
Spanish racing driverFernando Alonso has added a one-off Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse to his growing collection of rare cars. Known as chassis 8.100, the car is distinguished by bespoke aluminium bodywork that required more than 20 tonnes of aluminium to produce, along with dedicated CAD programmes developed by Bugatti. Its history is equally distinctive, being produced after an original customer pushed Bugatti to create something it had initially considered too expensive. For Alonso, the automobile fits closely with an approach to luxury he outlined in 2024 about choosing manufacturers that treat individual customers differently rather than simply producing cars in larger numbers. To know the aluminium casting demand forecast in the transportation sector, explore our report "Global...
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...
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Amerlux recently supplied 600 Avista LED light engines for part of a major retrofit project in the downtown Los Angeles area. The Bureau of Street Lighting reported that over half of its streetlights have already been retrofitted to LED, including 600 fixtures that now use Amerlux’s Avista light engines. The city of Los Angeles expects that the retrofit project wiill save LA taxpayers almost 80 percent in energy costs. Amerlux said that Avista was the perfect LED light engine for exterior lighting applications throughout downtown LA. The Avista LED Light Engine with a 10kV surge protector features over voltage and short circuit protection. Amerlux constructed the IP66-rated light engine with an anodized aluminum heat sink for exceptional thermal management and stringent efficacy levels....

Karnataka-based aircraft component maker Aequs Aerospace has entered into an agreement with All Metal Services Limited (AMS), a subsidiary of Reliance Steel and Aluminum Company, to manufacture aerospace materials and applications in Belgaum. The facility will provide various metals, including titanium, aluminium and steel, in various forms including plate, sheet and tube and related processing services for aerospace industry applications. It is anticipated that the 35,000 square foot facility will be operational in first quarter of 2017. “AMS are excited to announce establishment of our new facility in India. We look forward to providing the highest quality materials and services to the important and growing Indian aerospace market,” said Terry Stocker, managing director of AMS. Aircraft...

Zesa Holdings of Zimbabwe has said it has lost equipment and infrastructure worth $14.1 million between 2011 and 2015 to vandalism. The national power utility is now taking proactive measures to upgrade its infrastructure and technology, which include replacing copper cables with aluminium cables and other electrical equipment in the near term. "In mitigation, we are replacing all copper cables, conductors with aluminium cables which are better transmission of electricity. The replacement of cables is an on-going exercise in an attempt to curb this vice," Zesa said in a statement. The company said it was also looking at better security mechanism to protect the aluminium cables. "We are looking at new technologies that have come through, which involves new properties in transformer oils,...

A new Australian brand VUUE has produced a collection of furniture designed to be used flexibly for both indoor and outdoor spaces. The design studio of Ceci and Aydin Keyvanloo aims to "defy categorisation" with its range of seating and tables made from aluminium. "Much of the furniture that is on the market still feels like it is intended for a specific category and feels foreign in the others," said Ceci. "Mornington holds up outdoors but its form does not say 'poolside'." Described as suitable for residential, hospitality and office environments, the Mornington collection boasts nine key items customisable in a variety of materials. Sixty of the 96 possible combinations can be used indoors and out. "Making something that works for indoor as well as outdoor isn't easy," Ceci continued....

The Revolution Design has unveiled 4XS Aluminium Chassis, one of the most important option parts for the Carisma 4XS 4WD buggy, a high-end racing car model. The Carisma Racing 4XS is a brand new 1/10th Competition 4WD buggy, and first time, offering from renowned Ready-to-run factory Carisma RC. Designed and engineered by legendary German designer, Michael Vollmer, who has in the past been responsible for cutting edge designs for brands such as Serpent RC, Team Durango, Robitronics, amongst others. The new aluminium chassis improves flex characteristics and makes the car a lot stiffer compared the standard carbon fiber chassis, which helps especially on high-grip surfaces like astroturf or carpet. The high-quality 7075-T6 aluminium chassis also lowers the overall center of gravity, which...

