Ducati has unveiled the Desmo450 SM, a new production supermoto developed from its Desmo450 MX platform, featuring an aluminium twin-spar frame. This is designed to combine low weight, rigidity and strength. The motorcycle made its debut during World Ducati Week and is aimed at competition use. The Desmo450 SM uses the same aluminium frame architecture as the motocross model. Ducati says the frame has also been designed to allow a straighter intake route while maintaining the strength and rigidity needed for high-performance riding. The bike has a fuel capacity of 7.2 litres. The company has also focused on reducing weight in other areas. Its Bartubeless wheel system, for example, removes inner tubes and cuts rotating and unsprung mass by 1.2kg. The motorcycle also features a cast...
China’s aluminum door and window manufacturing sector includes a range of suppliers offering thermal-break systems, customized solutions, OEM/ODM production, and products for international building projects. A recent industry guide highlights Guangdong Dejiyoupin, Guangdong EEHE, Foshan CIVO, Sichuan Yazhixuan, and Sichuan Mingrenju, citing their production capabilities, product portfolios, project experience, customization services, and testing or certification coverage. The companies differ in their areas of focus. Dejiyoupin is highlighted for its production capacity and international certifications, while EEHE is noted for patents and a broad range of project solutions. CIVO focuses on factory-direct customization and climate-oriented systems, while Yazhixuan provides OEM/ODM...
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A Hawke’s Bay drinks company Parkers Beverage Company Ltd. reportedly becomes the first in New Zealand to scrap plastic water bottles and adopt recyclable cans instead to hold still water products. Parkers Beverage Company manufactures and distributes brands such as Parkers water, Ō Pure Artesian Water, Deco City Beer, DeVine Wine, and 1835 Coffee. According to Parkers managing director Doug Speedy, there are a few reasons why the company has made this move to implement a complex approach to canning still water. He feels a low-cost business can succeed in producing huge volumes, and Parkers was not comfortable producing huge amounts of single-use plastic bottles. Plastic bottles in New Zealand go to landfill while aluminium cans can be recycled and repurposed. So, even from an...
As forecasted by Sinomach Automobile Co., China’s largest dealer of imported cars and light trucks, China’s light-vehicle imports are likely to drop by more than 5 per cent in 2019. This decline is attributed to an economy that is steadily losing steam and China’s continued trade disputes with the United States. If the situations do not improve, the dealer said at a forum organized in Beijing, the import will plunge next year. According to Sinomach, in the first three quarters of 2018, China’s light-vehicle imports dropped 4.2 per cent to about 847,000 vehicles in comparison with the same period of 2017. Roughly 622,000 imported vehicles were delivered to customers during the period while the rest were stockpiled at dealerships. This is in stark contrast to the 1.2 million vehicle imports...
European automakers shares reportedly dropped on Thursday, November 29 followed by a warning of fresh US imported auto tariffs application before the end of the year. The warning came from one of the key European lawmakers. According to a report by Germany's Wirtschaftwoche, a business and economics focused newspaper, European Union Budget Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said he expected the new tariffs before Christmas. By this, he only meant his concern about the tariffs application and did not indicate that anything had been decided in Washington, the Commission clarified. New tariffs if imposed would mark a stark reversal to a July agreement between President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker to freeze auto levies. Juncker that time had even praised...
Rising aluminium prices driven by aluminium import tariffs have affected Colorado’s craft beer industry, industry sources said. “It’s disruptive for sure and (it’s) increasing our costs,” said Dave Cole, owner of Epic Brewing. He said that the price of aluminium cans have jumped six to ten per cent. Since 40 per cent of the beer they produce is packaged and sold in aluminium cans, the price rise has affected their business. “It sounds small if it’s a six or 10 percent increase, in terms of our cans, but the packaging material of any beer, at least for a small, independent craft brewery, is the majority of cost. That can is actually more expensive than most of the liquid that goes into it.” According to him, the cost of aluminium cans account for up to 70 per cent of the cost of a beer and...
Ardagh Group, a leading global supplier of value-added, infinitely-recyclable, metal and glass packaging solutions, announced that its rectangular aluminium can has been selected for Bonduelle’s premium Cassegrain range. Bonduelle has chosen Ardagh’s aluminium cans to present its asparagus and artichoke in a variety of delicious dressings. Laurent Cordier, Sales Director at Ardagh’s metal food sector said: “Bonduelle choose a rectangular can for the majority of its premium Cassegrain products, with a slightly conical shape allowing easy stacking. The horizontal storage in the can allows the aromatic herbs and marinade to remain with the product ensuring a premium taste sensation.” “It satisfies so many consumer requirements: 100 percent recyclable, total barrier protection, long shelf...
