
Novelis has supplied approximately 100,000 m² of aluminium façade materials for six construction projects across the UK, highlighting the metal's growing role in architectural design, infrastructure modernisation and urban regeneration. The materials have been used across developments in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London, covering applications ranging from transport infrastructure and residential refurbishment to commercial and mixed-use buildings. The projects demonstrate the versatility of aluminium in modern building envelopes, with Novelis supplying architectural materials designed to combine durability, aesthetic flexibility and performance. Aluminium supports diverse architectural applications Commenting on the projects, Michael Hahne, Vice President Commercial of Novelis...
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...
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Can-One Berhad is revisiting the privatisation of Kian Joo Can Factory Bhd, in which it has a 32% stake, according to sources. Only this time, Can-One's advisers are looking at enlisting the help of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to take private the largest can manufacturer in the country. According to company executives, the EPF had in the past explored the possibility of increasing its equity interest in Kian Joo with the view of having a more meaningful stake in the company. But this did not materialise due to a spate of legal suits in Kian Joo. However, with Can-One now firmly at the helm and the See family seemingly working well with the new major shareholders, the prospect of new legal suits arising is dim. The EPF is a long-term shareholder of Kian Joo. Back in 1999, the...

Automotive News and other industry sources have recently reported that GM is preparing to incorporate a lot more aluminum and composites in the construction of its full-size trucks in order to lower their weight, though the big changes are still several years away. One supplier told Automotive News that GM plans to introduce late next year a special aluminum-intensive version of the Silverado that could be up to 250 pounds lighter, with 20-percent better fuel economy. Other sources report that GM is considering following Ford’s lead in using aluminum and composites on major truck body panels, but it will likely trail Ford in implementing such changes. Automotive News also said that Alcoa, who are likely to be the major provider of aluminum body panels on the 2015 Ford F-150, expects to...

Alcoa Inc. celebrated the 100-year anniversary of its operations in Tennessee with the sale of limited-edition centennial cans of water. While Alcoa has been producing cans of water for the last five years, it has only been for donations to nonprofits and not for general sale. According to the company, since 2008 Alcoa has donated nearly 86,000 cans of water to nonprofit organizations near the Blout County, Tenn., rolled aluminum facility. Christy Newman, public relations and communications manager for Alcoa's Tennessee operations, said the company decided to release the cans for a limited time not only to celebrate the centennial, but also because people had been asking over the last five years where they could purchase the cans themselves. Offered at cost, on Friday, employees and the...

Bridgnorth-based company Discovery Foils, which supplies foil packaging to dairy processors and confectionery brands such as Cadbury, has been bought out of administration by Slovakian business Moneta Packaging. The deal saves 14 existing jobs at the business and offers the prospect of re-employment to 69 staff who were made redundant when it was handed over to administrator KPMG last month. “This acquisition expands our reach into new market applications for the pharmaceutical and dairy sectors that require lacquered heavy gauge aluminium packaging,” said Alena Spinerova, chief financial officer of Moneta Group. ‘Improving packaging quality’ “A new subsidiary to the UK market will allow us to bring our packaging solutions to more customers, improving their packaging quality and cost...

North American metals service centers generally improved their shipment levels during July, following several consecutive months of declining volumes for shipments of steel and aluminum products. Data on shipments and inventories of steel and aluminum products at service centers in the U.S. and Canada are compiled by the Metals Service Center Institute, based on information supplied by participating service centers in the U.S. and Canada. MSCI noted that July marked a break in “the pattern of consistent monthly decline of U.S. steel and aluminum shipments;” while in Canada shipment levels continued to decline at much slower rates. Aluminum shipments from U.S. service centers rose 5.5% from June to July, to 128,600 tons, and rising 5.7% versus the July 2012 shipment total. In fact, the...

