Two recent Tesla stories sit at opposite ends of the range. Tesla Model 3 is set to benefit from cost-focused Cybercab inverter technology, announced on November 1 2026. The flying car, Tesla Roadster, uses aluminum in its battery cells and underbody protection, reinforcing power delivery, thermal management and lightweight construction. The two models reveal how aluminum can serve very different engineering priorities, from making electric vehicles (EVs) more affordable to helping them deliver extraordinary performance. Tesla Model 3: the everyday car gets Cybercab hardware Nick Verzini, Tesla’s Head of Drive Unit Engineering, mentioned on a Munro Live factory tour that a new printed circuit board assembly and power stage from the Cybercab’s inverter will enter Model 3 production in...
Aluminum foil is getting a seasonal makeover as Reynolds Wrap introduces its limited-edition Snowflakes Fun Foil, bringing decorative appeal to everyday kitchen tasks ahead of the holiday season. Featuring an embossed snowflake pattern, the product combines the familiar functionality of aluminum foil with a festive appearance suited to food wrapping, holiday entertaining and homemade gifts. The new design allows consumers to use Reynolds Wrap foil for more than routine food storage, adding a decorative touch to meal preparation and presentation. Its winter-inspired pattern makes it suitable for covering dishes, preserving leftovers, packaging baked treats and creating festive crafts. Despite its seasonal appearance, Snowflakes Fun Foil retains the practical functionality of conventional...
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A unique ‘ribbed’ can which keeps Jupiler beer cool in the hand has won ‘Best Can/ Alubottle’ at the 2019 World Beverage Innovation Awards. The ground-breaking design saw Ardagh Group develop a new tooling technique to achieve super-defined debossed flutes in the walls of both the 33cl and 50cl Jupiler cans. The resulting ‘ribs’ disrupt the flow of air along the can body and reduce contact with the hand, which keeps the beer colder for longer. The prestigious award reflects Ardagh’s commitment to innovation in response to growing markets, and its experience in finding technological solutions to meet customer needs. In a neat additional benefit, the fluted design not only keeps the product colder for longer, it also echoes the characteristic Jupiler ribbed glassware. This shelf appeal...
Morris Commercial has reportedly revealed 2.5-tonne electric JE Van at the Design Museum in London. The Worcestershire-based manufacturer says the van will have a 60kWh lithium-ion battery of a range of around 200 miles and 1-tonne payload. Inspired by the original 1948 Morris J-Type van, the new JE, to be produced in the United Kingdom, will feature a similar design to its spiritual predecessor. The production version will be made out of carbon fibre. The battery to be used in the van will be sourced from the UK too. The battery will give the van 90kW of power and can be restored to 80 per cent after a 30 minute fast charge. The company’s founder and CEO Dr Ou Li stated that the reason behind wanting carbon fibre was to make the vehicle “light and spacious”. Buyers of the JE van can...
Darley Aluminium, an Australian business involved in the manufacture and distribution of aluminium extruded products, has opened a new showroom in Keysborough, Victoria. The new showroom will showcase the latest trends in residential and commercial window and door systems, including ClimateGuard thermally-broken windows and doors. Darley Aluminium, established in 1996, sells aluminium sections & associated products for commercial, residential and industrial applications. The company also provides custom-made shapes that meet specific needs in different industries such as construction, transportation, packaging and engineering products. The opening ceremony of the New Darley Victorian showroom took place on Thursday, 14 November at Darley Victoria, 10 Bridge Road, Keysborough VIC 3173.
ITS B.V. has joined Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) as a Production & Transformation member, bringing the total number of ASI members to 107. ITS is the European market leader as a manufacturer of household packaging. ITS produces an innovative range of products for supermarket organisations and cash & carry stores in particular, from aluminium foil, cling film and microwave film to baking paper, sandwich paper and coffee filters, according to ASI press release. The company’s aluminium foil is ideal for storing, preparing and protecting food. “We are joining ASI in order to underline our commitment towards our society and environment. Sustainability is in our DNA and we would like to share the message and mentality of ASI among the retailers in Europe supplying them with the...
