Romania’s aluminium can recycling rate increased to 80.5 per cent in the first nine months of 2026, compared with 75 per cent in the same period last year, according to data published by RetuRO, the administrator of the country’s Deposit Return System (DRS), and analysed by Every Can Counts. The number of aluminium cans returned between January and September was 6.3 per cent higher than in the corresponding period of 2025. The return rate also improved to 85 per cent from 82 per cent a year earlier. Aluminium cans were the only packaging category to record growth in the first nine months of 2026, as the total number of deposit-bearing containers placed on the market declined by 2.4 per cent. The number of cans placed on the market increased by 2 per cent, while plastic and glass packaging...
Following major international fitness trade gatherings like FIBO, commercial gym operators and wellness studios are expanding their mind-body exercise offerings. Global market demand for commercial Pilates equipment continues to accelerate across Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region. In particular, lightweight yet structurally resilient aluminium reformers have become the preferred choice for modern studio spaces. However, this sudden surge in commercial demand presents significant procurement challenges for studio managers, franchise operators, and equipment distributors. While exhibition halls and online B2B platforms showcase hundreds of visually similar machines, the underlying structural engineering varies dramatically between manufacturers. Evaluating a wholesale basic...
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A recently formed segment of the Airbus Group, Airbus Atlantic began producing lithium-aluminium components for the initial parts of its new A350F freighter model at the Nantes facility in France. This is the first stepping stone in the formation of a new aircraft and is essentially addressed as "the first metal cuts". The conventional flight parts are made of carbon fibre, but the company has explored the potential of lithium-aluminium bonding in this case. As per the records of Airbus Atlantic, the very first part manufactured for the A350F freighter was the core wing box, a continuous structure that aligns the aircraft's wings. In comparison with the A350 flight models, the component developed for the A350F is super-reinforced, composed of a rigid mixture of aluminium and lithium to...
Anthony Karlovic, the founder of First Avenue Homes, has used Capral Aluminium doors and windows to complete their home. Located in Melbourne's Brighton East area, the house has won many accolades, including the HIA Custom Home of the Year ($750,000- $1 million) and the HIA Victorian Kitchen of the Year. First Avenue Homes meticulously planned and built every element of the house to give the Karlovics the living and entertainment experience they desired. The custom five-bedroom, three-bathroom home combines elegance and usability throughout its roomy, well-lit areas. According to Karlovic, selecting the right window and door systems were crucial for this house because it needed premium, specially-made systems with cutting-edge utility that could support wide swaths of glass. "Capral...
Djuce, a business that produces sustainable canned wine, announced its entry into the US market. They will start on the West Coast in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. Djuce was established in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2022 to revolutionise wine drinking. At the centre are renowned European winemakers, gifted artists, and environmentally friendly aluminium cans. Due to aluminium's 28 times greater recycling efficiency and the fact that three-quarters of all aluminium ever mined is still in use today, moving from glass bottles to cans reduces packaging-related CO2 emissions by 79 per cent. Natural oenophiles who choose Djuce are making a significant impact on the environment. Djuce pokes fun at the established wine industry and its customs while drawing attention to the sustainability...
Quebec-based manufacturer of aluminium doors and windows, Fenplast, announced the successful acquisition of ADG doors and windows in Terrebonne through its subsidiary brand Altek Windows and Doors. Last month, the company bought a minor stake in Solarcom, a manufacturer of aluminium windows from Beauceville. Solarcom also is renounced for manufacturing bespoke aluminium fenestration solutions for use in the commercial or residential sector. The ownership of ADG was transferred to Fenplast on 1 April 2023, amplifying the latter's reach in the region. ADG will keep its facilities optimised for the uninterrupted manufacture of fenestration components for the construction and retail segment. The complete acquisition of ADG is important for Fenplast as this would substantially augment the...
Confoil, a food packaging maker hailing from Australia, has amplified the manufacture of smoothwall trays at its regional plant in Melbourne due to a massive investment in brand-new presses. Confoil is a privately owned Australian firm that can trace back its origin to half a century. The lineage is still active, working relentlessly on the field to keep up the family name. The CEO of Confoil, Alison Buxton, exclaimed: “This substantial investment has been driven by growth and demand of our popular smoothwall trays.” “We are seeing an increase in interest for locally produced packaging. Especially in the areas of ready-made meals, ready-to-cook meal kits and pre-prepared cuts of meat,” he added. Smoothwall trays are composed of rigid, heavy-gauge aluminium with a flexible flange so that...
