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...
Grow with
AL Circle
The United Kingdom-based ferry company SeaLink said that it would build the first new vessel at Richardson Devine Marine (RDM) in Goodwood, Hobart, adding that the service of the new vessel would expectedly start in December 2019. The service of the second new vessel is expected to launch in 2021. SeaLink general manager Paul Victory said both single-deck vessels could have an extra storey added to cope with future demand. "Both vessels will have growth potential, so both vessels will have ramp infrastructure … that we can add onto as the market grows on Bruny Island," he said. Until the new ferries are launched, the company has decided to continue operating its 44-year-old ferry, the MV Moongalba. Today, on October 23, SeaLink also announced it would immediately be adding a third ferry...
Customers looking for the classic combo of smoked meat and black cherry soda at Schwartz’s will have to have something else to drink. The iconic Montreal deli ran out of cans of Cott Black Cherry soda around two weeks ago and hasn’t been able to get more from its supplier, which is facing a shortage of aluminum cans, Schwartz’s manager Frank Silva said. “That’s the situation now and it’s going to be another two weeks at least,” he said. Customers aren’t happy about being forced to make a substitution, Silva said. “They don’t think it’s funny, they say, ‘what do you mean, you have no Black Cherry, it doesn’t make any sense,’” he said. Because the problem is being caused by a shortage of aluminum cans, that’s led to speculation it was caused by tariffs on aluminum imports. In May, the...
According to brewing industry executives, Canada has taken a move to drop a 10 per cent duty on US-made aluminium cans and is proved to be good news for Canadian beer markets that are battling a shortage of tall cans. The aluminium products exempt from tariffs last week include cans that brewers have been struggling to keep in stock, said Luke Harford, president of trade association Beer Canada. Reuters reported in July that some Canadian breweries were scrambling to find aluminium cans. "It's very positive for us," said Harford. "The 473 ml tall cans are all purchased from U.S. suppliers and that particular can is one of the fastest-growing cans... particularly amongst small brewers." Last week, Canada announced tariff exemptions on a range of products post the complaints lodged by...
Despite the massive government push towards electric mobility, e-car sales plunged 40 per cent to a low of 1,200 units in FY18 over FY17, while e-two-wheeler sales zoomed 138 per cent to 54,800 unit during the same period, says an industry report. As of March 2018, there were 56,000 electric vehicles on the roads in the country, of which e-cars were a paltry 1,200 units, while the rest 54,800 units are two-wheelers, according to the data from the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles, the apex industry lobby for the e-vehicles industry. In FY16, 20,000 electric two-wheelers were sold in the country, which increased to Rs 23,000 units in FY17, according to the data. In the same year, 2,000 e-cars were sold and remained stagnant in FY17. In FY16 there were only 22,000 electric...
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea has developed an electric vehicle (EV) battery technology that is more energy-efficient than gasoline-powered engines. The new technology allows replacement of battery packs instead of re-charging and can troubleshoot slow charging problem with the existing EV battery technology. It also provides lightweight, high-energy density power sources with the use of aluminium. Professor Jaephil Cho and his research team led the research in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST. Their findings have been published in an academic journal, Nature Communications on September 13, 2018. The new type of aluminium-air flow battery for (EVs) developed through the research outperforms existing lithium-ion batteries in...
Audi AG has become the first downstream user of aluminium to be certified against Aluminium Stewardship Initiative’s (ASI) Performance Standard. Audi has received certification for material stewardship of aluminium and sustainable manufacturing of the battery for the Audi e-tron at company’s Neckarsulm, Györ and Brussels manufacturing plants. Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer at ASI said “ASI sincerely congratulates Audi AG on their achievement of the first ASI Certification by an Industrial User. ASI’s standards have application throughout the aluminium value chain, including in downstream use sectors such as automotive which aim to support future mobility.” “The rapidly growing electrical vehicle market is expected to create significant drivers for the uptake of responsible supply...
