South Asia’s beverage-can manufacturing capacity continues to expand, with Bangladesh preparing to enter the industry through a USD 100 million aluminium beverage can plant while new and expanded facilities advance across India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, the planned Bangladeshi project still faces a key infrastructure hurdle: securing a gas connection before production begins. Chinese-owned Alu Hi-Tech Industries Ltd is developing Bangladesh’s first aluminium beverage can plant at Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park in Gazipur, north of Dhaka. The facility is designed to produce around 1 billion cans annually, with approximately 90 per cent of its output earmarked for export markets. The company registered with the hi-tech park in 2024, when work on the project began. Construction has...
Europe’s beverage-can market outperformed other regions in the third quarter, prompting Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP) to accelerate its investment plans with two new production lines at existing facilities in the UK and Spain. Global beverage can shipments rose 2 per cent year on year in the three months to September 30, while Europe recorded 6 per cent growth, contrasting with a 1 per cent decline across the Americas. AMP announced the expansion alongside third-quarter results that exceeded its own earnings guidance, allowing the company to raise its full-year adjusted EBITDA outlook. Chief executive Oliver Graham said demand remained resilient across the company’s markets, supported by strength in key beverage categories and continued gains for cans within the wider packaging mix. The...
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Stadler is moving ahead with the next phase of its Astana plant in Kazakhstan, investing more than KZT 14 billion (USD 31 million) in new welding and painting shops for aluminium railcar bodies. The project will create the first aluminium carbody production facility of its kind in Central Asia. The new capacity is being developed under long-term contracts to supply and maintain 557 passenger coaches for Kazakhstan’s national railway operator, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ). Stadler Kazakhstan said the new shops, along with the modernisation of existing production facilities, will increase the plant’s capacity by 25 per cent and create around 100 additional jobs. The Astana plant currently has capacity to produce 80 railcars a year. The company said, “Once the welding and painting shops for...
CFMoto's 2027 Ibex 800 E combines an aluminium swingarm and forged aluminium pistons with radar-based safety technology, while starting at USD 9,799 in the US. The Ibex also comes with an 8-inch touchscreen, adjustable KYB suspension and several touring features as standard. The Ibex 800 E comes with radar-based blind spot detection, which monitors the area behind the motorcycle and warns the rider when another vehicle enters the blind spot. Its wider safety system also includes lane-change assistance and rear-collision warnings in Explore versions. To know the aluminium casting demand forecast in the transportation sector, explore our report " Global Aluminium Casting Market 2026-2032: Plant Economics, Alloy Segmentation, Pricing Intelligence, Supply Chain Analysis & Strategic...
A truck’s overall weight comes from dozens of components, including the engine, chassis, tyres, etc. Wheels are one area where fleets can explore lightweighting. Traditional steel wheels, widely used across the transport industry, are known for their robustness. Forged Alcoa aluminium wheels offer another option, combining reduced weight with the strength needed for demanding commercial applications. Alcoa aluminium wheels come into focus when fleets looking to improve truck efficiency, payload and operating productivity, consider fuel, tyres, aerodynamics and driver behaviour as well as an essential factor of the vehicle weight. For fleet operators, the question is becoming less about simply asking “How much does it cost?” and more about “How much weight are we carrying, and what is that...
Fun Kids, the UK’s leading radio station for children, families and parents, released the final episode of the Amazing Aluminium podcast series on 2nd September. Co-created by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro), Amazing Aluminium touches on the metal’s composition, its widespread applications and how it’s recycled, with the next and final episode focusing on its future. Fun Kids is available across the UK on DAB digital radio, and online. The Amazing Aluminium podcast series is part of Alupro’s wider national initiative to get primary and secondary school pupils excited about recycling. Through its Learning Aluminium website, parents, pupils, carers and teachers can download further free resources to help build knowledge about packaging materials and recycling best...
Indian electronics manufacturers are increasingly substituting aluminium for copper in key components as surging metal costs put pressure on margins. Indian electronics manufacturers are turning to aluminium and steel as alternatives to copper as a sharp rise in copper prices pushes up production costs and squeezes operating margins. Copper prices have climbed nearly 45 per cent year-on-year, prompting companies to pursue so-called value engineering across components such as motor windings, condenser coils and transformers. The shift towards lower-cost materials could reduce overall manufacturing costs by around 2 per cent to 6 per cent, according to the source. The move comes as electronics companies face less room to pass higher input costs on to consumers. Several manufacturers have...
