A should-cost analysis of an aluminium tower furnace in India: Comparing the economics of LPG, PNG, and electric energy sources
In precision non-ferrous casting and high-volume die-casting operations, thermal energy conversion represents one of the largest controllable operating expenses. In modern aluminium foundries, where margins are squeezed by primary metal price fluctuations and stringent customer cost breakdowns, even a modest INR 1–2/kg variance in liquid metal melting cost can translate into tens of lakhs of rupees in annual cost differences. A rigorous, transparent should-cost benchmark is therefore essential for procurement teams, foundry managers and strategic sourcing leaders. This analysis examines a baseline should-cost model for a 1,000 kg/hour aluminium shaft or tower furnace in an industrial foundry. It compares liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), piped natural gas (PNG) and electric energy across...
Germany’s construction aluminium demand falls 12%, but 2027 recovery and recycling offer fresh growth prospects
Germany’s construction industry has endured several years of contraction, weighed down by elevated financing costs, expensive building materials and subdued residential investment. The downturn has also affected the country’s aluminium industry, with estimated construction-related aluminium consumption declining by around 12 per cent between 2022 and 2025. However, the outlook is beginning to change. With Germany’s construction industry projected to return to growth in 2026 and accelerate further in 2027, opportunities are emerging for aluminium suppliers across residential construction, transport infrastructure, energy networks and commercial developments. At the same time, efforts to strengthen closed-loop aluminium recycling in buildings could provide an additional avenue for growth....
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Alro invests $53 mln in increasing energy and equipment efficiency
Alro, the largest aluminium producer in Continental Europe (excluding Russia and Scandinavia) has an investment program of over USD 53 million, for 2016, focused on increasing energy and equipment efficiency and on expanding portfolio, increasing competitiveness and product quality. The general manager of Alro, Gheorghe Dobra, said: “Alro has a constant strategy for reducing energy consumption, in order to preserve the operational efficiency on a highly competitive international market.” “The investments we have made, both in equipment and in research and development have enabled us to achieve one of the highest levels of energy efficiency in the aluminium industry.” The investment program for 2016 includes the increase of scrap processing capacity of Eco Cast House, such as to reach a...
Hazardous aluminium waste can be converted into fuel-grade carbon
Nagpur-based JNARDDC develops detoxifying process that destroys 98 per cent of cyanide from the aluminium waste and converts it into Carbon that can be used in place of coal. Dealing with hazardous waste, especially destroying cyanide contents from Spent Pot Lining (SPL), was a cause of concern for aluminium industry in the country. Nagpur-based Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC) has developed a revolutionary detoxifying process to deal with cyanide contents from SPL and convert it into Carbon of the grade which can be used in place of coal. “Aluminium industry of the country produces about 50,000 tonnes of SPL every year which contains 90 per cent of poisonous cyanide and remaining are valuable materials such as high fuel value carbon,” Dr Upendra...
Jamaica’s Alpart operation to reopen within months: Mining Minister
According to Jamaica’s Minister of Transport and Mining Michael Henry, authorities expect to reopen the Alpart bauxite mine and alumina refinery in Nain, St Elizabeth, in the present fiscal year, which runs from April 1, 2016 through March 31, 2017. Henry made the disclosure while speaking to Jamaica’s House of Representatives last week. The Alpart complex is owned and operated by Russia’s UC Rusal. “We are working through the issues with UC RUSAL to see the way forward for the Alpart plant,” said the minister. The Alipart plant, whose nameplate production is 1.7 million tons of alumina (via the Bayer process) and 4.9 million tons of bauxite per annum, was launched in 1969. It operates under the auspices of Alumina Partners of Jamaica, which was founded the same year. Alpart was initially...
Czech Republic rolls out specially designed aluminium shelters for expeditionary troops
Czech Army troops deployed on expeditionary undertakings may soon be fielding modular aluminium shelters that feature protection against small-arms fire and splinters under an initiative led by the Military Research Institute in Brno. Under development since 2014, the existence of these igloo-shaped shelters was only revealed in April 2016 during a blast-resistance test conducted by VVU. The shelter has been designed for austere and high-threat environments, and typically includes a base structure consisting of aluminium load-bearing beams to which and inner and outer-layer aluminium armour panels are attached. There is approximately 90 mm of space between the two layers where additional filler material such as corundum balls can be employed to improve the shelter's ability to defeat or...
