For decades, aluminium windows and doors were largely viewed as functional elements of construction. Today, advances in extrusion technology, precision engineering and architectural design have transformed their possibilities. What once required bulky frames and conventional openings can now be achieved through remarkably slender profiles, expansive glass surfaces and sophisticated systems that bring together structural strength, durability and understated luxury. As Indian architecture becomes increasingly ambitious, aluminium is no longer simply framing spaces; it is helping redefine how they are designed, experienced and connected. Market data According to ALUMEX India 2025: Extruding the Future, India is the world’s second-largest primary aluminium producer and third-largest consumer,...
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...
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Two sustainable packaging innovations from Amcor that boost efficiency and improve consumer convenience have won 2018 Alufoil Trophies at the European Aluminium Foil Association awards. The company’s PolyInert laminates, which enable sensitive pharmaceuticals to be packaged in stick-pack form, won the Resource Efficiency category, and AluFix Retort Xtra, the newest addition to the successful AluFix range, won the Technical Innovation award. PolyInert Laminates This material helps keep pharmaceutical patients safe because its stable and inert high barrier doesn’t interact with or absorb active pharmaceutical ingredients and keeps medication effective longer. The panel also praised the sustainability of the PolyInert stick-pack format, noting that “it delivers a huge saving in material use...
Japan’s LIXIL Group is worried about the current developments that are taking place in the global aluminium market causing volatility in aluminium prices. The inflated prices driven by the U.S. trade actions and sanctions on United Company Rusal are creating tension in the company. The company, according to the CEO is however not concerned about procuring the metal. Aluminium prices had a sharp rise since the United States imposed sanctions on Rusal, one of the world’s biggest aluminium producers and suppliers. LIXIL makes aluminium sash windows and buys about 160,000 tonnes of aluminium a year. The company expects aluminium prices to hover around 250,000 yen (US$2,289) per tonne in FY 2019 in comparison to 234,000 yen (US$2,128) a year earlier. “We don’t expect aluminium prices to fall...
The 49.8 metre Aluminium Classsuperyacht White has been delivered to her owner following the successful completion of her sea trials, Heesen Yachts has revealed. Originally built on speculation as part of the yard's 500 Aluminium class, this sleek motor yacht was sold in October 2017. Her interior, which comes in just below the 500GT mark, was designed by Cristiano Gatto, while the fast and comfortable hull was created by the yard’s in-house naval architects. Exterior styling comes courtesy of regular Heesen Yachts collaborator Frank Laupman and his Omega Architects studio, and the yard describes the look as “an emblem of sporty elegance”. Abberley Luxury Yachts, which represented the owner’s commercial interests during the construction phase, added, “This is the moment we have been...
The global aluminium foil market is poised to show strong growth for the next five years. Technavio's analysts forecast the global aluminium foil packaging market in food and beverages industry to grow at a CAGR of 5.58% during the period 2018-2022. South Korea’s exports of aluminium foils are expected to increase in 2018.China imports substantial amount of aluminium foil from the country. According to the recent statistics, China imported an estimated 16457 tonnes of aluminium foil in last year. As shown by our data, South Korea exported 73454 tonnes of aluminium foils in 2016, which decreased to total at 72312 tonnes in 2017. For the full year of 2018, the volume of foil export is forecasted to increase to total at 76694 tonnes. The total value of export stood at USD 612 million and USD...
Ball Corporation reported net earnings of $125 million in the first quarter of 2018 compared to $68 million in last year’s first quarter. Excluding items, the company posted adjusted earnings of $180 million compared to $136 million last year. "Ball Corporation started the year strong, posting improved performance across each of our product lines, with comparable operating earnings up 13 percent in our global beverage operations, 19 percent in our aerospace business and 10 percent in our food and aerosol business and with lower overall corporate costs year-over-year.” “In our global beverage can business, overall volumes were up low single-digits in the quarter, driven largely by continued strong performance in South America and Europe. Global consumers continue to support the beverage...