AlCircle launched another Sector Focus Report – “ A Worldwide Market Analysis of Aluminium Wire rod, Cables & Conductors - Industry forecasts to 2025 ” into its 2018 Report portfolio. AlCircle now offers exclusive sector specific reports that are designed to help industry participants with accurate information and in better decision making. World aluminium wire rod usage is estimated to have increased from 5.87 million tonnes in 2014 to about 6.26 million tonnes in 2017 and further to 6.45 million tonnes in 2018. Owing to its properties, aluminium cables and conductors have successfully replaced copper as the principal medium for carrying electricity over the last five decades. Aluminum wire rod is produced by several different processes namely extrusion, rolling and coiling, or drawn...
A joint study that Hydro has carried out with Forschungsgesellschaft Kraftfahrwesen mbH in Aachen (fka) and School of Design Pforzheim, related to aluminium use in urban vehicle concepts, clearly demonstrates aluminium’s strong position in vehicles of the future. The study was presented just last month at Aachen Body Engineering Days 2018. Hydro participated with engineering expertise from three of its business areas: Extruded Solutions, Primary Metal and Rolled Products. “This is a great example on how our customers and society can profit from Hydro being a completely integrated company with expertise along the whole value chain,” says Pascal Wagner, head of global products for Hydro’s Rolled Products business area. “This project has given us the ability to promote our broad product...
Trade and commercial fabricator Astraseal has reported a surge in demand for Alitherm 800, their innovative aluminium flush casement window. The Wellingborough-firm has seen sales going up since the launch of this special product last year, becoming one of their fastest growing and most popular products. Alitherm 800 was appreciate in the market for its authentic design that combined smooth flush aesthetics with a slimline transom mullion profile. “The response we’ve seen so far for our new aluminium flush casement has been absolutely incredible, it’s such a strong validation of both the quality and the credibility of the system,” comments Colin Stanley, Operations Director at Astraseal. “In less than a year, the Alitherm 800 has become one of our best-selling products, a feat I can only...
On Thursday, October 11, Quaker spokesman declared that the company would build a factory to manufacture aluminium windows, for the application in commercial purpose. The Missouri-based window products manufacturing company Quaker was founded in the year 1949 and since then had been manufacturing wood, vinyl, and aluminum windows and doors. It offers windows and doors of various types including awning, casement, double hung, hopper, picture, single hung, slider, geometric, and specialty windows; and swinging, sliding, and folding doors. The construction of the new aluminium window producing plant would likely begin this winter and expectedly complete the year next. The total cost estimated to build the plant is around US$ 65 million, which on completion would likely create 300 new jobs....
U.S. President Trump's trade war on China that he initiated three months ago is exerting pressure in the auto market in China. The trade war will continue to weigh down on vehicle demand in China unless the bilateral trade disputes with China is resolved at the Group of 20 Summit next month in Argentina. The total new vehicle sales numbers for September haven’t been released, but most of the automakers posted sharp declines in sales last month indicating the downturn in the Chinese car market. Only a handful of carmakers like Toyota Motor Corp. and Greely Automobile Holdings managed to maintain growth in September. General Motors and Volkswagen Group, the two largest carmakers in China posted significant decline in sales. GM told Bloomberg that its local deliveries fell 15 per cent in the...
Ball Corporation, a leading beverage can maker with production facilities around the globe, has announced its intention to cease production at its beverage packaging plant in San Martino, Italy by the end of December 2018 and only after due negotiation with the trade union. Ball Corporation will supply its products to its customer through other facilities in Europe. "Given the market environment in Italy, we need to ensure that we remain cost competitive for the long term," said Colin Gillis, President, Ball Beverage Packaging Europe. "While closing a plant is always a difficult decision, our goal is ensuring the long-term success of the business for all of our stakeholders, including our 3,600 employees in Europe." The San Martino packaging plant, which was built in 1981, employs...