Storvik and Charl-Pol have launched Alumotion to bring proven robotic solutions, local engineering and lifecycle support closer to Canada's aluminium smelters. Canadian aluminium smelters are set to gain a new source of automation expertise as Storvik and Canadian technology company Charl-Pol launch Alumotion, a joint venture focused on robotised solutions for aluminium production. The venture will initially concentrate on robotised anode assembly solutions, combining Storvik's automation expertise with Charl-Pol's established Canadian engineering and industrial capabilities. The aim is to give smelters access to proven technology while keeping engineering, manufacturing, project execution and long-term service closer to their operations. For aluminium producers, the offering is...
Vishay Intertechnology has now put this capability to use in its new CHEP series thin film chip resistors, built on an aluminium nitride substrate. The company has expanded its resistor portfolio with the launch of the CHEP series thin film chip resistors. The new components combine high power handling with broad frequency performance for telecom, aerospace, defence and advanced radio-frequency systems. According to the company, the CHEP series is available in compact 0402 and 0603 case sizes. The 0402 device carries a standard power rating of 1.2 W, while the 0603 version is rated at 1.8 W. When mounted in accordance with the datasheet specifications, their respective power ratings rise to 1.8 W and 2.8 W. The resistors are designed to operate across a broad frequency range. In the 0402...
Aditya Birla Group has entered the wires and cables business with an investment of INR 18 billion (USD 190 million), launching the new business under the name Ultravolt. Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said the group's experience with aluminium and copper will be important in the new business, particularly for maintaining product quality, performance and consistency. He added, "Our core right to win is rooted in a deep understanding of the product and its underlying components.” According to the group, copper and aluminium together account for around 80 per cent of the cost of wires and cables. Explore aluminium casting demand forecast in the transportation sector, explore our report " Global Aluminium Casting Market 2026-2032: Plant Economics, Alloy Segmentation, Pricing Intelligence,...
Porsche's 911 GT3 Bergsport swaps its lightest magnesium wheels for forged aluminium, proving that a few extra kilos can make sense when the road gets serious. There are few places where saving weight matters more than inside a Porsche 911 GT3. Yet for its new 911 GT3 Bergsport, Porsche has done something that sounds almost wrong for a car wearing the GT3 badge: it deliberately added weight. Rather than using the forged magnesium centre-lock wheels fitted to the GT3's Lightweight Package, Porsche has chosen forged aluminium wheels for the 100-car Bergsport. The reason is refreshingly practical. Porsche says the aluminium wheels are more durable and better suited to the demanding conditions encountered on Alpine passes. In other words, Porsche has effectively taken its lightest wheel off...
Canada will raise tariffs on US steel and aluminium to 50 per cent from September 8 as part of a CAD 27.6 billion (USD 19.88 billion) retaliatory package, while Ottawa introduces CAD 7.5 billion (USD 5.4 billion) in support for workers and businesses affected by the trade dispute. Canada will double its tariffs on US steel and aluminium from 25 per cent to 50 per cent , while imposing additional duties on more than 700 American products as trade tensions between the two countries intensify. The measures, which take effect on September 8, form part of a CAD 27.6 billion (USD 19.88 billion) retaliatory package. The federal government said the measures are intended to match the latest round of US tariffs on Canadian goods dollar for dollar. The new duties will also cover products including...
Who doesn’t enjoy a steaming cup of perfectly brewed coffee from a processor that appears dedicated to making your morning energetic? Jura has given its second-generation Z10 fully automatic coffee machine featuring solid aluminium for its distinctive convex-concave front panel and housing accents, a stylish new twist with an Aluminium Champagne finish. The new aluminium-look finish joins Aluminium Black and Aluminium White, adding a little more flair to a machine featuring 51 hot, light, cold and sweet coffee specialities. The machine covers four beverage categories, i.e., Hot Brew, Light Brew, Cold Brew and Sweet Foam, offering users everything from everyday coffee and espresso to cold creations and sweeter options. It is accompanied with a chocolate attachment for its Sweet Foam...