Norsk Hydro has acquired Eugen Notter GmbH, a German aluminium window hardware manufacturer, to strengthen its offering for the building and construction industry. Hydro Building Systems manufactures miscellaneous structural metal work products, such as aluminium profile systems. The company sells facades, windows, doors, folding and sliding systems, fire protection, sun protection, and smoke control products to the building and construction industry. Eugen Notter GmbH, with a global customer base in Europe, North America and Asia, has been a supplier of Hydro Building Systems, offering hardware for aluminium windows. "This acquisition will support Hydro’s strategy to offer innovative solutions for windows and doors to serve an increasingly sophisticated market. We are very pleased to...
President Trump is continuing to keep several countries on toes, especially China, with imported aluminium and steel tariffs and at the same time, keeping workers like Charles Cesmat, a parts manager at a Boeing plant in Renton, Washington in dismay. Boeing is perhaps one of those American companies that ride on a super healthy relationship with China. It ships one of every four planes that it assembles to China. So, every time Mr. President slaps Beijing with a new set of tariffs, Mr. Cesmat winces. “I’m concerned a potential trade war could affect work for our members and work for me,” Mr. Cesmat said. “Thousands of people’s jobs rely on a working relationship with China.” According to a Seattle consulting firm, Boeing’s trade with China supports 40 per cent of all jobs in Washington...
Jost Gaertner, Manging partner and editor for AluMag Automotive said that battery electric vehicles will bring new possibilities for the aluminium foundries, but there could be an overcapacity situation in the sector. According to him, improving battery technology and forthcoming regulation / ban of ICE vehicles are boosting the outlook for EVs. Components for EV (HEV, PHEV and BEV) offer new opportunities for the aluminium foundries that cast automotive parts. The switch of the automotive industry towards complete electric cars like this Tesla will have a major impact on aluminium foundries as suppliers. However, if the BEV share rise considerably faster than that of the PHEV and Full HEV combined, an overcapacity could hit the aluminium foundries by the end of the next decade. EV...
Ball Corporation aims to help its customers boost branding on the top aluminium cans with new colourful lids. The company said its proprietary Cameo End Printing will add appeal for consumers looking for their favourite beverages. Jay Billings, Ball Corporation North and Central America vice president of commercial, said: “Ball’s Cameo End Printing delivers both branding advantages for our customers, and functional benefits for consumers. “For our customers, Cameo extends the can’s 360-degree billboard to the top of the package, further increasing brand visibility and offering exciting new possibilities for contests, special promotions and limited release packaging. “For consumers, Cameo makes searching for your favourite brand easier in coolers and convenience stores, where the top of...
Aluminium batteries enhanced with cheap and abundant materials could provide the perfect low-cost storage for renewable energy, researchers have claimed. While lightweight lithium-ion batteries are ideal for electric cars, they are also quite expensive – and therefore unsuitable for large-scale, stationary power storage, claimed scientists from ETH Zurich and Empa in Switzerland. Instead, the team identified two new materials that could improve cheap aluminium batteries. The first was titanium nitride, a corrosion-resistant ceramic material. The electrolyte fluid in aluminium batteries is extremely aggressive and corrosive, even damaging gold and platinum, so the team searched for a hardy replacement. Lead researcher Maksym Kovalenko and colleagues said they found what they were looking...
Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) recently won two 2018 Euro CanTech Awards from CanTech International for its metallic Ball-branded aluminium aerosol deodorant can and beverage cans created for Heineken Serbia's Zaječarsko brand. For the aerosol can, Ball developed a cost-effective, captivating solution for customers who want the look of hot stamping (where a metallic foil is applied to the can). Using state-of-the-art pigments and the company's unique ink application technology, a glossy, reflective sheen can be applied on aluminium cans of all shapes and sizes and is available in a range of metallic shades. For the beverage can, Ball partnered with Heineken Serbia, a long-standing customer, on an exclusive can design. Heineken created four limited edition cans, which showcase Ball's...
Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, is hopeful that the United States will grant permanent exemptions to aluminium imported from allies and wants U.S. Congress to look into price spikes that have already set in. U.S. President Donald Trump last month imposed import tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium, but provided temporary exemptions until May 1 for the European Union, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Australia and South Korea. Carlos Brito, chief executive of Budweiser-maker AB InBev, which sells many of its beers in the United States in aluminium cans, said the company had been very disappointed by the introduction of tariffs, which he said had put U.S. manufacturers at a disadvantage. “We are very hopeful on the other hand that the list of...