Soccer's Euro 2016 could help raise demand for aluminium for beverage cans, as fans enjoy beer or soft drinks while watching their national teams, the head of Novelis, the world's largest rolled aluminium producer, said. Past major sporting events such as the 2014 soccer World Cup in Brazil did "increase consumption of beer or other soft drinks in cans," Novelis Chief Executive Steve Fisher told Reuters. U.S.-based Novelis supplies aluminium for drinks makers including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and the world's largest beer brewer AB InBev, according to its website. "We certainly hope to see that same trend for the European football championships this coming summer." Fisher said, adding that Novelis is ready to meet increased demand driven by the June 10-July 10 championship in France "if it...

Ducab , the UAE-based leading manufacturer of high-quality copper and aluminium wire and cabling products; which is 50 per cent owned by Senaat and 50 per cent owned by Investment Corporation Dubai (ICD), has announced that its nuclear power-qualified cable range, NuBICC was selected by the Korean Hydro-Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) for the Shin Hanul 1 & 2 Nuclear power plant under construction currently. This project win, follows significant testing and qualifications. It represents the first international nuclear project for Ducab , building on their successful nuclear cable supply engagement with the UAE's Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation ( ENEC ). The delivery of these cables builds on a strong history of innovation by Ducab , which has been consistently matched by a conscious...

First quarter results for aluminium foil deliveries from European suppliers showed positive growth in domestic demand, after a sustained period of mixed or declining results. Exports, however, remain under pressure due to strong competition from non-European producers. Overall the first three months of 2016 saw a small decline of 0.6 per cent in total tonnage to 217,000, compared with 218,500t for 2015, according to figures released by EAFA, the European Aluminium Foil Association. After declines in all four quarters of 2015, production of thinner gauges, used mainly for flexible packaging and household foils, recorded an increase of 0.1 per cent, in fact these are the first positive figures since mid-2014 - reflecting a recovery of demand in Europe, which increased by 2.2 per cent. This...

Jiangsu Longzhe Technology and Trade Development Co Ltd has offered to invest $125 million (about INR 825 crore) in Diamond Power Infrastructure Ltd, the Indian electrical-equipment maker said. The investment will be subject to the approval of a debt restructuring process by lenders to the company, Diamond Power said in a stock-exchange filing. Founded in 1970, Diamond Power makes equipment including power cables, conductors, wires, power and control cables transformers and aluminium alloy conductors. The amount will be invested through a partially convertible instrument. The instrument will be partially converted to shares for a price not less than INR 103.5 apiece and will the investor a stake of no more than 51 per cent in the company, the filing said. The company said that Longzhe is...

Dashing hopes of recovery, growth in industrial production plunged to 0.1 per cent in March due to poor performance of manufacturing and mining sectors coupled with sharp decline in output of capital goods. Factory output measured in terms of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) was 2.5 per cent in March last year, as per data released by Central Statistics Office (CSO). The index had registered a growth of about 2 per cent in February this year. For the entire 2015-16 fiscal, the factory output grew at 2.4 per cent, down from 2.8 per cent in the previous fiscal. The manufacturing sector, which accounts for over 75 per cent of the index, declined by 1.2 per cent in March against a growth of 2.7 per cent in same month a year ago. The sector has not done well in 2015-16 as it grew at meager...

Bahrain is working on 40 environment-friendly building projects as part of its sustainable development initiative aimed at reducing power and water consumption besides carbon emissions at these facilities. The initiative will likely boost the demand for aluminium construction systems in the Gulf country. The green building initiative is one of most important strategic objectives for the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning and is being implemented on all the existing and new construction projects for various governmental ministries and entities in Bahrain, which is being designed, supervised or maintained by the ministry. The ministry's Construction and Maintenance unit has applied sustainability measures in most projects, which are in the design, tendering and...

Magellan Aerospace announced an agreement today between Magellan Aerospace (UK) Ltd and GKN Aerospace for a contract extension to deliver precision aluminium and titanium components and assemblies to GKN Aerospace's Filton facility where complex wing structures are manufactured and assembled for the A320, A330 and A380 aircraft programs. This contract extension is projected to generate revenues in excess of CDN $130 million through to December 2020 and the components and assemblies will be supplied from Magellan facilities located in the United Kingdom and Poland and its joint ventures in India. Magellan was also awarded a new contract to supply A350 outboard flap precision machine details and assemblies. This new contract is projected to generate revenues of CDN $36 million to December...