The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) has launched a new campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the AEC Aluminum Extrusion Fair Trade Initiative. The campaign centers on the theme, Fair Trade – It Matters! The Aluminum Extruders Council has led the U.S. aluminum extrusion industry in achieving level competition by winning tariff protection that offsets unfair trade practices of extruders and/or importers of aluminum profiles produced in China. Conservatively, AEC estimates 600 million pounds per year of extrusions are being produced in the U.S. that would have otherwise been lost to China. “This is about Fair Trade, Open markets & Competition,” said AEC President Rand Baldwin. “The government of China, in hoping to rapidly build industry and jobs in China, targeted certain...

European bending specialist Kersten Europe will open its latest production facility, Kersten Middle East, in the United Arab Emirates this upcoming October. The company has said that its 4,100ft new production plant in the Emirate will open in October this year. Work on the factory started in in March. The facility will be capable of bending steel and aluminium tubes used within the construction of complex high-rise towers and other projects. Mike Minten, general manager for Kersten Middle East, said: "As the United Arab Emirates is an important market for bent steel and aluminium profiles the new production facility will enhance our current production capacity and help better serve our local customers.” He added that three machines will be used within its plant to serve customers across...

Chrysler Group recently announced expansions of their production in Midwest, according to Industry Week. With procurement of new factory operations Chrysler and Honda, these automobile manufacturers will invest over $260 million into American manufacturing. Meanwhile, Chrysler said it was providing $52 million to develop its Tigershark engine in plants located in Michigan in a separate Industry Week article. An $11.5 million investment for its Trenton-based plant will produce almost 300 new jobs and gain a Tigershark assembly line. The rest will go toward the factory in Dundee to improve engine production with new machine cranks, heads and blocks. "With the growing demand for our products, we are constantly evaluating how to best meet powertrain production requirements,"" said Brian...

Shares of Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp. hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday, StockRatingsNetwork reports. The stock traded as low as $3.01 and last traded at $3.02, with a volume of 275,816 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $3.10. A number of analysts have recently weighed in on NOR shares. Analysts at Merrill Lynch downgraded shares of Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp. to an “underperform” rating in a research note to investors on Friday. Separately, analysts at Bank of America Corp. downgraded shares of Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp. from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note to investors on Friday. Finally, analysts at UBS AG downgraded shares of Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a...

Royal DSM says its new EcoPaxx polyamide 410, which has a bio-based content of 70%, can help reduce the environmental footprint of aluminium window profiles. The material, used in insulating profiles, is made from a material drived from the castor plant (Ricinus Communis). It is carbon neutral from cradle to gate, because the CO2 generated in production is compensated by the CO2 absorbed during plant growth, says the company. “Aluminum window producers want to develop product offerings that not only demonstrate sustainability in the use phase, but also demonstrate sustainability in the materials used to construct their products,” says DSM spokesperson Caroline Mitterlehner. “The vision is to move towards the use of materials with a bio-based content and a lower carbon footprint than...

The Chinese competition authorities (MOFCOM) have approved the closing of the transaction whereby Hydro and Orkla will have 50/50 ownership of the planned Sapa joint venture. The approval of the Chinese competition authorities marks the conclusion of the competition law assessment of the agreement, necessary for closure. The transaction has already been approved by the EU Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice and relevant competition authorities in several other countries. The parties intend to close the transaction as soon as possible and with accounting effect from September.

Hindalco Industries Ltd. (HNDL), the world’s biggest supplier of aluminum for cans, is counting on next year’s soccer World Cup and the 2016 summer Olympics in Brazil to buoy demand amid sagging sales at home in India. Novelis Inc., a unit of the company controlled by billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla, has spent about $340 million in the South American country to expand recycling and rolled aluminum capacities, Vice Chairman Debnarayan Bhattacharya said in an interview. Novelis, which supplies to the world’s biggest drinks-can maker Rexam (REX) Plc, and to Coca-Cola Co. and Anheuser-Busch InBev NV (ABI), started its new capacity in Brazil last month. Struggling with falling prices caused by a global surplus of the metal and Indian sales that fell to a two-year low in the quarter to June...