Under the guidance of its parent company, DIC Corporation, Sun Chemical has developed a full range of metal decorating products for two- and three-piece cans, collapsible aluminium tubes and monobloc aerosol cans and bottles. This new move will support can manufacturers, converters and brand owners looking for more sustainable packaging upgrades. Sun Chemical’s SunColorBox colour management toolkit comes equipped with a fully integrated designing portal and press, making it the preferable choice for brands that demand consistent colouring techniques for their flagship production line. From the toolkit, SunDigiProof is the one service that will appeal the most to the metal packaging sector as it permits a simulating round wherein the user may determine the outcome of the print on an...
Professor Debashis Chanda, with his team of extraordinary gentlemen at the UCF NanoScience Technology Center, has discovered a plasmonic paint that is extremely lightweight. The paint uses the nanoscale structural arrangement of colourless materials, such as aluminium and aluminium oxides and is an amazing energy-saving alternative to the conventional paints used. Chanda claims that this new lightweight paint is not composed of similar synthetic compounds found in actual pigment-based colourants; rather, it uses colourless and odourless materials such as aluminium and aluminium oxide to formulate an energy-saving option for industrial application. The plasmonic paint does not trap heat, thus elongating the product's life cycle. Chanda went on to clarify that the structural bond of...
New Zealand-based Dreadnort Boats, the famous watercraft manufacturer, recently unveiled a distinctive multi-purpose portable building called the Point of Difference (POD). The current prototype, designed to serve as a mobile workplace, is built with 6-mm toughened safety glass windows and 5-mm marine-grade aluminium plating. It has a weight of 1.1 tons, dimensions of 200 x 98 x 98 in (5.1 x 2.5 x 2.5 m), a plan-view area of 101 sq ft (9.4 sq m), and maximum interior headroom of 79 in (201.5 cm). POD means Point Of Difference, which is given following its distinctive functionality and design. As part of a case study in 2011, the designers were tasked with creating a tsunami refuge that could serve as a boat or trailer. This led to the conception of the POD. The prototype's V-shaped...
After a space shuttle re-enters the atmosphere, the most crucial part is the landing, where an immense force is exerted on the ground resulting in the crumpling of the device's legs. ISRO approached the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) to study this impact and develop an aluminium structure that can handle the pressure. The new structure would be robust enough to endure the energy of the impact, stabilise the landing and ensure minimal damage. The project needs to be submitted within the next two years as per the doctrine of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) says. Previously, ISRO had initiated the Yukti Sanchita scheme through which ingenious institutions were invited to participate in...
Ere Perez Natural Cosmetics, the Australian beauty brand, has unveiled the first 100 per cent aluminium eco-refillable compact, free from all materials that are difficult to recycle, such as glues, magnets, mirrors, paint, labels, closures, and plastics. Customers receive the Eco-Makeup Wheel , a refillable single-material compact case made only from aluminium, an endlessly recyclable material when buying either the Corn Setting Powder or the Rice Powder Bronzer. "The Makeup-Wheel Refill Case is a beautiful, durable and refillable statement piece for a lifetime of enjoying Ere Perez natural & cruelty free pressed powders," said Ere Perez Natural Cosmetics. The product is refillable, so customers can buy more when they run out. Simply remove the lid, unscrew the ring, put the refill in the...
Health-Ade has reportedly lent a new packaging to its high-quality fermented Kombucha tea by embracing aluminium cans. To promote the flagship drink in new packaging, the Los Angeles-based brewing firm has entered into a two-season partnership with the L.A. Dodgers baseball team. Kombucha tea in new 11.5-ounce aluminium cans will be available in select flavours in Dodgers Stadium and retailers worldwide. “There’s a ton of overlap with the L.A. kombucha consumers and the L.A. Dodgers,” Health-Ade CMO Charlotte Mostaed told Marketing Daily. According to a survey, out of 600 non-kombucha drinkers described as health-and-wellness-minded, 55 per cent were ready to choose Health-Ade over soda and 30.5 per cent over alcohol. Research also found that Health-Ade’s kombucha tea could have had...