Motorola to launch all metal body Moto Z with durable aluminium
The new aluminium body Moto Z is all set to launch soon as announced by Motorola after a long round of speculations. It is expected that the above mentioned predicted forerunner would be replacing the original Moto X with all metal design, enhanced camera and other better customization. The Moto Z carries all metal body with durable aluminium. Yet, MotoMakers.com will be providing customized designs in leather, wood in color variants to cover up the back panels on the phone. The square front of the phone with 5.5 inch display has a finger print scanner under it. Keeping in the mind that Motorola has quality competitors like Samsung, Apple and a few, the new release of this phone would mark a huge step ahead in the market.
Luton Council in the UK urges residents to recycle more aluminium foils and cans
Luton Borough Council in the UK is encouraging residents to recycle more of the estimated 94 million aluminium cans, aerosols, aluminium foil trays and wrapping foil used in Luton every year. The ‘Make your Metals Matter’ campaign, jointly funded by MetalMatters, an industry partnership comprising the UK’s leading producers, users and recyclers of metal packaging, and Luton Borough Council, will run throughout June and highlight how used metal packaging such as aluminium cans or tin cans, aluminium foils, can be transformed into new, valuable items when collected with recycling. According to the campaign, if all the metal packaging used in Luton each year was collected for recycling, it would save around 2,548 tonnes of carbon dioxide – equivalent to taking over 542 cars off local streets...
April IIP down at -0.8% but aluminium wires & extrusions clocks high growth at 26.4%
Indian Industrial production numbers released recently turned out to be a disappointment. In terms of industries, nine out of the twenty two industry groups in the manufacturing sector registered negative growth in April 2016 compared to April 2015. The sectors which bucked the trend and clocked high growth include ‘Aviation Turbine Fuel’ (102.5 per cent), ‘Telephone Instruments including Mobile Phone and Accessories’ (30.1 per cent), ‘HR Sheets’ (29.6 per cent), ‘Aerated Waters & Soft Drinks’ (28.2 per cent), ‘Petrol’ (27.7 per cent), ‘Aluminium wires & extrusions’ (26.4 per cent) and ‘Scooters and Mopeds’ (24.4 per cent). The Quick Estimates of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) with base 2004-05 for the month of April 2016 have been released by the Central Statistics Office of the...
Metro rakes with interiors featuring anodized aluminium panels commissioned in Kolkata, India
The first rehabilitated NGEF rake has been put into commercial service from Dum Dum Metro station in Kolkata, India after inauguration of the same by Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, minister for railways from Howrah station. A total of seven old NGEF rakes have been planned for rehabilitation. The ‘AC look-alike’ rehabilitated rake has improved passenger amenities like all interior panels replaced with anodized aluminium panels similar to AC rakes, old passenger seats and backrests replaced with new ones of polycarbonate material, transparent glass partisan panels for the seats provided similar to AC rakes, all existing handrails replaced with new ones, existing aluminium chequered flooring replaced by fire resistance PVC flooring similar to AC rakes, spray painting of exterior of the coach by...
Indiana winery decides to package their wine in aluminium cans
Going against the conventional wisdom of putting premium wines in bottles only, Indiana’s Mallow Run Winery has decided to launch a special edition wine in aluminium cans. The idea was conceived keeping this year’s one-hundredth running of the Indianapolis 500 in mind. Mallow Run Winery Marketing Director Sarah Shadday said, “You can’t take glass to the (Indianapolis 500), so it’s allowing our wine drinkers in Indiana to still be able to enjoy some wine where glass may not be allowed, be it at the pool or on the lake or on the beach.” Due to safety reasons glass bottles are totally banned at the track, but carrying aluminium cans is commonplace at the race, held forty minutes north of the winery. “When you’re out and about and trying to pack a cooler or have a picnic, glass wine bottles...
Chalco targets high-end aluminium applications
Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (Chalco) will break ground on its aluminium precision processing project in China’s east coastal province Fujian in September, reported industry sources. The project, with total investment at 10 billion yuan ($1.53 billion), will produce automotive aluminium sheet, construction aluminium formwork, as well as aluminium product used in high-end electronics, the sources added.
China aluminium output to continue growing in June, SMM expects
Aluminium output in China will maintain growth in June due to release of restarted and new capacity, SMM predicts. The country’s operational new aluminium capacity will increase to 300,000-tpy in June. Yunnan Aluminium Co., Gansu Dongxing Aluminium, among other smelters, will restart idled capacity, SMM learned. China’s aluminium output totaled 2.61 million tonnes in May, down 1.1 per cent from a year ago, but up from April’s 2.49 million tonnes, SMM statistics showed.
