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...
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Dubai Cable Co., the second-largest cable manufacturer in the Middle East, is building its first aluminum plant as customers in Saudi Arabia to the U.S. seek cheaper alternatives to copper for power transmission. The $60 million factory in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates will have capacity to produce 50,000 metric tons of aluminum rod and overhead conductors annually, Andrew Shaw, managing director of Dubai Cable, said in an interview Monday at the company’s copper rod plant in Dubai. The project, called Ducab Aluminium Co., will create 120 to 140 jobs with its opening planned for the first quarter of 2016, he said. Copper is losing about 2 percent a year of demand to less costly materials such as aluminum, or about 500,000 tons, London-based researcher CRU estimates. Aluminum is...
Although the vast majority of vehicles on the road today are manufactured with a steel body and chassis, aluminum has slowly but surely found a home in the automotive industry. Once found mainly in luxury vehicles, aluminum made the leap to the mainstream in 2014 when it was announced that the Ford F-150, the nation's top-selling vehicle, would become the first pickup truck with an all-aluminum body. Scott Oldham, editor-in-chief for Edmunds.com, a car shopping website, says manufacturing of full or partial aluminum vehicles is likely going to increase, as manufacturers look for sleeker, lighter-weight vehicles to increase fuel efficiency. According to Ford, the switch to the lighter-weight aluminum — coupled with increasing the strength of its frames — shed 700 pounds from the Ford...
The upcoming Lexus RX Facelift is going to be the carmaker’s first ever vehicle to be built with aluminium parts. Lexus has already revealed that the RX Facelift is going to come out with aluminium for its hood, tailgate and closures. Lexus claims that they have decided to use aluminium because of its lightness. The move comes with the intention of reducing the weight of the RX Facelift drastically. With a lighter body, the RXX Facelift will definitely be better optimized for fuel economy as well as power. Of course, Lexus is still pending to share on how big the improvement with the car’s performance is going to be. This will have to wait until Lexus fully unveils the future RX SUV in the near future. The RX Facelift is expected to make its official debut somewhere in Q4 this year.
Producers of primary and secondary aluminium products, cold rolled coils, enamel wares, galvanised iron and steel, nails and wires as well as steel pipes in Nigeria have expressed disappointment over lack of government patronage of their products, stressing that this is further encouraging influx of substandard products into the country. Nigeria’s government is seen as the biggest spender. Its departments, agencies and parastatals often embark on projects that require the use of metals and aluminium products. However, they prefer to import these products rather than patronise local manufacturers. “The sector has emphasised the need for government to patronise made-in-Nigeria products as a way of curbing the obvious challenge of influx of sub-standard imported products and to encourage...
Rum-flavoured beer Cubanisto has been launched in a sleek can to capitalise on the rise of canned beers in the on-trade. Introduced last year by AB InBev in 330ml bottles, it is now also available in 330ml cans which are lighter, more durable and chill faster than the glass counterpart. With a premium design featuring the brand’s striking logo, it is aimed at increasing stand-out in the fridge. AB InBev says the canned format opens up more opportunities such as outdoor bars, festivals and nightclubs where glass bottles are not always accepted. The aluminium vessel also helps reduce exposure to both oxygen and light – two of the biggest problems for stocking beer and cider. Sunny Bhurji, head of trade marketing at AB InBev, said: “Cubanisto’s new packaging format allows us to enter a new...
The next-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class saloon has been spotted testing ahead of a planned debut at the Detroit motor show in January next year. The new-generation model, codenamed W213, adopts Mercedes' modular MRA platform, as used by the latest C-Class and S-Class models. Insiders confirm the new E-Class will once again grow in size, to about 4950mm long and 1940mm wide. An estate, offering a similar 695-litre luggage capacity to its predecessor, is due to go on sale towards the end of 2016. The increased use of high-strength steel and aluminium is claimed to make both versions up to 100kg lighter than today's. Stylistically, the new E-Class follows the latest C-Class, the GLA, and the S-Class coupé. As on other recent models, Mercedes plans two distinct front-end treatments: a...
