Bahrain’s aluminium wire exports continued to gain momentum in the second quarter of 2026, with shipments rising significantly compared with the corresponding periods of 2025 and 2024. The country exported 80,895 tonnes of aluminium wire in Q2 2026, taking its total shipments during the first half of the year to 143,518 tonnes. The export data covers aluminium wire under HS code 7605, excluding stranded wire, cables, plaited bands and similar products, electrically insulated wires and strings for musical instruments. Export volume registers strong Y-o-Y growth Comparing the quarterly figures, Bahrain’s aluminium wire export volume increased by 23.76 per cent Y-o-Y in Q2 2026, against 65,366 tonnes shipped during Q2 2025. The latest quarterly volume also marked a considerable rise from Q2...
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...
Grow with
AL Circle
On August 15, Tianjin Zhongwang 4500mm heavy plate mill commenced its first heat load test. The thick and heavy ingot slab was passed through the machine and then rolled down to an aluminium plate. A Tianjin Zhongwang official declared that the first heat load test of the 4500mm heavy plate mill succeeded. Accompanied by Mr. Liu Zhongtian, Chairman of China Zhongwang and other senior Zhongwang executives including Mr. Lu Changqing, Mr. Gou Xihui and Mr. Li Qingjiang, Mr. Wen Xianjun, the Vice-Chairman of China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association witnessed the rolling out of the first plate and offered congratulations on the success of 4500mm heavy plate mill trial run. 4500mm heavy plate mill was introduced from Germany SMS Group. It was the most advanced and modernized rolling mill in...
Sapa has installed new aluminium extrusion presses at two of its plants in the United States to serve customers primarily within the building and the automotive industries. The two presses have been moved from other Sapa locations to the plants in Yankton, South Dakota, and Elkhart, Indiana. Customer deliveries from these presses should begin in the second half of 2015. Both units have been installed to accommodate continued production growth in the Midwest region. With an increased need for capacity, the Yankton and Elkhart plants anticipate full utilization of both presses from day one, providing extruded aluminium solutions to customers within the building and construction as well as automotive industries. "We've seen very strong growth in the Midwest region of the United States over...
Blairs Windows is in the process of setting up an aluminium frame making sister company which is expected to create up to 10 jobs in the short term. The Greenock company expects to run the new venture from premises in the Hillington area of Glasgow and hopes to have it fully up and running early next year. Around £140,000 is being spent on a range of equipment with the business also investing in a new fleet of vans. Once operational it will make aluminium window and door frames along with curtain walling. Alex Gray, managing director, said: “The aluminium side is quite buoyant at the moment and there is a shortfall of capacity.It is another piece in the jigsaw and means we can offer a solution for every project. The venture will be predominantly targeting the commercial market for things...
China dominates in the global aluminium bar, rod and profile trade. In 2014, China exported 855 thousand tonnes of aluminium bars, rods and profiles totaling 2,987 million USD, 41% over the previous year. Its primary trading partner was Malaysia, where it supplied 27% of its total aluminium bars, rods and profiles exports in value terms, accounting for 99% of Malaysia’s total imports. From 2007 to 2014, China was a net exporter of aluminium bars, rods and profiles. In this period, exports consistently exceeded imports in value terms. In physical terms, the difference was more pronounced due to low export prices. Germany and Mozambique were among the other main global suppliers of aluminium bars, rods and profiles in 2014. However, the fastest growing exporters from 2007 to 2014 were the...
China’s aluminum alloy wheel exports fell for three months running in July on a yearly basis, according to the China Association of Automobile manufacturers (CAAM). Export quantity fell 8.3% year-on-year (YoY) to 66,700 tonnes in July, and export value also dropped 9.2% YoY to $327 million, CAAM data showed. Outbound shipment totaled 450,400 tonnes during January-July, down 0.1% from a year ago. The US remained the top export destination – 55.86% of China’s export value – during January-July, followed by Japan, Mexico and India.
