Germany and France share one of Europe’s busiest downstream aluminium corridors, and the metal flows in both directions. In the first seven months of 2026, aluminium flat rolled products (FRP), which cover aluminium plates, sheets and strips (HS code: 7606), as well as aluminium foil (HS code: 7607), crossed the border each way, amounting to a total of around USD 692 million. However, the bilateral trade flow is tilted towards Germany, which remains France’s largest FRP supplier. Nonetheless, the inter-dependence remains as the countries do exchange the same products but engage in cross-border trade of specialised high-value products and alloys, feeding the demand on either side. The trade figures for January–July 2026, as compiled from the International Trade Administration, highlight...
KAP Minerals and Cymat Technologies are exploring a partnership to produce scandium-aluminium master alloy in Ontario, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding. The partnership would use scandium oxide from KAP’s Kapuskasing critical minerals project and Cymat’s aluminium-processing technology to produce alloys for aerospace, defence and manufacturing applications. To know the global production, demand and consumption forecasts of aluminium extrusions, explore our report " The World of Aluminium Extrusions to 2035 " Scandium-aluminium alloys can improve strength, performance and weldability while reducing weight. The companies aim to use the proposed venture to establish a domestic supply chain, converting Canadian critical minerals into value-added industrial materials....
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Aluminium can be used as a primary structural component in bridge decks, bridge girders and cross bracing, say the authors of a study on potential applications of aluminium that was completed earlier this year for the Aluminium Association of Canada. Dr. Scott Walbridge, P.Eng., of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, and Alexandre de la Chevrotière, President of MAADI Group, an independent Quebec-based engineering firm specializing in aluminium design and fabrication, reviewed the metal's strengths and weaknesses in their twenty-page report. "Aluminium alloys have many advantages including low self-weight, high corrosion resistance and extreme durability, not to mention their aesthetic qualities," they write. "The most successful...
Goodfellow, an international supplier of metals and materials for research and industry, has announced the availability of a unique, cost-effective aluminium foam that offers superior heat exchange and impact absorption for a wide range of applications. The foam is made by sand casting, which allows the exact form of the foam to be determined before its manufacture. The result is a foam of stacked 10mm cells – evenly spaced, open pores, with each manufactured piece identical to and having exactly the same behaviour as other pieces from the same casting process. Advantages of the new foam are focused in two main areas. In heat exchange, the high porosity (80-90%) and very high relative surface area of up to 500 m2/m3 facilitate the movement of fluids and the recovery of heat, even at low...
A materials engineering research team at the University of Nevada, Reno has developed an environmentally friendly, self-healing coating for the aluminum used in defense and aerospace applications. The coating is designed to replace the highly toxic chromate conversion coatings that have been used for more than 50 years to protect aluminum and aluminum alloys from corrosion. The research team presented its findings at the international Pacific Rim Meeting on Electrochemical and Solid-State Science in Honolulu. "It was well received at the conference," Dev Chidambaram, lead scientist and assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Nevada, told the university's Nevada Today. Since the 1980s, researchers have been working on nontoxic replacements for coatings...
Together with Aluminium Norf GmbH (Alunorf), located in Neuss, Germany, Siemens Metals Technologies will modernize the complete basic automation of hot strip mill no. 2. This involves converting the initial Simadyn-D-based equipment installed in 1994 to Simatic TDC without disrupting production. Siemens had previously received an order to modernize the main drives. The conversion work is scheduled to be completed by December 2015. With the modernization of the basic automation (level 1) of the ingot approach section, roughing and finishing mill, coilers and coil conveyers in hot strip mill no. 2 in Neuss, Siemens and Alunorf will bring another major part of the plant equipment up to the state of the art. Alunorf will convert the process signal inputs and outputs to an intelligent Simatic...
A Maine-based aluminum trailer manufacturer set to move in at the old Stimson mill site in Bonner could bring as many as 60 jobs to the area by early 2013. The Aluminum Company of Maine Inc. has signed a lease to establish a 70,000-square-foot manufacturing facility inside the plywood building on the site. “We will start Monday doing all of the buildout for the renovations. It’s just full speed ahead, they want to get in there as quickly as they can,” said Mike Boehme, Bonner Property Development LLC co-owner. The intent is to make the location ALCOM’s West Coast distribution site. The company is making a significant investment in its expansion here, said Boehme, who bought the old Stimson site with partner Steve Nelson last December. ALCOM plans to start production here in early 2013....