Ardagh Group, a global leader in metal and glass packaging solutions for some of the world’s leading brands, has announced that its three beverage can manufacturing plants have achieved International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) certification. Facilities in Bishopville, South Carolina, Olive Branch, Mississippi, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina have achieved ISO 14001:2015 certifications. Claude Marbach, CEO, Ardagh Metal – North America said, “Continued ISO certification across our entire Ardagh North America metal manufacturing organisation is indicative of our commitment to assuring customers we remain on a path of continuous improvement across quality, sustainability and product and service satisfaction.” “These accomplishments help provide confirmation that customers...
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s new energy vehicles production in October stood at 85,000 units, down 9.6 per cent from a month before and 39.7 per cent from the same period last year. In the first ten months, the new energy vehicles output in China amounted to 961,000 units, up 11.5 per cent from the same period last year. NBS data also showed that China’s overall automobiles production in October came in at 2.28 million units, down 2.1 per cent from October 2018. From January to October 2019, China produced 20.29 million automobiles in total, which was also down by 11.1 per cent on a year-over-year basis. According to an update from China Automotive Battery Industry Innovation Alliance on November 11, China saw 4.1 GWh of batteries installed to power cars in...
China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data shows that China’s wholesale new energy vehicle (NEV) sales declined 45.4% from a year ago to 66,000 units in October. This marked the fourth consecutive month of decline since the latest subsidy cuts took effect in late June. Wholesale sales of NEVs in China increased 1% from September, showed data from the industry association. Retail sales of sedans, multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) amounted to 1.84 million units, marking a 5.7% year-on-year decline. The passenger car sales stood at 16.63 million units in the first 10 months of 2019. That was down 8.3% from the same period last year. In another update from Shanghai Metals Market, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said that retail sales of sedans,...
Brewers and other canned drink makers in the U.S. are pushing the U.S. government to take a stand in determining aluminium price as the key benchmark for aluminium has not dropped much despite the lifting of tariffs. The Beer Institute supported House panel’s call for a Government Accountability Office study of aluminium markets and urging Congress to pass a bill known as the Aluminum Pricing Examination Act. The APEX Act aims to give “exclusive jurisdiction over the setting of reference prices for aluminium premiums” to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Beverage companies are affected by S&P Global’s SPGI, +0.87% Midwest Premium, which is raising the cost of aluminium cans. The heads of the Beer Institute and American Beverage Association criticised the Midwest Premium last...
SakunC Innovation Co, expertise in building boats and vehicles with lightweight aluminium, will reportedly deliver the first batch of 208 units of electric minibuses to local customers in the first quarter of 2020. Marketed by the SakunC brand, the vehicle is priced at 2.3 million a unit, said chief executive Weeraphon Techaphasuksanti. The assembling of the vehicle will take place at the company’s plant in Suphan Buri, which has the capacity to make 2,800 such units in a year. The plant required an investment of 1 billion Thailand Baht and received perks from the Board of Investment, according to the report. SakunC expects that by the end of this year, the revenue will reach 100 million Thai Baht, and by the year next to 800 million Thai Baht. Thanks to its wide range of products in the...
Showa Denko on Wednesday reported consolidated net sales of ¥695,575 million in the first three quarters of 2019, a drop of 4.1% from the same period of the previous year. In the aluminium segment, sales declined by 9.1% YoY in January-September 2019. The Group’s operating income stood at ¥109,313 million, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 18.7%. Net income attributable to owners of the parent was ¥80,963 million in the first three quarters of 2019, down 18.4% from the same period of the previous year. Sales in the aluminium dropped to ¥73,698 million in the first nine months of 2019, compared to ¥81,060 million in the first nine months of 2018. That was down ¥7,362 million YoY. Operating income of the aluminium segment decreased by 64.8%, to ¥1,424 million. Operating income was...
Aluminium Stewardship Initiative has certified multiple Amcor flexible packaging facilities against ASI Performance Standard. Amcor achieved ASI Performance Standard – Material Stewardship Certifications for its two facilities in France and one in Germany – that produce flexible packaging. Amcor Flexible’s Rorschach site in Switzerland has achieved complete ASI Performance Standard Certification. The company’s operations in Singen, Germany are already certified against the ASI Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard. Aluminium Stewardship Initiative announced that Amcor’s facilities in Teningen Tscheulin-Rothal (Germany), Sarrebourg and De Froges (France) have been certified for responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium with a focus on material stewardship....