Auto supplier Sapa is planting a stake in metro Detroit with the establishment of business as well as research and development facilities as part of a growth strategy in lockstep with increased use of aluminum in future vehicles. Sapa is a Norwegian manufacturer of extruded aluminum, headquartered in Oslo. It is a 50/50 joint venture owned by the Norwegian companies Orkla Group and Norsk Hydro. The global supplier has 6,500 employees and 25 plants in the U.S., mostly extrusion plants but also a tubing plant and some casthouses. In Michigan, there is an extrusion press for automotive customers in Kalamazoo. There are two plants in Canada and two in South America. The supplier now has a business development office in Birmingham and has leased 10,000 square feet in Troy for a research and...
HELUKABEL has published its first-ever aluminum catalog, which presents its extensive range of aluminum cables and conductors, as well as information about proper processing techniques and the associated connection technology. It is the first catalog of its kind to appear on the market. With more than 100 pages, everything readers need to know regarding aluminum as a conductor material and the extensive product range is clearly presented. Aluminum cables have a long history at HELUKABEL. Thanks to the POWERLINE ALU-series, HELUKABEL has even been able to offer a finely stranded aluminum cable for several years now. Once developed for wind power applications, other industries are also benefitting from this highly flexible cable product. Traditionally used in ground and medium-voltage...
A recently conducted market research reveals consolidation in the packaging industry is going to have a substantial impact on the market. Rexam, the premeire can maker, if merges with Ball will craete a gloabl leader in the metal beverage packaging indsurty. A deal to this effect was announced in February 2015. Together Rexam and Ball is expected to serve its combined end user base in Europe, North America and Latin America in a better way. Post consolidation, the top three vendors will together constitute a major share of the metal beverage container market. As per the report, the global beverage container market is expected to grow at CAGR of 2.83% during 2014-2019. It has been observed the market for carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) has been shrinking over the last one decade, whereas...
Even before the 2015 Ford F-150 arrived at dealerships there has been some scepticism about the car due to it having body panels made from aluminium. On the plus side was the fact that the aluminium helped the vehicle to shed 700 pounds, which means its better on the fuel economy, on the downside is the fact that there could be higher repair costs. However it is looking as though the aluminium isn’t in fact going to hurt resales. It is now looking as though the resale value for the 2015 Ford F-150 is on the rise, based on the latest calculations. Experts now say that it will hold 58% of its value over three years. Compared to this was the 2014 model which came in at 52%. The figure means that Ford now has the highest resale value forecast in full-size pick-ups in the US. The 2015 Toyota...
Hoping to bring its award-winning beers to even more customers, Kulshan Brewing Company has added cans to its packaging mix. Two of its brews - Bastard Kat IPA and Full 90 Session Ale are available now in Rexam 12 oz. cans. Brewed with passion and precision, Bastard Kat is an American Style West Coast IPA with a full hop flavor and aroma predicated upon the citrus notes of the Cascade Hop. Full 90 Session Ale features crisp, herbal, light citrus German Perle hops balanced with Vienna malt providing a soft bready character to this light ale. To keep up with demand for its beers, Kulshan recently expanded its operations opening a second brewery location that is twice the size of its original brew house. It features a large taproom and a brand-new canning line, which made it possible for...
BOLDMAN, the Bolton manufacturer of aluminium structures, is flying the flag for the town across the world with over 50 per cent of its business now coming from overseas sales. Set up in 1996, the manufacturer now employees 22 people in its workshop on the Britannia Way Industrial Estate and ships its aluminium products to Angola, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Norway, Nigeria and the USA. Plans are also in place to see the product exported to Brazil, Czech Republic and Ghana by the end of the year. The company’s export success comes off the back of two record years of growth, with a reported turnover of £3.5million in the last financial year, up on £1.5million in 2013. Boldman began as a distributor of the Paletti Aluminium profile system. It remains the UK & Ireland’s only distributor and has...
UK-based automobile manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover's all new premium model Jaguar XE is expected to be unveiled in Zimbabwe soon. The new car – in the pipeline for nearly two years – is billed as a competitor to the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4 in terms of superfluity, speed and comfort. Jaguar marketing and communications director for South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa Lisa Mallett said the vehicle has an ingenium engine, which makes it fuel efficient, using 4,21 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres. “With this new luxury model we are targeting a new customer group that is yet to enjoy our products,” she told . Mallet noted that the new Jaguar, with aluminium-intensive architecture and integral link rear suspension, was specifically made for the rough African terrain. “We are...
