Australia could turn more of its aluminium and copper resources into higher-value battery components, with a new report from national science agency CSIRO identifying opportunities to strengthen the country's domestic battery manufacturing capabilities. The report, The Future of Australian Battery Manufacturing: Cell Cans and Current Collector Foils, examines how Australia could use its existing industrial expertise, materials and manufacturing capabilities to produce key components for lithium-ion and emerging sodium-ion batteries. Rather than focusing solely on the country's critical mineral resources, the analysis explores practical ways to move further downstream and capture more value through local manufacturing. The opportunity comes as global demand for batteries continues to grow,...
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...
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Sundaram Clayton does not see the short supply of iron ore triggering a major shift from iron castings to aluminum castings, given the high cost differential. Mr CN Prasad Group President and CEO of Sundaram Clayton said that “It may happen to some extent, but iron ore shortage will not be the primary driver for increased uptake in aluminum castings due to the high cost differential between iron and aluminum castings.” Mr Prasad said that iron ore shortage is a result of the mining ban in Karnataka, following instances of illegal mining in the State. Replacing cast iron parts with aluminum also means redesigning the vehicle, thus adding to the costs. He said that Sundaram Clayton sees opportunities in tighter emission norms for passenger cars and trucks. Aluminum castings make the vehicle...
Gulf General Investment Company, a Dubai based conglomerate whose net worth is about 3.7 billion dollars and M2K Business Services, a local company, are jointly planning to set up an aluminum extrusion plant at the outskirts of Addis Ababa. The extrusion plant which is planned to be constructed at Sululta in the Finfinne Special Zone is estimated to cost 12 million dollars. M2K Business Services has already acquired 20,000 hectare land for the aluminum extrusion plant. According to sources, the giant Dubai company with about 40 subsidiaries under it, is also considering other investment plans in Ethiopia. Mr Moges Abebe MD of M2K said that the investment group was here to talk about constructing one hotel. Mr Abebe said that the JV agreement establishing the aluminum extrusion plant will...
Aluminum windows are becoming more popular according to industry insiders. More and more people are opting for aluminum windows in their home, and they are almost standard in new commercial developments. Whilst there are many good wooden framed window units available, the fact remains that wood, being a natural product, is subject to all the resulting imperfections including the tendency to expand and contract with temperature changes and humidity, and to deteriorate over time. Aluminum, by contrast, is perpetually recyclable and will simply outlast wood over and over again. With a choice of sliding, double hung, louvre,awning and casement windows, all available in colors of your choice,with different colors on the inside and outside if required, it is difficult to imagine any location...
Aluminum products producer Aleris in Beachwood said it plans to align its organizational structure come Jan. 1 “to better support the company's global growth strategies and the global market objectives of its customers.” Aleris said out of two global business units that will be created,one would be Rolled & Extruded Products and other Recycling.As part of the new organizational structure, Aleris said, it will focus on three global market segments: aerospace and defense, automotive, and heat exchanger. “This new structure will support our customer-driven approach to business, leverage process excellence within the company and increase the efficiency of our capital investments,” Steven J. Demetriou, Aleris chairman and CEO, said in a statement. Roeland Baan will become executive vice...
Formwork usage has become very extensive in construction industry, thanks to the advantages it offers in terms of quicker execution and better results. Indian construction industry has started using some of the world class technologies. Several formwork systems are in use at different places in the world; eventually the systems which are reasonably economical and easy for operation with skilled labour are more useful in India. Leading players in this industry are Doka, Mascon System, MFE Formwork Technology (Mivan), Meva, Peri, Uday Structurals & Engineers and Paschal. Different systems have their own advantages but one needs to choose a formwork which best supports individual project requirement. Aluminium formwork manufacturing company, MFE Formwork Technology India Pvt Ltd says its aim...
Constellium is participating in the Canmaker Summit 2011 on September 29-30th in Istanbul, Turkey. "The prime objective of the Canmaker Summit is to draw together decision makers, leaders and experts of the global metal packaging community with the objective of exploring business ideas and technology that will determine their operations forward." As a global leader in the transformation and the development of innovative aluminium solutions, Constellium will be represented by Laurent Musy, President of Constellium’s Specialty Sheet business unit. On Friday, 30th - 10.30 am, Laurent Musy will give a talk on "Aluminium, the partner of choice of the can industry". He will be focusing on aluminium’s key role under the headings: innovation trends, sustainability and long-term dynamics. In...
Deputy President of South Africa Kgalema Motlanthe made an official visit to China, where he held talks with his counterpart, Xi Jinping. The discussions were aimed at furthering and consolidating political and economic ties. South Africa and China signed a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2010. To achieve shared sustainable economic growth, the two countries agreed to work together to promote balanced and stable trade and investment between them. "The government of China undertook to facilitate more imports from South Africa, especially high value added products,among others like aluminium (alloys and coils); automotive (tooling products, shock absorbers and filters)," said the presidency.
The aluminium industry is emerging as one of the strongest markets this year as the commodity shows gains in prominence in the recovering transportation and construction industries. The global aluminium market is a steadily growing market in the wake of the recession and is expected to follow a progressive above average growth rate in developing nations and a modest, steady growth rate in mature markets. The emerging economies, which in total maintained positive growth through the crisis, will continue to register strong growth, driving demand for aluminium products in the coming decade. Being the largest aluminium consuming sector, recovery in the transportation industry is yielding good results for the global aluminium market," according to the report. "Contributing further to growth...