Xiaomi, on Tuesday, November 5, has reportedly unveiled its first smartwatch, dubbed as Mi Watch, alongside the new Mi CC9 Pro and Mi TV 5 series at an event in Beijing. Featuring a 1.78 inch AMOLED display, the watch looks very similar to the Apple Watch. It comes with a 44mm dial and sports aluminium alloy frame with a matte finish, besides featuring a ceramic back cover, curved Gorilla Glass 3 protection on the front, and rubber strap. According to Xiaomi, Mi Watch is priced at CNY 1,299 (roughly INR 13,000), whereas the premium variant will retail at CNY 1,999 (roughly INR 20,000). The sale of the watch will start from November 11 in China, while nothing is known yet about the launch of the product outside China. The Mi Watch is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 SoC and...
aluplast, one of the world’s leading developers and extruders of premium quality PVC-U window and door products, will display its latest products range at Fensterbau Frontale. The 2020 edition of Fensterbau Frontale will be held from 18 to 21 March in Nuremberg, Germany. The company will also showcase a new range of aluminium-effect foils, designed to allow installers to accurately match aluminium systems in an energy efficient PVC-U product, aluplast said. “Fensterbau is a truly global event and we’d encourage fabricators and installers to be part of it and come to the aluplast stand and see first-hand how continuing and industry–leading product innovation is delivering new opportunity and already supporting our customers’ growth at home in the UK”, said Ian Cocken, Director of Sales and...
Dutch design studio Vripack and US builder Nordhavn have reportedly unveiled the concept of their first metal superyacht Nordhavn 148 at this year's Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Built with steel and aluminium, the 45.1-metre long Nordhavn 148 features a flared bow and square and round windows that lend a chic aesthetic beauty to the yacht. Nordhavn said the new model with 495 GT would “push the brand to go beyond prior engineering feats.” In builder’s words, Nordhavn 148 is a crossover yacht that brings together the commercial benefit and aesthetic charm. Vice president of Nordhavn’s Pacific Asian Enterprises division Jim Leishman said: “We’ve talked about building a larger boat for a while now. It would be something specifically meant for the most challenging worldwide...
After discussions with automakers, including the firms in Japan, the United States may not levy tariffs later this month on imported automobiles from the European Union and elsewhere, said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. “We’ve had very good conversations with our European friends, with our Japanese friends, with our Korean friends, and those are the major auto producing sectors,” he said. He also said that if the negotiations over capital investment plans become fruitful with those countries then imposing the section 232 tariffs would not be required, neither partly nor fully. In May, the Trump Administration had agreed to delay new tariffs on imported vehicles and parts for six months as Washington was then engaged in negotiations with the European Union and Japan. In September, the US...
The drive to shift to more eco-friendly products is sweeping through the U.S. beverage market, with plastic being replaced with aluminium cans. Firms including Nestle and Unilever have announced plans of changing their packaging material from plastic to aluminium partially. While Coca-Cola announced changing it Dasani water brand into aluminium cans, PepsiCo announced selling its water brand Aquafina in cans. According to research firm Harbor Intelligence, demand for aluminium can sheet will grow about 3% to 5% a year through 2025 as aluminium cans gain further market share against plastic. Growth was almost flat for last 20 years and most of the rolling mills in the U.S. have already shut operations. Previously, U.S. producers were focusing on the auto industry and can manufacturers were...
According to a recent report, Italian superyacht builder Rossinavi has collaborated with automotive style house Pininfarina for a second time to present the 65 metre all-aluminium superyacht concept Super Sport 65. Unveiled at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the concept has been designed inside and out by Pininfarina. The design has taken inspiration from high-performance car design and the “fluidity of Pininfarina’s iconic style", the builder said. The superyacht has an 11-metre beam and draft of 2.2 metres that give the yacht an easy access to shallow and remote bays. The total accommodation capacity of the yacht is for 12 guests in six cabins, including a large owner’s cabin at the bow. The crew quarters, on the other hand, consist of seven cabins for the captain and crew...
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have created an aluminium blanket which can be wrapped around homes to prevent from fire. Wildfires across California have destroyed many homes and other structures till date. They found a way to protect such homes by wrapping them in a blanket made from fire-proof material. It is based on the same principle like the fire-proof costumes worn by fire-fighters while entering a building on fire. Buildings best equipped to withstand a wildfire are usually made of steel, concrete, or brick. But a home also includes materials like plastics and laminates which are highly flammable along with broken and open windows and debris. Fire blankets are commonly used to extinguish small flames, but this is for the first time the idea is being used on homes....