Africa’s biggest producer of beverage packaging Nampak is reportedly ramping up the production of aluminium cans as a response to customers’ global retreat from plastic. “Consumer sentiment against plastic packaging that cannot be recycled is very clear,” Chief Executive Officer Andre de Ruyter said. “Aluminum is a valuable metal and so people have the incentive to recycle it.” Andre de Ruyter also mentioned that the company had been putting greater emphasis on cardboard cartons and developing a type of renewable plastic lid made from sugarcane. That’s due to a growing concern about the impact of plastic on the environment, particularly on items such as single-use straws. Nampak and other container markers are able to boost aluminium can production alongside expanding into fast-growing...
The Christchurch Central Library in New Zealand, which was closed to the public in 2011 after it was destroyed by Christchurch earthquake and demolished later, has been re-constructed with a new design and architecture. The new Central Library, completed in October, titled Turanga, designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects features a luminous perforated aluminium cover that wraps a series of seismically engineered unitized curtain wall. The 102,000-square-foot five stories library rests on top of a rectangular stone-clad podium detailed with expansive representations of Māori artwork. The principal facade element is a wedge-shaped aluminium perforated panel system that is modelled on the native evergreen species used for traditional Māori textiles. Each panel is approximately a...
Joel Rawlins and crew at Beercan Boards in the United States have reportedly designed to create customisable aluminium longboard skateboards from recycled aluminium. Not only so, Rawlins and crew have also added a finishing touch to their creativity with vivid powder coated colours together with laser cut grip designs. Available in different lengths and widths, the aluminium skateboards are offered depending on specific need and style. Reportedly, the starting price of the product is US$ 199. “Beercan Boards are as unique as you are. They’re strong but lightweight, made from recycled aluminum right here in the USA. And they’re super customizable: Pick any of our 9 shapes, make it any of our 10 colors. Pick from our 20 different wheel colors – you can even have all your wheels match or...
Award-winning aluminium manufacturing and installation company AB Glass has received a contract from Willmott Dixon for the design, manufacture and installation works on a new primary school project in Taunton. The aluminium systems being used for the project include AA100 curtain walling, AA720 windows and doors, and AA190 doors. Nerrols Primary School is due to open in September 2019 following a £7m development. The Swansea-based company is anticipated to start work on the project on 17 December 2018. Chris Haines, design director at AB Glass, said: “This is a very exciting project to be a part of, particularly as this new primary school will be a positive addition to Taunton’s growing population. We are thrilled to be appointed once again by Willmott Dixon, who we are proud to have a...
Reynaers Aluminium, a leading European specialist in the development and marketing of innovative and sustainable aluminium solutions for windows, doors and curtain walls, is undertaking renovation and extension of its Enniscorthy premises and production facility in order to increase storage capacity by 50 per cent and sympathetically bringing this historic building up to ‘the highest modern standards of safety and comfort’. After a successful period of growth in the Irish market, the company has made the decision to expand its Enniscorthy base further.The plant manufactures high-end aluminium doors and windows for the construction industry. Pat Bevan, Managing Director of Reynaers Ireland commented: 'This significant investment in Enniscorthy is a real vote of confidence from the Reynaers...
Atlas Copco has developed a fully hollow self-pierce rivet called the Henrob T-rivet in order to join up to four layers of high-strength, low-deformability 6,000 series aluminium alloys. According to Atlas Copco IAS, the T-rivets are suitable for the automotive industry in mechanical joining processes for new lightweight constructions and multi-material design. Aluminium alloys put up a challenge for the joining process due to its low ductility (formability). As more and more aluminium is being used in body-in-white applications, new joining techniques have become a must for better performance of aluminium alloys. The new joining element has a completely tubular structure and is better suitable for joining several layers of high-strength aluminium. This in turn avoids cracks in the lowest...
