowned companies exhibited their product ranges and cutting-edge technology innovations at the exhibition, which was primarily meant to highlight Taiwan’s growing potential as a metal business and manufacturing hub. However, these are all recorded facts; what made iMT Taiwan make a mark in its very first edition is the influence it had on the business decision making thought-process of the exhibitors and visitors alike. As per a post-event survey report, about 43% of the participants were...
The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) has announced that the feature presentations delivered during the second annual OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit at last November’s SEMA Show are now available. The event, hosted by SCRS and held on Thursday, November 5th, put show attendees in a room with innovators in automotive structural design and technology who focused on emerging trends in vehicle construction and technology. The day-long agenda featured two presentations by Doug Richman, vice president of engineering and technology for Kaiser Aluminum, and Dr. Blake Zuidema, director, Automotive Product Applications for ArcelorMittal, that highlighted the evolution and future of aluminum and steel substrates in advanced vehicle design. The 2015 OEM Collision Repair...
More customers from the offshore and maritime sectors are ordering extruded aluminium solutions from Sapa. President & CEO Egil Hogna saw some of this growth first-hand at the company’s plant in Norway. Hogna’s visit to the Magnor plant concluded his 100-day program, which took him to three continents and 20 different company locations. The plant in Magnor is Sapa’s only production site in Norway, located about two hours from the corporate head office in Oslo. Sapa employs around 110 people in Magnor. Henrik Futtrup, who manages the plant, guided Hogna through the facility while discussing the current and expected trends, both externally and internally. Sapa in Magnor mainly serves customers in the building and construction market, however, it has also experienced an increase in customer...
The Dh6.3 billion worth utility cable industry in Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) is in the midst of a historic transformation. A paradigm shift in conventional business drivers is stirring up new trends as vertically integrated utility cable manufacturers size-up a fitting approach to swim with the tide. Industry players looking to create their mark in the future cable marketplace are invariably shaping up more diverse corporate structures and product offerings. While some will continue to operate in narrow niches, the future of the region’s utility cable industry will require total devotion on quality and competence at a grand scale. “The market landscape is evolving at a pace never witnessed before,” says Andrew Shaw, Managing Director at DUCAB, a leading manufacturer for utility cables...
According to an Aluminum Association report estimated net shipments of Aluminum Sheet and Plate by U.S. and Canadian producers totaled 649.4 million pounds during November 2015, up seven-tenths of one percent over the November 2014 total of 645.0 million pounds. Compared to the previous month, shipments decreased 6.9 percent from the October 2015 total of 697.8 million pounds. Year to-date shipments through November 2015 totaled 7,639.8 million pounds, up 1.9 percent over the 2014 year-to-date total of 7,496.1 million pounds. Shipments of Can Stock totaled 334.4 million pounds during November 2015. Shipments of All Other Sheet and Plate increased 37.8 percent to 112.7 million pounds. Estimated shipments of Aluminum Forgings and Impacts by U.S. and Canadian producers totaled 25.5 million...
