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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Aequs partners AMS to make aerospace products in India
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...
China Zhongwang eyeing rosy automotive aluminium market
There is vast growth potential for aluminium applications in transportation sector, and China ZhongWang Holdings, the country’s leading aluminium extrusion manufacturer, is sparing no efforts in tapping into this market. “With China’s ongoing energy saving and emission cut drive, aluminium, thanks to its lightness, has become the preferred choice in transportation sector. There is still large room to grow for applications of the light metal in transportation sector in the future,” Chen Quanxun, President of the CNIA said in a recent form. According to the Made in China 2025, a national plan, lightness will be the key point that needs technical breakthrough in automobile industry. China’s automobile output will reach 36 million units by 2020, and new energy vehicles output will hit 2...
Novelis celebrates commissioning of $120 mln automotive finishing line
Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today celebrated the commissioning of its third state-of-the-art automotive finishing line in Oswego, N.Y. Installed to support the production of stronger, lighter and safer vehicles, the line represents Novelis' latest investment of $120 million to expand high-strength aluminum alloy supply for Ford F-Series trucks, America's best-selling truck for 39 years and best-selling vehicle for 34 years. As a result of this expansion, Novelis has furthered its position as the leading automotive aluminum sheet supplier in North America. "As a result of our investments across the globe, Novelis is able to offer our automotive customers unique advantages and benefits through automotive lines such as this one in Oswego," said Steve Fisher,...
LME aluminium to remain range-bound
The US dollar index will hover near current levels while market is waiting for US economic data and speech by Fed Chair Yellen. LME aluminium will trade at USD 1,540-1,560/mt on Tuesday. SHFE 1607 aluminium has found support and will move at RMB 12,250-12,350/mt. In China’s spot aluminium market, spot premiums of RMB 0-40/mt are expected over SHFE 1606 aluminium contract.
60% Chinese aluminium smelters expect aluminium prices to stabilize this week
About 60 per cent of them see SHFE 1607 aluminium stabilizing at RMB 12,250-12,500/mt and LME aluminium consolidating at USD 1,530-1,550/mt. On the technical side, the 10-day moving average will offer support, while the 20-day moving average will pose resistance. Investors are rolling positions to SHFE 1608 aluminium contracts, which will reduce price volatility on SHFE 1607 aluminium. Besides, stable alumina prices will also give aluminium prices no reason to rise or fall Another 25 per cent are bearish that SHFE 1607 aluminium will fall below the 10-day moving average and LME aluminium will fall below USD 1,530/mt. First, panic ruled the market after ferrous metals prices hit daily downside limit on Monday. Second, downstream consumption has softened in Wuxi after entering May. Some...
Aluminium futures soften 0.10% on muted spot demand
Aluminium prices weakened by 0.10 per cent to INR 104 per kg in futures trading today as participants trimmed positions, driven by subdued demand from consuming industries in the spot market . At Multi Commodity Exchange, aluminium for delivery in May month shed 10 paise, or 0.10 per cent to INR 104 per kg in business turnover of 217 lots. Likewise, the metal for delivery in June contracts eased by 5 paise, or 0.05 per cent to INR 104.85 per kg in 6 lots. Analysts said offloading of positions by traders due to tepid demand from consuming industries in the spot market mainly influenced aluminium prices at futures trade.
Nalco and Iranian mining company sign MoU to set up aluminium smelter in Iran
State-owned major, National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco) and Iranian Mines & Mining Industries Development Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly explore the possibility of setting up an aluminium smelter in Iran. The signing of the MoU coincides with the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran. The smelter- cum-gas based power plant, is slated to be part of a joint venture aluminium company to be set up by Nalco in that country. It will utilize supply of alumina from Nalco's refinery in India. The MoU also envisages tolling arrangement with existing smelters in Iran for producing aluminium from alumina supplied by Nalco and also proposes to look into other businesses. "We look forward to using the low-cost gas-based energy...
Alba announces the appointment of two new managers
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), a leading aluminium smelter in the world, is pleased to announce the recent appointment of two new managers in key departments of the company - Mohamed Khalil Saeed as Manager Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) and Eskander Abdul Nabi as Manager Power Operations and Utilities. On announcing the appointment of the new managers, Alba’s Chief Executive Officer, Tim Murray said: “At Alba, we firmly believe in the philosophy of developing and promoting employees from within the company. Both Mohamed and Eskander are great examples of this philosophy with both of them starting as operators and now reaching the level of Manager. With their diverse backgrounds and MBA training, I am sure they will add to the strength of the team and deliver strong results."...