The Nordic Council of Ministers (Norden) has published a guidance document on metals and alloys, used in food contact materials. Norden recommends that industry and authorities apply the specific release limits, recommended by the Council of Europe, for 23 metals typically used in FCMs or found as impurities, including aluminium, nickel, silver and zinc. The guidance also runs through relevant legislation and risk assessment principles. The guidance is to help industry comply with food contact legislation, and serve as a tool for food inspection authorities, according to Norden. Since there is no EU legislation setting release limits for metals and alloys in FCMs, Nordic hopes the report "creates a call for uniform guidance" across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Just a few days after new next-generation Audi A4 Avant spy shots emerged, it has been confirmed that the new A4 will debut online on June 29. Interestingly, both the sedan and Avant body styles will be revealed at the same time. The new A4 is expected to ride on an updated version of Audi’s MLB platform called MLB Evo. This revamped vehicle architecture uses a combination of high-strength steel and aluminium, along with some composite materials, to ensure it is both stronger and lighter than the platform it replaces. The model is expected to weigh at least 100 kg less than the current A4, largely thanks to its new MLB underpinnings. Engine wise, it is suggested that a 1.4-litre TFSI engine will be offered in 125 hp, 150 hp and 180 hp specifications. Elsewhere, the 2.0-litre TFSI will be...
The European Space Agency (ESA) has chosen a UCD researcher to spearhead the XRMON project, a multidisciplinary, international collaboration investigating the effects of gravity on aluminium-based alloy solidification using real-time, in-situ X-radiography. In addition, the university has been chosen as the lead partner in the next phase of the research, which involves carrying out an experiment in which an aluminium alloy will be solidified in zero gravity on a sounding rocket flight – a rocket carrying instruments designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments. This is a first both for Ireland and UCD, as it is the first time an Irish scientific team has led such a project, which is funded under the ESA's Microgravity Applications Promotion (MAP) programme. Dr David...
China exported 67,500 tonnes of aluminum alloy wheels in April 2015, valued at $341 million, up 2.4% and 3.3%, respectively, from a year ago, data from the China Association of Automobile manufacturers (CAAM) showed. The average export price was $5.04/kg in April. Export volumes and value totaled 255,700 tonnes and $1.29 billion, respectively, during the first four months of the year, up 4.8% and 5.9%, year-on-year.
Ball Corporation and Henkel Beauty Care continue their aluminum aerosol lightweighting journey with the introduction of an even lighter iteration of ReAl, Ball's revolutionary technology utilizing recycled aluminum to create a metal alloy that exhibits increased strength and allows weight reduction of the container without affecting package integrity. The original ReAl launch in 2014, which replaced the standard aluminum aerosol can, included 25 percent recycled material to yield an 11 percent lighter package. The newest iteration, which launched earlier this year, contains comparable recycled material and the package is now 15 percent lighter than the standard aluminum aerosol can. Ball is working to achieve even further lightweighting in the future. For a 150- and 200-milliliter sized...
Gina Steventon, who has been with the business since leaving school, has taken the helm at Aluminium Products (ALPRO) and is already setting her sights on increasing sales to £2 million over the next 18 months. She is looking to take advantage of the firm's unique capability in sand and gravity die casting, which has seen it produce decorative lighting for Canary Wharf, retro seating for Selfridges, large tooling for automotive and aerospace clients and parts for the rail, MoD and oil and gas sectors. It also boasts a track record of producing ‘one off' batches of complex components, with the most high profile example being the traditional wheels fitted to the train used in the smash-hit James Bond film ‘Skyfall'. "This is a very exciting time for the business and I'm extremely proud to...