Jaguar Land Rover announced that it will close its Solihull plant in Britain for two weeks this month. The decision was driven by 50 per cent decline in China sales as import duties on steel and aluminium and a trade war with the United States curb demand. China's automobile sales have been falling in recent months with the slowing economy. Trade war with the U.S. is also making consumers cautious about spending. "As part of the company's continued strategy for profitable growth, Jaguar Land Rover is focused on achieving operational efficiencies and will align supply to reflect fluctuating demand globally as required," a spokesman said in a statement. U.K. plant will be closed for two weeks beginning Oct. 22. The Unite Union said no jobs would be lost as hours would be banked. JLR built...
Novelis, the world leader in aluminium rolling and recycling, today announced the supply of its premium Novelis Advanz™ aluminium to the recently launched all-electric Jaguar I-PACE. This new addition to the Jaguar PACE family and the car maker's first all-electric vehicle features a strong and stiff lightweight aluminium construction to reduce weight and increase battery range up to 470km while delivering superior driving dynamics and safety. The bespoke electric vehicle's aluminium architecture uses advanced riveting and bonding technology to deliver a light, stiff body structure comprising 94 per cent aluminium, enabling significant weight reduction and design requirements, such as purity of line, surface and proportion. The aluminium vehicle structure is intelligently combined with a...
The Alcoa 'Care-Free' aluminium home is a 1950s time capsule. The house is one of five well-preserved midcentury modern homes that will be open for touring on Oct. 13. This Alcoa "Care-Free" House was built by the aluminium major in St. Louis Park in 1958. Alcoa commissioned an architect to design a demo-house that would showcase aluminium as a perfect material for buildings. Only 24 such homes were built nationally, and only a handful of them are still maintained. Aluminium was comparatively a new material for such applications and Alcoa wanted to promote its versatility. Alcoa hired architect Charles M. Goodman to design the aluminium home. The company had ambitious plans to build up to 50 such homes all around the country. Alcoa designed the houses with aluminium components to ensure...
Turkey Industry Minister Mustafa Varank announced on Thursday, October 4, that Turkish automaker Oyak Renault would invest more than 100 million euro (US$115 million) for setting up an aluminium injection plant in north-western Turkey for new generation hybrid cars. The plant will be constructed in Bursa starting from October 19, and the majority of products produced in it will be exported, said the minister, adding that the investment would contribute US$2.3 billion to narrowing Turkey’s current account deficit. In the mid-July, the news came that French automotive giant Renault was preparing Turkey to turn it into a hybrid vehicle base. According to the news, the hybrid engine produced in Turkey would be used in the fifth generation of Clio produced in Bursa. Oyak Renault received a TL...
The UK’s leading manufacturer of aluminium doors and windows Origin has selected the Nemesis multi-point window locking system from Kenrick for its brand new aluminium window – the Origin Slimline Window. Origin has doubled its order for Nemesis to meet the rising demand for new high-grade aluminium window. The Origin Slimline Window has been designed with an ultra-slim frame (65mm) to maximise the amount of light and achieve ultimate views. To maintain the window’s signature slim sightlines, it was essential that it incorporated a locking system with the shortest possible backset and the smallest mushroom cams that would fit snugly inside the sash, according to Kenrick press release. CEO of Origin Neil Ginger said: “We launched our new Slimline Window in response to a significant demand...
The companies of the International Organisation of Aluminium Aerosol Container Manufacturers (AEROBAL) produced nearly 3.3 billion cans e in the first half of 2018, representing a growth of about 5 per cent in comparison with the previous year. AEROBAL reported the demand for deodorants and antiperspirants remains brisk worldwide. This is one of the main reasons for the good production output. Cosmetic products such as dry shampoos, foaming shower gels, and sun creams also contribute to the satisfactory growth rates for the industry; the demand from the promising pharmaceutical sector is still on the rise. An analysis of the globally significant economic areas shows that the European and North American markets, which dominate the scene in terms of quantity, remain stable at a high level....