The Luxembourg-based glass and metal products producer Ardagh group has reportedly provided new 235ml triangular shaped aluminium can to Spain’s cured ham brand Coren. The can features an advanced shape with wider at the top or otherwise called as shoulder, and a special easy release lacquer that makes the content simpler and quicker to serve in one piece. The product also includes easy open lid, enabling consumers to apply less force to open it. Ardagh, producing the can at own facility in Schweighouse of France, has designed it with a slightly conical angle for facilitating easy stacking, while the striking red colour ensures better shelf appeal. In October this year, Ardagh unveiled new Willian Grant whiskey bottle, which had been redesigned for the worldwide relaunch of its whiskey...
A twisting tower clad Luma Arles in reflective aluminium tiles is reportedly taking form in the south of France and will expectedly open in spring 2020. Luma Arles is an arts centre designed by Pritzker Prize winner Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry and established by Swiss collector Maja Hoffmann. Gehry has had a reputation as the go-to architect for rejuvenation projects since his Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened in Spain in 1997. Set on the site of an abandoned SNCF rail yard, Luma Arles will be 56 metres high when complete. It is formed of a concrete core with a steel frame, along with glass boxes and shining aluminium panels stacked around the frame in an irregular formation above a circular glass atrium. Inside the vast circular atrium will recall the Roman amphitheatre in...
Sapa has expanded its existing Crown Window range with the launch of new Crown Flush Window Suite. With a variety of frame, vent, mullion and transom options, Sapa’s new aluminium flush window now offers excellent design flexibility. Crispin Jedrzejewski, Technical Manager at Sapa Building System said: “The inclusion of this suite not only broadens our offering, but it is also an industry first – successfully replicating the look of traditional cottage window frames with aluminium. "The aesthetic is key – with this suite the homeowner can combine a historical external profile with a contemporary internal one, or vice versa, allowing for numerous applications and combinations.” Source: specificationonline.co.uk Aluminium flush window will suit a wide range of residential applications -...
Tesla Inc. has started booking orders for its Model 3 sedan in China for a deposit of RMB 8,000 ($1,153), as confirmed by the electric carmaker's China website. Tesla’s less expensive electric car Model 3 is built with a mix of steel and aluminium in the body structure to keep the weight as well as the cost low. "Probably some deliveries in March, but April is more certain," CEO Elon Musk said in a Twitter post. The company has been banking strong on its Model 3 sedan as its market performance will drive the carmaker's future. Currently, China is the largest market for electric vehicles the sales of EV is expected to pick up further because of the government’s regulation drives towards shifting to 100-percent electric vehicles on road by 2030. Tesla had signed a deal with Shanghai...
Austal’s USA has reportedly delivered the tenth Expeditionary Fast Transport ship USNS Burlington (EPF 10) to the US Navy (USN), as part of a US$ 1.9 billion contract for 12 vessels. It is also Austal’s fourth ship delivered to the USN in 2018. On this note, the company’s CEO David Singleton said, “Austal takes great pride in sending another EPF to join the Military Sealift Command (MSC) fleet. The success of this milestone achievement is a result of the dedication and hard work of the Austal team." The USNS Burlington (EPF 10) is a 103-metre long Spearhead-class aluminium catamaran capable of transporting 600 tonnes over 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots. It is designed in a way enabling to operate in austere ports and waterways that are too shallow and narrow for the...
Unique Window Systems (UWS), a reputed and award-winning designer, fabricator, supplier and installer of uPVC and aluminium fenestration building products, has reportedly secured two major design, supply, and installation contracts for the redevelopments of the University of Leicester. The Brookfield Campus and the Percy Gee Building will both undergo a dramatic renovation as part of the University’s new estate master plan, and UWS, teaming up with a trusted supplier Senior Architectural Systems, will design, supply and install windows, doors, and curtain walling across the projects. While the Brookfield Campus redevelopment will include a full suite of aluminium fenestration products from UWS, including doors, windows, and curtain walling, the Percy Gee Building will include the...
According to a report, the UK-based company CMS Window Systems has received the latest prestigious Green World Award under the Building & Construction category at an award ceremony in Ankara, the Turkish capital city. This special recognition is given to the company for being the world’s best for its environmental achievements. Earlier this year, CMS Window Systems had won Gold in the Scottish Green Apple Award representing the UK, following a success in becoming a Green World Ambassador. The Green World Awards are organised by The Green Organisation – an international, independent, non-political, non-profit environment group dedicated to acknowledging, rewarding, and promoting environmental best practice around the world. They aim to improve environmental performance, encourage the...