Constellium N.V. announced today that it will present its latest innovative advanced aluminium alloys for automotive applications at the Automotive Engineering Expo 2015 in Nürnberg on June 9 and 10, 2015. Constellium will feature its new generation of high strength Crash Management Systems as well as Surfalex® HF, a new aluminium highly formable skin material for complex parts, which provides superior formability during the stamping process without compromising on design. Surfalex® HF has been nominated by the International OEM Advisory Board "AEE Innovation Star 2015". "We are thrilled that the innovative capabilities of Surfalex® HF are being recognized and are honored to be awarded the ‘Innovation Star 2015'," said Dieter Höll, Director Sales and Marketing, Automotive and Specialties...
Aluminium production in India is expected to see a significant rise due to growing demand for the metal triggered by "Make in India" as well as revival of the country's automobile industry. Experts say that the demand for the metal will increase significantly, especially in infrastructure and automobile sectors. In the recent past, several aluminium manufacturers have rolled out their plans to expand the production capacity to meet the future demand. NALCO, a public sector unit (PSU) and one of the largest aluminium producers, has announced an investment of Rs 5,540 crore to set up a 1 million tonnes alumina refinery at Damanjodi town of Koraput district in Odisha. "With a view to boost the ancillary and downstream industries, NALCO has also committed to supply 50,000 MT of aluminium...
Smart Systems Ltd has planning permission for a third sector to its plant but now seeks a fourth phase to increase its capacity. A company spokesman said: "It (the proposed extension) will improve our output. "The business is doing very well." Smart employs 370 people but hopes to increase its workforce to about 550-600 people, if allowed to make its Arnolds Way base larger. Smart, which makes aluminium glazing systems, has planning permission for two wind turbines - which were vehemently opposed by some villagers - and it expects them to be installed in the next six to 12 months. However the second turbine will be moved closer to Wemberham Lane to accommodate the fourth phase extension, if the scheme is approved by North Somerset Council. No houses would be within 200 metres of it....
Sapa will be co-hosting a technical seminar on pre-lubricated aluminium tubing and new bullet designs prior to the 4th International Congress on Aluminium Heat Exchanger Technologies for HVAC&R in Düsseldorf, Germany. The four-hour seminar, co-hosted by Sapa and U.S.-based pretreatment products company Circle-Prosco, will take on the topic pre-lubricated aluminium tubing and new bullet designs. The seminar will cover: • High-performance aluminium tube alloys • Pre-lubrication • Hairpin bending • Mechanical expansion • Automatic and manual brazing • Aluminium fin and tube coil manufacturing • Individual consulting is also part of the program The International Congress takes place on June 10-11 at the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel in Düsseldorf. The event addresses users and manufacturers...
Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill Company (Garmco) yesterday announced the launch of a safety awareness campaign 2015 "You can make this, the safest place". The campaign will be held under a 'Superheroes' theme, and will include a series of safety awareness activities conducted by external senior lecturers and doctors. Garmco's staff will be attending a series of sessions, including workers' responsibility against health and safety legislations, general traffic rules, precautions for your health in Ramadan, vital role of vitamin-D in your health and health risks of smoking. The company said, in a statement, that the safety awareness campaign will be reinforcing the health and safety rules and guidelines, related key performance indicators, job safe practice training, and preventive campaigns...
European Aluminium has honored Sapa’s extrusion plant in Sweden for coming up with one of the best and most innovative safety solutions of the year. One of the highlights of European Aluminium’s Safety Workshop, held this year on June 2 in Brussels, is the naming of the most innovative solutions for safe manufacturing. Sapa Profiles in Vetlanda (pictured) won third prize for developing and bringing into use a new type of hook to ensure safe lifting of dies. The winners of the top two prizes – Real Alloy Germany and Intals S.p.A. Italy – work in the recycling and refining industries, respectively. All three were chosen anonymously by a group of peers from among 46 applicants – a record number. “Today’s safety solutions prove that the aluminium industry is leading the way in safe...