The West Virginia Economic Development Authority voted to approve a $2 million loan to Skana Aluminum Co. at its monthly meeting on Thursday morning. The 20-year loan will help Skana purchase a building currently owned by Family Aluminum in Clarksburg. On Sept. 20, the EDA approved the transfer of a $2.7 million loan to Skana from Scott Aluminum to help Skana purchase the equipment in the plant owned by Scott. Created in November 2009, Skana currently operates an aluminum production facility in Manitowoc, Wis. The company produces aluminum coils and flat-rolled aluminum products. Over the next three years, Skana plans to increase its in Clarksburg staff from 35 to 48 workers, according to the EDA. After the meeting, David Warner, EDA's executive director, said the Clarksburg plant...
Novelis Inc. is hoping that better-quality Chinese cars sold in greater numbers will lead to a demand boom for its aluminum. As auto makers world-wide increasingly replace steel with aluminum and its alloys to make a broader range of lighter, more fuel-efficient cars, Beijing is also pushing its manufacturers to follow suit. "It's good news for aluminum," Novelis Asia President Shashi Maudgal said during an interview Thursday, the day the U.S.-based company broke ground on a $100 million aluminum-manufacturing plant in the Chinese city of Changzhou, near Shanghai. Aluminum is more widely used in high-end cars—a segment in China's auto market dominated by foreign brands in joint ventures with local partners. In contrast, use of the material among domestic Chinese car makers who focus...
Near-term demand outlook for non-ferrous metals is likely to remain subdued due to continuing global economic sluggishness, an ICRA report said. “With China being the leader in production and consumption of aluminium, copper and zinc, a moderation in Chinese industrial output over the last few quarters as well as subdued outlook for mature economies have impacted demand and prices of these metals,” Jayanta Roy, Senior Vice-President and co-Head of Corporate Sector Ratings, ICRA said. On aluminium consumption, the report said that global aluminium consumption during the first half grew around 3 per cent compared to 7 per cent a year ago. The report, however, noted that aluminium consumption in the domestic market continues to outpace production, making the country a net importer of the...
The property downturn has caused a 50 per cent profit fall for building products-maker CSR, which says a recovery in the sector is unlikely before the middle of next year. CSR's net profit fell from $34.9 million in the first half last year to $17.5 million for the six months to September 30, reflecting a 14 per cent decline in housing construction over the same period. The result included $2.9 million in costs from the restructure of CSR's building products business and its aluminium joint venture, in response to weak activity. ''The key external drivers that impact CSR's profitability were all materially worse this period,'' managing director Rob Sindel said. CSR expects profit for the full year to March 31 in the range of $35 million to $45 million, down from $76.3 million last time....
Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, officially broke ground today on the company's first aluminum manufacturing plant in China. The $100 million investment is designed to meet the rapidly growing demand for rolled aluminum used in the design of a new generation of lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles. The wholly owned plant under construction in Changzhou in the Jiangsu Province, will have a capacity of 120,000 metric tons per year, further strengthening Novelis' position as the world's largest producer of aluminum sheet products used to create vehicle structures and body panels. Startup of the new facility, the industry's first automotive sheet plant in China, is planned for late 2014. Located in the heart of the Changzhou National Hi-Tech District, the new...
I-CAR this week debuted its new live, interactive training course called Aluminum-Intensive Vehicle Repairs (ALI01). I-CAR said there is a large demand for aluminum repair training due to the increased use of higher-strength materials in vehicle designs. The organization’s new Aluminum-Intensive Vehicle Repairs course offers discussion, education and decision-making exercises that are designed to equip collision repair professionals with the knowledge needed to repair aluminum vehicles. “As aluminum-intensive vehicles continue to gain popularity due to their high-strength, light-weight nature, it is critical that technicians have an understanding of the unique considerations around working with aluminum structures,” said Jason Bartanen, technical director for I-CAR. The course allows...
Beverage can manufacturer Ball Packaging Europe has succeeded in reducing the weight of 33cl aluminium cans to just under 9.5g. This quantum leap in lightweighting will significantly reduce beverage cans’ ecological footprint. The seemingly minor drop in weight will have major effects. Assuming that Ball switches the production for all of its third-of-a-litre cans to the new ultra-light variant, it can save roughly 6,000 metric tonnes of aluminium each year.