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation plans to popularise the Energy Conservation Building Code, beginning with 25 model buildings, both government and commercial, being made reference models for others. Resultantly, the use of aluminium profiles, panels and other extrusion products for construction will grow given the fact- the white metal is recyclable and helps in reducing carbon footprint. The code will apply to buildings constructed on 1,000 sq mt of land, with built-up area of over 2,000 sq mt, according to Hyderabad Mayor Bonthu Rammohan. “Efforts are on to streamline the functioning of various government departments and construction activity in Telangana and the energy conservation code will be helpful,” he said. Knowledge partners Telangana and Andhra Pradesh adopted the...

A recent study, conducted by the market research company Smithers Pira, showed that demand for transparent plastics barrier films is set to grow at an annual average rate of 3.9 per cent globally reaching 1.9 million tonnes in 2021. The consumption of flexible aluminium foil packaging is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 2.5 per cent per year reaching almost 3 million tonnes by 2021. The demand for packaging films has also been growing globally for over a decade now. Apart from ensuring high barrier effect packaging films also score high from manufacturing and logistics points of view for being cost-effective, light-weight and low volume. Plus, the innovative packaging has long durability and can be disposed off easily. The reason for this boom in transparent film, the...

Windorex + Glass & Aluminium Oman 2016 – the Sultanate’s first of its kind trade event on the windows, doors, glass, aluminium, facades and sun protection systems industry – opens at Oman International Exhibition Centre next week, spotlighting one of the fastest growing segments of the all-important construction sector. Organised by the well-known events management firm, Global Exhibitions & Conferences LLC (GEC), the Windorex + Glass & Aluminium Oman 2016 will be formally inaugurated by HE Dr. Fuad Jaffer Al Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, on 16th May 2016. With its focus on a wide array of products and services associated with the construction industry, the three day expo promises to present a plethora of opportunities for investment, trade, partnerships and SME...

Clondalkin Flexible Packaging Bury has invested in Berhalter’s SMARTembossing system to increase print quality on aluminium lids. Clondalkin is claimed to be the only pre-cut lids manufacturer in the UK to have the SMARTembosser technology, which increases branding opportunities on foil lids. SMARTembossing enables customers to select whereabouts on the lid, which have the embossing. It helps customers to emboss the rim of the lid only, leaving the rest of the lid smooth and any graphics unaffected. Clondalkin Flexible Packaging lids technical manager Paul Whelan said: "Embossing is a technical requirement on all pre-cut aluminium lids and traditionally this is produced with an all-over embossing pattern. "Customers can also choose to emboss the entire lid, but use the SMARTembosser to...

Euro Motors Jaguar Land Rover, the exclusive distributor of Jaguar vehicles in Bahrain, has launched Jaguar F-Pace with an exclusive aluminium architecture, the British automaker's first SUV, in the kingdom on May 9. The launch event was attended by British Ambassador to Bahrain Simon Martin, Euro Motors Jaguar Land Rover managing director Nawaf Khalid Al Zayani, VIPs, senior company officials and invited guests. The all-new Jaguar F-Pace is a practical sports car and the most important launch in the brand history. It delivers an unparalleled driving experience, an official said. Designed, engineered and manufactured in the UK, it has undergone thorough regional testing at Jaguar Land Rover’s Engineering Test Centre in Dubai. Developed using Jaguar’s lightweight aluminium architecture,...

Novelis, the world leader in aluminium rolling and recycling, today announced its aluminium is used in the new 2016 Cadillac CT6 body. The new mixed material vehicle construction featured in the Cadillac CT6 represents a first of its kind for General Motors (GM) in North America and China. In North America, Novelis' plant in Kingston, ON will supply GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant in Detroit, Michigan. Novelis' plant in Changzhou, China will supply GM's Shanghai plant, which will produce the CT6 manufactured locally in China. The Cadillac CT6 features a body made of 62 percent aluminium. Through the use of aluminium and advanced joining techniques, Cadillac has achieved significant weight savings, making the full-size Cadillac CT6 luxury sedan comparable in weight to the smaller midsize...