SHFE aluminium to see big volatility
China will release money supply for May today. Six Chinese aluminium smelters will hold a meeting today to discuss aluminium prices. This will leave SHFE 1608 aluminium moving widely between RMB 11,750-11,970/mt today. A strong dollar will send LME aluminium down to USD 1,560-1,580/mt. In China’s spot aluminium market, spot premiums of RMB 0-40/mt are expected over SHFE 1606 aluminium contract.
Vedanta may bid for coal mines to ensure fuel security for its aluminium plants
Vedanta is planning to acquire coal mines via auctions as the mining conglomerate seeks to ensure fuel security for its energy guzzling aluminium plants. “Numerous initiatives are being taken to meet our coal requirements. We will source our overall coal mix from low-cost imports and auctioned coal to optimise the cost in FY 2016-17. We are also looking to optimise our coal mix further by securing linkage coal through the auction route,” Vedanta Resources said. The government has not yet finalised the dates for holding the fourth round of coal mine auctions, which was annulled in December 2015.
Chalco cuts aluminium prices in major markets after 3-day holiday
China Aluminum International Trading Co. (Chalco Trading) cut aluminium prices in major markets after the Dragon Boat Festival compared with pre-holiday levels, it said on its WeChat. For details, please see the table below: Unit: yuan/tonne Note: Chalco Trading is a full subsidiary under Chalco responsible for alumina and aluminium sales.
India considers safeguard duty for aluminium products
Indian government is considering to impose an anti-dumping duty or a safeguard duty on aluminium products . The Indian aluminium industry has been lobbying to the commerce ministry for benefits similar to those imposed for the steel industry in the country to check cheap imports in the sector. The Aluminium industry approached commerce ministry after the finance ministry decided against the safeguard duty. Safeguard duty is a WTO-compatible temporary fiscal measure to protect a country’s domestic industry from cheap imports. China and West Asia are dumping aluminium – China as its industry is heavily subsidised and West Asia as power is very cheap there. Electricity accounts for almost 40 per cent of the total production cost.
Bauxite prices in China show signs of rising
Bauxite prices in China have shown signs of rising, especially in Shanxi province, where more new alumina capacity came on stream than other regions, reported industry sources. Rising alumina prices gave Chinese alumina producers incentive to restart idled capacity or bring online new capacity, boosting bauxite demand and prices. Survey showed bauxite (Al/Si ratio at 5.5) in Shanxi traded at 240-250 yuan/tonne (excluding VAT, delivery to factory) recently, up 10-20 yuan/tonne from May. With alumina prices in Guizhou province stabilizing at 1,900 yuan/tonne, local bauxite prices appear set to rise soon. Bauxite (Al/Si ratio at 6) in the province still trades at 170-180 yuan/tonne (excluding VAT, delivery to factory) at the moment, but might see a 10-20 yuan/tonne rise in the near term.
VHE of Iceland expands product mix with Hall Effect Cathode Meter crafted from aluminium
VHE ehf., Iceland, has added to its product portfolio a Cathode Current Meter, a specialised portable ammeter that makes use of the Hall Effect. The instrument is made from aluminium; hence, it is lightweight and easy to operate. The conductor current is instantaneously displayed on the integral backlit screen. The U-shaped sensor head does not need to go fully around the conductor, making it both easier and quicker to take multiple measurements. A screen icon indicates low power remaining in the standard 9V alkaline dry cell. An over-temperature warning protects against excessively heat. Every Cathode Current Meter is customised to specific customer requirements – the lance length and angle is configured for easy access, the probe is dimensioned to suit the conductor, and the meter is...
Indian Railways installs aluminium can/bottle recycling machine at a Mumbai station
Indian Railways is finally going green. Giving a major boost to PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Swachh Bharat’ scheme, Indian Railways has put up a ‘Swachh Bharat Recycle Machine’, which is a bottle/aluminium can recycling machine at the Churchgate railway station in Mumbai. With this initiative used plastic water bottles and aluminium beverage cans on tracks may become a thing of the past. “The first machine, which is as big as a refrigerator, was set up at the Churchgate station on World Environment Day on June 5. We plan to put such machines at 10 stations namely Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra (local), Bandra terminus, Santacruz, Andheri, Goregaon, Borivali and Bhayandar,” Mukul Jain, Western Railways Divisional Railway Manager told FE Online. The Recycle Machine will only accept bottles/aluminium...