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)’s rechargeable i8 sports car is entering a soon-to-be-crowded field of supercars with a hint of green. While they tap into Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA)’s popularity, they’re for different buyers. “This is the supercar of the future: It has the driving performance of an M3, but gets more than 80 miles per gallon,” Ludwig Willisch, BMW’s North American chief executive officer, said August 15 in an interview in Pebble Beach, California. Relative to Tesla’s Model S, the i8 is “a whole different animal — it competes with different concepts.” The early success of Model S, with about 10,000 North American deliveries in the first half, is signaling there’s a market for premium rechargeable autos. BMW, Volkswagen AG (VOW)’s Porsche and General Motors Co. (GM)’s...

Midas Holdings Limited reported net profit attributable to equity holders of RMB14.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2013 , from RMB1.6 million for the corresponding financial period. Group revenue rose 29.2% from RMB219.8 million for 2Q2012 to RMB284.0 million for 2Q2013. The Group’s Aluminium Alloy Extruded Products Division recorded a 29.8% increase for its 2Q2013 revenue to RMB272.7 million, accounting for approximately 96.0% of total revenue. Within the division, the Transport Industry is the largest revenue contributor, accounting for 66.7% of its revenue in 2Q2013 which also included the supply of aluminium alloy extrusion profiles for freight wagons. The “Others” segment, which included mainly the supply of aluminium alloy rods and other specialised profiles for...

You can take a ride aboard a restored B-17 bomber as its national tour makes a stop in West Michigan. The media will get its first look at the Aluminum Overcast on Thursday at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Cascade Township. Known as the Flying Fortress, the aircraft is one of the best-known military aircraft of the World War II era, according to a news release. The plane will be at Landmark Aviation North at the airport from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Flights for the public are available in the mornings; ground tours of the interior in the afternoons. Ground tours are $10 per person and $20 per family.

East Manufacturing has introduced a new all-aluminum flatbed trailer with narrow-neck design. East has combined its new flatbed trailer with Sliding Systems, Inc. (SSI) all-aluminum Curtainside unit, resulting in one of the lightest weight trailers in the industry. Beginning August 22, East will debut the all-aluminum trailer in Booth 18112 at The Great American Trucking Show, located at the Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas. “This is another step forward in East’s commitment to deliver innovative, light-weight solutions,” said Dave de Poincy, president. “The lower trailer weight of the new all-aluminum trailer with the SSI Curtainside expands East’s ability to meet customer needs in providing the lightest weight, most versatile trailers on the road.” From crates of merchandise to...

Opel’s all-new three-cylinder will be celebrating its world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September. The 1.0-liter turbo gasoline engine is not only climate-friendly, it also represents a new benchmark for refinement in three-cylinder engines, with noise and vibration characteristics superior to many four cylinder units. Developing 85 kW/115 hp, this pocket powerhouse also delivers high low-end torque of 166 Nm all the way from 1,800 to 4,700 rpm, belying its diminutive size. The 1.0 SIDI Turbo (Spark Ignition Direct Injection) generates more torque throughout its operating range than equally powerful, higher displacement engines, while fuel efficiency is improved by 20 percent compared to Opel’s current 1.6-liter naturally aspirated power unit. To be launched in...

SAF (Southern Aluminum Finishing Co., Inc.) adds a 3 day paint service for their stock aluminum extrusions and sheet. The SAF 3-Day-Out Paint Program features quality Fluoropolymer, AAMA 2605 compliant painted extrusions and sheets in just 3 business days. "With coordinated efforts throughout the company, SAF has demonstrated the ability to consistently ship custom paint orders faster than anyone in the industry," according to Penn McClatchey, co-CEO. "The 3-Day-Out Paint Program is a formal commitment to our extrusion and sheet customers, whose profits often depend on delivery performance." Even with qualifiers the program has met a real need for customers requiring quick turnaround painted aluminum. To be eligible for the 3-Day-Out Paint Program customers must select from...