The aluminium industry is entering the second half of 2026 with demand signals moving in different directions. Beverage cans are finding new consumption opportunities in Brazil, extrusion demand remains resilient in key markets, and aluminium producers are benefiting from firmer prices. At the same time, tariffs and trade-policy uncertainty are adding cost pressure, while automakers and packaging companies are placing greater emphasis on aluminium’s role in lower-carbon products. Demand: New consumption patterns open fresh opportunities Brazil’s beverage can market is maintaining a positive trajectory in 2026, with 16.4 billion cans sold in the first half and full-year growth expected in the low single digits. The more interesting development, however, is the changing beverage mix. Beer...
Tasmanian manufacturer Kings Outdoor Living is increasingly turning to aluminium as it expands its locally made shade and shelter products for schools, parks, sporting clubs, hospitality venues and homes. According to Capral Aluminium, the company has increasingly focused on local manufacturing to address the freight, handling and supply challenges involved in sourcing products from mainland Australia. Sam King, Kings co-owner, said, “With the Bass Strait freight cost, and complexity, and timing, and damage, we thought, ‘We should probably start making some of this stuff.’” The company initially manufactured many of its locally made products using steel. However, the weight of steel created practical challenges, particularly because Kings is involved in both manufacturing and installing...
Japanese beverage company Kirin is exploring greater use of recycled and low-carbon aluminium as part of its efforts to reduce emissions from packaging and move towards a more circular packaging system. The company is considering GHG-free aluminium produced using renewable energy, as well as lower-emission aluminium with a high recycling rate. It is also looking at the possible use of carbon-free aluminium cans. Aluminium, PET and paper are among the packaging materials covered in Kirin’s climate risk assessment. The company estimates that carbon pricing could add JPY 43.8 billion (USD 275.4 million) to packaging costs by 2050 under its sustainable scenario, which assumes a stronger global shift towards a low-carbon economy. To learn the future of aluminium in the packaging industry,...
BotBlox has introduced SwitchCore, a compact 40-gram Layer 2 networking module featuring a 7075 aluminium enclosure that serves as both the structural chassis and heatsink. Measuring 27.6 × 27.6 × 10.7 mm, the module provides eight-port Fast Ethernet functionality for space- and power-constrained platforms while using 1 W of power. The 7075 aluminium enclosure eliminates the need for additional cooling hardware and also helps protect the internal electronics from shock, vibration and environmental ingress. The module is designed for applications including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned surface vessels (USVs), ground robotics, industrial systems and defence payloads. Explore aluminium casting demand forecast in the transporation sector, explore our report " Global Aluminium...
A team of Australian researchers has found a surprisingly simple way to make terahertz polarizers: using ordinary aluminium kitchen foil and a precisely controlled laser. The result could cut manufacturing costs dramatically while opening the door to faster production of these tiny optical components. What if a piece of aluminium foil from your kitchen could help solve a problem that normally costs scientists thousands of dollars? That is the question behind a new study from researchers at the ARC Centre for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) at The Australian National University (ANU), who have developed a way to make tiny devices called wire-grid polarizers using ordinary aluminium foil. The team used a nanosecond laser with precisely controlled pulses to carve microscopic metal...
Europe’s metal packaging industry is facing mounting pressure from rising costs, regulatory uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, labour shortages and competition from alternative materials. But according to three industry leaders, its biggest challenge may be internal: moving faster, communicating more effectively and acting with greater unity. Iris Arsic reports. Speaking at the Metal Packaging Europe (MPE) conference in Berlin, Paulo Sousa, CEO of Colep Packaging and president of MPE, Seàn Cairns, president of Sonoco Consumer Packaging EMEA & APAC, and Michael Mapes, CEO of Trivium Packaging, argued that metal packaging enters this period from a position of strength. The industry already has proven circularity and strong sustainability credentials. The challenge, they said, is ensuring...
China’s new energy vehicle retail sales declined in the first 16 days of August, but the segment continued to outperform the wider passenger-car market as higher fuel costs weighed more heavily on demand for petrol vehicles. Passenger NEV retail sales reached 399,000 units from August 1 to August 16, down 15 per cent year on year but up 1 per cent from the corresponding period in July, according to the China Passenger Car Association. Overall passenger-vehicle retail sales fell 22 per cent year on year to 628,000 units. NEVs retain a 63.6 per cent share NEVs accounted for 63.6 per cent of passenger-vehicle retail sales during the period, underlining their continued market strength despite the decline in unit sales. The penetration rate remained high, although it was below the record 65.1...