Car-O-Liner has been selected as the winner of the Professional Tool & Equipment News (PTEN) Innovation Award in the BodyShop Equipment category for the Car-O-Liner Aluminum Workstation. Every year, PTEN requests tool and equipment manufacturers to submit their new and innovative products for consideration in the PTEN Innovation Awards. This year, the publication received a record 117 product nominations. Evaluated by a panel of judges consisting of technicians and shop owners, the PTEN Innovation Awards recognize the most innovative products introduced in the last year to the automotive aftermarket. These tools, introduced or significantly updated within the last year, are evaluated based on their ability to make vehicle diagnosis and repair easier and more efficient, and make shops more...
Barstow's Mojave Aluminium Company announced plans build a $120 million aluminium plant in Lenwood, California. The 964-acre aluminium direct chill billet casting facility is targeted for a 173-acre site at the southeast corner of Gazana Street and Amarylis Avenue. The announcement comes weeks after a report surfaced alleging fraudulent market practices by China Zhongwang Holdings Limited, where Mojave Aluminium Company President Eric Shen was named as one of the persons involved in corporate misdemeanour. "The extent which Dupre Analytics report will affect the status of the Barstow (Mojave) Aluminium plant application, if any, is not known at this time," Mitchell told the City Council. "We will continue to closely monitor this issue in an effort to assess whether the capacity of Mojave...
Rodi, Miranda, and Ciclo-Fapril, the three leading component makers of Portugal announced they will invest € 12 million in aluminium frame production in Agueda, Portugal. Construction of the frame making facility is to start this September. The aluminium frame factory that Rodi, Miranda, and Ciclo-Fapril are building will have an initial capacity of 450,000 aluminium frames for e-bikes. Production is to commence in April 2016. Another investment of € 5 million is planned for Phase 2. With Eurobike starting tomorrow the investors and initiators of the frame facility, which is to be a vital part of Bike Valley Portugal, consider this as the right time to announce the project. The frame factory is built on a 63,000m² plot at the Casarão Industrial Park in Agueda; the town where all...
The Ford brand will get an aluminum-bodied Super Duty and several new high-performance cars in the coming year. According to Automotive News, most of its lineup has been recently updated, and another significant round of redesigns is expected just before the end of the decade. Ford said it is putting the Super Duty through the same aluminum lightweighting transformation that the F-150 underwent for 2015. It also may use a good deal of magnesium, as evidenced by a spectacular fire that immolated a Super Duty prototype last year. The lighter weight should create a good bump in towing capability and at least a slight increase in fuel economy. Ford may drop the 6.2-liter, V-8 engine, as it did with the F-150, but definitely will keep the 6.7-liter, Power Stroke, diesel V-8 that was recently...
Preliminary estimates indicate that aluminum demand in the United States and Canada (shipments by domestic producers plus imports) totaled an estimated 13,063 million pounds through June 2015, up 2.9 percent over the same period last year. Demand for semi-fabricated (mill) products totaled 9,349 million pounds, up 7.9 percent. Apparent consumption (demand less exports) in domestic markets totaled an estimated 11,640 million pounds, increasing 7.4 percent year-to-date. Exports of aluminum ingot and mill products from the U.S. and Canada (excluding cross-border trade) totaled 1,423 million pounds through the first half of 2015, down 23.3 percent from the same period last year while imports were up 20.3 percent to 3,095 million pounds. Demand for aluminum semi-fabricated (mill) products in...
Basic Metals Inc., an independently-owned aluminum service center and supplier based in Wisconsin, will open a manufacturing and distribution center in Goodyear in September. Specializing in aluminum sheet, coil and circles, Basic Metals supplies aluminum to manufacturers, metal fabricators and metal spinners. “We are pleased that Basic Metals has chosen Goodyear for its place of operations,” Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord said. “As Goodyear’s manufacturing sector continues to grow, we will also see supply chains expand.” That means more opportunity for economic growth, she said. Basic Metals Chief Financial Officer Kevin McAllister said Goodyear was attractive because of its growth in the past decade. The company expects to employ eight to 10 workers. The large property will allow for...