Titans of CNC, the manufacturer and CNC educational institute, created an isogrid-style skateboard using a 50-pound slab of 6061 aluminium for aerospace-grade ollies. An isogrid is a solid metal construction with one face on which triangular sections have been machined away, leaving a thin skin on one side and a triangular lattice on the other. The technique, developed by McDonnell Douglas, produces sturdy, stiff, and lightweight parts, but it is too costly and impractical for mass production. The resident machinist, Barry Setzer, measured a typical laminated skateboard deck, entered the measurements into Solidworks, and then calculated how much material would need to be removed from the aluminium component to weigh the same as the 3.4-pound laminated one. Setzer next used high-end...
The worldwide industry leader in designing and manufacturing electrical cable couplers, AusProof, introduced its new Aluminium Low Voltage Restrained Range of low-voltage cable coupler solutions a year ago. While its ex-certified stainless-steel range can be used in non-Ex environments, AusProof is always looking for ways to improve and advance its products to meet the needs of its customers. In this case, AusProof sought to address two key issues, firstly, the product weight reduction and then followed by the costs associated with using an Ex-certified product in a non-Ex environment. The Aluminium Low Voltage Restrained Range was released in 2022 by AusProof's Research and Development team. Specifically designed for use in non-ex operational sites such as metalliferous mining, open-cut...
In a bid to be one of the most innovative beer companies in the world, Anheuser-Busch InBev has created the world's first beer and an entire marketing campaign that uses artificial intelligence. In celebration of Beck’s beer brand’s 150th anniversary, the global brewer said it used ChatGPT and Midjourney to design the beer, branding and marketing. InBev says the AI technology directed all editing and continued development until a final version was given, making Beck's Autonomous one of the "first completely machine-created beers in the world". Laura Salway, the Marketing Director of Beck, stated why the company decided to create the beer, “We’ve always been at the cutting edge of innovation in the beer world and thrilled to be releasing a limited-edition beer and marketing campaign made...
New Zealand-based Neutron Components launched its new lightweight and portable emergency bleed kit for quick hydraulic brake adjustments. The brake bleed package is an easy-to-use device. The kit comprises a tiny aluminium bottle that has been CNC-machined and has two threaded caps on either end. Except for SRAM's new DB8 mineral oil levers, which have a different thread, the smaller end has an M5 threaded nozzle that fits both Shimano and SRAM levers, and the larger end has a broader fill cap. Mineral oil-safe O-rings seal both sides tightly shut to prevent unintentional leakage. The kit contains H2.5 and T10 keys, the equipment needed to access the bleed port on your brakes. The M5 connector is the same type that you'll find on your home bleed kit and is compatible with both Shimano and...
The fourth high-speed Talgo train started daily commercial operation on the Cairo-Aswan line on March 29, 2023, according to an Egyptian Railway Authority (ERA) announcement. In 2019, the Spanish railroad magnates and the Egyptian Ministry of Transport agreed on a EUR 157 million deal that also required the delivery of six Talgo trains. The first Indian company to manufacture and produce solar panels in the USA will be Rayzon Solar, a prominent global manufacturer of solar panels based in India. The business wants to start producing 500MW in a nation like the USA and increase its manufacturing capacity in India to 2500MW. Twinfix, a leading polycarbonate and glass roof skylight systems manufacturer, has added a new item called Alu-Link-Panel to their line of goods. This sturdy aluminium...
The aluminium industry has witnessed a rapidly increasing demand from the international electric vehicles sector due to its diversity in usage and extremely tensile characteristics. Moreover, the Paris Act 2015 has compelled major greenhouse gas-producing nations to adopt various sustainability protocols to reduce their carbon footprint in the long run. Aluminium is infinitely recyclable, and the non-ferrous metal, once produced, stays forever in the material loop, therefore decreasing the chances of repetitive carbon emissions. The US and China, who are already significant consumers of aluminium products in their manufacturing processes, are also looking to expand their markets. The electric vehicle industry is booming. By 2020, the world's electric cars accounted for 35% of global...
Founded in 2015, BEG Destilaria Boutique, the luxury spirits company known for its famous artisanal gin, chose aluminium as its packaging material for refill bottles. The refill bottle is nine times lighter than glass, which means less fossil fuel per volume transported. BEG makes all its products by hand, diluting the resultant spirit with water rather than neutral alcohol to obtain the ABV needed for bottling after distilling the botanicals. Aluminium cans, lighter glass bottles and aseptic cartons were all options that BEG looked into for the refill bottle. Instead, it opted for a 500-mL aluminium bottle, which Marcelo Nery, Coordinator of R&D at Trivium Packaging-Brazil, claims is made using an innovative alloy and results in a 48-g container lightweight and has a less carbon...