The Australian Trellis Door Company division, Permashield Roller Shutters has launched an exciting new range of commercial aluminium roller shutters designed to roll up into precision engineered pelmet boxes. Widely available within the residential window shutters market, the new range has only now been released commercially. Folding up into an unobtrusive, slimline pelmet box, the new commercial security shutters conceal the otherwise exposed and unsightly roller mechanisms at the top of the shutter. Fabricated from aluminium, these pelmet boxes can be powder-coated to match the finish of the roller shutter or the building. Key features and benefits of Permashield commercial roller shutters: • Ideal for external installations on street fronts or commercial premises • Pelmet box provides...
The San Miguel group is taking in Poland-based Can Pack Group, a key player in the global packaging industry, as a strategic partner in its aluminum can manufacturing business. In a statement on Thursday, San Miguel Corp. said its packaging unit San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corp. (SMYPC) had entered into a partnership with Can-Pack S.A. Under the agreement, Can-Pack S.A. will acquire a 35-percent interest in SMYPC. Through the deal, the San Miguel group hopes to spin off its existing aluminum plant in Cavite into a new joint-venture firm to be called Can Asia Inc., with the local conglomerate retaining 65 percent control of the venture. “This strategic partnership will further modernize SMYPC’s aluminum can business while utilizing the know-how and technologies of CPG,” SMC said in its...
Below are the three companies in the Aluminum industry with the highest sales per share. Sales per share is a valuable metric in comparing relative value for companies in the same industry.Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) is highest with sales per share of $70.68. Kaiser Aluminum Corporation produces alumina, primary aluminum, and fabricated aluminum products. The Company also supplies alumina and primary aluminum in domestic and international markets. Thus far today, Kaiser Aluminum has traded 43,000 shares, vs. average volume of 129,000 shares per day. The stock has underperformed the Dow (-3.4% to the Dow's -2.4%) and underperformed the S&P 500 (-3.4% to the S&P's -2.3%) during today's trading. Alcoa is next with sales per share of $23.48. Finishing up the top three is Noranda Aluminum,...
Aluworks Limited located in Tema made huge savings when a team of maintenance and engineering personnel from the Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO) helped to repair and re-install a 550 kilowatt motor which runs the company’s ‘Cold Rolling Mill’. The mill is used for rolling the aluminium coils and ingots into plates of different sizes and thickness to meet customer specification. The Managing Director of Aluworks Limited, Mr Kwesi Okoh, said the equipment which served as the heart of the company’s operations, would have caused huge sums of money if the component were to be flown to Europe for repairs. The same motor was once sent to Europe for repairs after South Africans failed to repair it the last time it broke down. Speaking at the inauguration of the rehabilitated Cold Rolling...
Aluminum prices on MetalMiner’s monthly price index, though down by four points from 99 in October to 95 in November, had mixed results with some poorly performing such as the primary 3-month LME, European commercial 1050 sheet, Chinese aluminum billet and the Chinese primary cash price. The downward pricing trend hurt at least one aluminum producer — Novelis Inc. reported a 62 percent drop in quarterly profits. “Although we see near-term pressure due to a slowdown in the global economy, we continue to believe in the strong long-term growth outlook for can, automotive, and specialties,” said Novelis CEO Phil Martens. Meanwhile, other prices, such as Chinese aluminum bar and a range of semi-finished aluminum products in the Korean market, increased. “Analysts like Harbor Aluminum believe...
European 1050 aluminum sheet prices dropped, making it the biggest mover on the weekly construction metals price index after drifting 5.9 percent. Following a steady week, prices for Chinese aluminum bar closed flat. Chinese H-beam steel saw its price rise 0.6 percent over the past week. For the third week in a row, the Chinese low price of 62% Australian iron ore fines dropped, falling 0.5 percent. Chinese rebar prices were off slightly, down just a few dollars per metric ton from a week ago. Prices for US shredded scrap remained constant. This week, the weekly US Gulf Coast bar fuel surcharge fell 4.9 percent. The weekly US Midwest bar fuel surcharge drifted down 2.8 percent since last week. The weekly US Rocky Mountain bar fuel surcharge finished the week following a 2.7 percent drop.