Flexible packaging consumption in Europe grew by 2% to around €14bn in 2017, with about the same growth rates in both Western and Eastern Europe, according to research by PCI Wood Mackenzie. Total annual production exceeded €15bn, of which 75% was accounted for from Western Europe and the remaining 25% from Eastern Europe. This region remains the most significant exporter with approximately 10% of its production consumed outside Europe. Forecasts expect growth to continue, with sales achieving nearly €16bn in Europe and global consumption reaching US$107bn by 2022. Healthy growth for most of the end user markets, such as coffee, pet food and fresh foods has driven production higher, according to Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE). Smaller households need more single serve options and there...
CMS Window Systems has secured a contract worth over £10m for the Atlantic Square development in Glasgow, which is being built by BAM Construction. The company will design, manufacture and install a range of aluminium windows, doors and façade elements for the mixed-use development. “Atlantic Square will be a landmark development in Glasgow city centre and we are really pleased to be working with BAM Construction to transform this prime site,” says David Ritchie. “The scale of the window, door, curtain walling and façade brief represents our largest ever single contract, but it is exactly the kind of project that our business is equipped to handle given the design expertise, product range and manufacturing and installation capabilities that our business has today.” The company’s aluminium...
India’s decision to impose safeguard duty on imported solar cells drew criticism both from the European Union and Japan on Monday, April 23, 2018, at the World Trade Organisation. The European Union representative slammed India for its casual analysis. According to the former, the injury analysis of imported solar cells was inconclusive as injury to other domestic producers was not properly analysed. Japan suggested that there were flaws in the investigation process, which involved reasonable public notice. At the WTO’s safeguards committee meeting, the EU even pointed out that safeguard measures were meant to be imposed under exceptional circumstances, especially if imports from any particular country cause problems. Indian officials, however, have countered the criticisms by saying that...
The Indian rating agency ICRA estimates that the sudden surge in aluminium price by 30 per cent over the last two weeks owing to US sanctions against Rusal may impact the Indian automotive industry’s profitability and also the profitability of auto component suppliers as well as OEMs in the near term, leading to a surge in vehicle price, especially of those that are primarily made of aluminium, as vehicle manufacturers would be passing the cost pressure to the customers, as analysed by ICRA. The US sanctions imposed on Rusal is estimated to take away more than 6 per cent of global aluminium supply and 14 per cent outside China, as per the reports. Ashish Modani, Assistant Vice President, Corporate Sector Rating, ICRA said, “Already, automobile industry is grappling with commodity prices...
Crown Holdings, Inc. announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018. The company reported net sales of $2,197 million in Q1 2018, from $1,901 million in Q1 2017, reflecting increased beverage can volumes, the pass through of higher material costs to customers, and $121 million of favourable currency translation impact. Income from operations was $221 million in Q1 2018, from $225 million in Q1 2017. Segment income increased to $245 million in the first quarter compared to $226 million in the prior year first quarter and included $12 million of favourable currency translation impact. Timothy J. Donahue, President and Chief Executive Officer, said: "Global beverage can volume growth of 3% was fueled by notable gains in Brazil, Southeast Asia and the United...
Aludecor Lamination Private Limited, the pioneers in the world of Aluminium Composite Panels (ACP) has launched 3 mm Fire Rated Aluminium Composite Panel (ACP). The best insurance against fire casualty in a building giving people a 2-hour escape window. Aludecor’s FireWall is a tried and tested non-halogenated FR ACP which Will not produce toxic gases that cause death. (80 percent of death in a fire accident is caused by smoke) Will not blur vision and thus make it easy for people to get out via the escape routes. Will not release excessive heat onto other materials that can cause fire. Will not contribute to the rapid spreading of flames towards the upper floors of the building, for 2 hours, Will not melt into flaming droplets and instead turn into innocuous dust particles. Will not come...