Automotive makers will continue to reduce the weight of vehicles in a bid to reduce emissions. Companies speaking at the Aluminium in Automotive conference in Birmingham, UK said they had to meet EU legislation which states all new cars built after January 1, 2012 will have a CO2 emission level of 130g per km travelled. It is currently 180gCO2/km and by 2020 the aim is to reach 100gCO2/km. Jaguar Land Rover’s Chief Technical Specialist for Body Structures, Mark White, said its target was to build a 1000kg car, which would help achieve a 100gCO2/km mark. The company is investigating the overall life cycle of the vehicle. A 100kg reduction in the weight of a car saves 650kg of carbon during production, 720kg in fuel improvement and 86kg of fuel production during the course of a vehicle’s...
It’s reported that the sales volumes of aluminum bar have dropped in Eastern China recently due to the low capacity utilization rate of downstream aluminum section steel industry. Furthermore the manufactures have cut the processing charges. It’s known that the aluminum bars in Eastern Chinese market are mainly from Henan, Shandong and Shanxi provinces. The processing charges for aluminum bars are above CNY 600 per tonne in the beginning of August. However, it dropped by CNY 50 per tonne to CNY 550 per tonne in Chinese Shandong and Henan Provinces. It’s analyzed that the declined capacity utilization rate of the section steel industry was the major reason to depress the aluminum bar market. Traders indicated that the aluminum bar market may continue to dip in the near future due to the...
Aluminium extruded product shipments by North American producers totalled 264.7 million lb, or 120,067 tonnes, in August, up by 6.4% from 248.9 million lb in the same month last year, according to Aluminium Association data.
Three UK automotive companies achieved record output in 2010, despite the fragile economic situation. Nissan, Morgan and Rolls Royce (BMW) all posted record outputs that year from their respective UK plants, Professor Garel Rhys told the Aluminium in Automotive Conference, in Birmingham UK. Nissan produced 423,000 vehicles, Rolls Royce 3,215 vehicles and Morgan 700. Mr Rhys said that the Nissan figures were incredible and that no other UK carmaker had passed the 400,000 figure before. Prof Rhys said the figures prove the UK is still a major vehicle manufacturer in terms of what it can do. Its strengths are in the design of vehicles and their components and the range in vehicles it can produce, including cars, buses, vans systems and trucks but needs to improve its R&D and production of...
Says the existing free trade agreements have resulted in inverted tariff structures and adversely affected domestic manufacturers. India is on the verge of signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU), but a concerned auto component industry has started raising its voice against such agreements because they have adversely affected domestic manufacturers, dominated by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). According to the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (Acma), the nodal agency for the Indian auto component industry, representing over 600 companies, most of the existing trade agreements have resulted in inverted tariff structures. “The issue is that the FTAs should not result in inverted tariff structures. Most FTAs that we have signed are with countries...
While the opportunity varies by application, aluminium is the clear winner in the game of substitution with copper and to a much lesser extent steel, likely to bear the largest brunt of aluminum's gain. While the market opportunity for aluminium as a replacement for steel is much larger than as a substitute for copper, the steel sector dwarfs the base metals in size and thus is unlikely to feel as great of a hit. Aluminium should make the most headway in the automotive industry as a replacement for both cabling and vehicle bodies. In our view, energy prices are the largest hindrance to aluminium when it comes to more environmentally friendly applications. Wind turbines, solar panels and hybrid cars are all likely to stick with copper for their wiring as efficient energy transfer is...
The Aluminium Association reported on Wednesday that demand for U.S. and Canadian aluminium products fell 1.6% in July from a year earlier, and slid 8.2 percent from June. Demand for U.S. and Canadian aluminium products, measured as shipments from domestic producers plus imports, fell by 1.6 percent in July from a year earlier, and slid 8.2 percent from June, an aluminium industry group said on Wednesday. For the year through July, however, aluminium shipments were up 6.0 percent, the report said. Total demand slipped to an estimated 1.676 billion lbs in July from 1.704 billion lbs in July 2010, and was lower than the 1.825 billion lbs shipped in June, according to the Aluminium Association's Aluminium Situation report. For the year through July, aluminium shipments increased to 12.317...
MT Alumet, one of Thailand's leading manufacturers of aluminium extrusions, is beefing up its domestic and global expansion and is set to diversify into mining and drinking water in Laos. Executive director Jainnisa Kuvinichkul says the Thai-owned company is investing 200 million baht to raise production capacity at its Bang Na factory to 2,000 tonnes of aluminium a month from the current 1,500 tonnes a month. Upon completion next year, the expansion should help raise the company's international sales to 30% from 20% now. Founded in 1992 by the Kuvinichkul family, MT Alumet is ranked among the top three players in the high-tech aluminium market. The company supplies aluminium to all industries, including electronics, automobiles, aerospace, interior design and furniture. Thailand's...
Henan Shunbang Tech Co.ltd plans to build a project for aluminium sheet, strip and foil. The project is estimated to have an annual output of 200,000tons, including 150,000tons aluminum sheet and strip, 500,00tons aluminum foil. Located in Mihe, Gongyi, the project has a total investment of 5billion RMB. It covers an area of 66000square meters. Its construction is planned to be completed by Mid 2012. The products are mainly used in industries such as architectural decoration, domestic appliance and food.
Disappointing sales for home appliance have exposed producers to stock pressure as well as excessive capacity woes. The destocking wave has now spread into the aluminum plate, strip & foil industry. China’s “old-for-new” and “countryside home appliance” programs have failed to drive up home appliance sales starting from the third quarter, with sales volumes plunging. According to SMM surveys, sales volumes for a series of products including home appliances and machinery have slipped. Many home appliance chain-stores have missed their sales targets for 6 to 9 successive months. As such, the sales volume for home appliances in the “countryside home appliance” program dropped 4.4% YoY and 1.25% MoM in June. Downstream order volumes at domestic aluminum plate, strip & foil producers have seen...