China alumina output to grow further in May, SMM expects
China’s alumina output will continue growing in May due to release of restarted and new capacity, SMM predicts based our survey. Alumina price rally, which began in February, has allowed most alumina producers to enter profit territory in terms of cash costs. This triggered massive capacity restarts. As of mid-May, restarted alumina capacity had approached 70 per cent of capacity idled in the second half of last year, SMM statistics showed. These massive restarts, plus release of new capacity, will allow production to increase further, SMM explained. The country’s alumina output totaled 4.62 million tonnes in April, up 0.43 per cent from March, but down from a year ago, with operational capacity at 16.48 million tonnes, SMM data showed.
Australia faces increasingly stiff competition in the China bauxite market
Australia has been a top supplier of bauxite to refineries in the People’s Republic of China for the past several years, but the country is facing increased competition for the Chinese marketplace from Malaysia and Guinea, according to a report compiled by the Australian government’s Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, and Sydney’s Westpac Institutional Bank and released on Thursday. According to The China Resources Quarterly report, China imported 13.6 million metric tons of bauxite in the first quarter of 2016, up 36 per cent year-on-year, but 20 per cent less than Q4 of 2015. Imports from Australia contributed to 29 per cent of that total, or 4 million metric tons in the first quarter. While a significant contribution, it is an appreciable drop from last year’s Q1, when it...
L&T on verge of bagging bauxite deposits in Odisha
Diversified conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is on its way to secure the Kutrumali and Sijimali bauxite deposits in Odisha, with combined reserves of over 300 million tonne. L&T holds the prospecting license (PL) over the twin deposits and is entitled to bag the mining lease (ML) under the new Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) MMDR Act. The Odisha government is sending its final compliance to the Union Mines Ministry on L&T's bid for the mines. “We have clarified to the mines ministry that there is no overlapping of the Kutrumali and Sijimali leases with any of the mines held by state-owned Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC). The state government has also backed L&T's bid for ML over the deposits as they are a subsisting PL holder,” said a senior government official. L&T had...
Free communication materials from Alupro to boost aluminium packaging recycling
A range of free communication resources to help local authorities in the UK encourage residents to recycle aluminium packaging throughout the year has been further extended by Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro). The materials, which include advertisement templates, animated banners and press materials, are available permanently via the media library on the Alupro website. Alupro explained that the resources can be used to support seasonal campaigns reminding residents to recycle their Valentine’s Day chocolate and Easter egg wrappers, summer picnic packaging and Christmas party food. For the summer months new resources have been added linking recycling to major national and international events including the Euro 2016 football tournament and later in the summer, the...
Zesa to upgrade technology to curb theft and replace copper cables with aluminium cables
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,...
Australian furniture brand VUUE launches Mornington collection made from aluminium
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....
Scrapping policy to boost metal recycling in India
Ready with a new scrapping policy that will provide incentives for surrendering old polluting vehicles, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said it will boost the automobile industry turnover over four-times to INR 20 lakh crore in the next five years. More so, the policy will also sow the seeds for a much-awaited, structured metal recycling industry in India, which will hopefully improve the metal recycling rate in this fast emerging economy. The draft of the much-awaited policy is ready and would be put in public domain within a week to seek views of the stakeholders and general public, the Road Transport and Highways Minister said. "We will put the vehicle scrapping policy on website within a week to seek suggestions and based on that we will seek Finance Ministry's approval. Once...
Vedanta to produce 1.5 mt aluminium in FY17
London-listed Vedanta Resources has firmed up plans to hike production of both aluminium and alumina in the country during the current fiscal. While the overall aluminium output from its smelters at Jharsuguda and Balco's smelting unit at Korba is expected to move up 60 per cent, production at Lanjigarh refinery would be ramped up from one million tonne (mt) to 1.5 mt, an increase of 50 per cent. The company's aluminium production this fiscal is pegged at 1.5 mt, up from 0.93 mt in 2015-16. "The combined aluminium production in this fiscal from our smelters at Jharsuguda and Korba would be 1.5 mt. While Jharsuguda would contribute 0.9-1 mt, the rest of the production would come from Korba. We have already initiated capacity ramp up of our Balco smelter at Korba and the second aluminium...
Demand-supply metrics boost aluminium
The price of aluminium has stabilised since the beginning of 2016. At $1,545 per tonne, the price now is around 3 per cent higher compared to end-December. The increase in price can be attributed to a drop in global aluminium supply from 4.78 million tonnes (mt) towards the end of December 2015 to 4.19 mt in end-February 2016. Nearly 78 per cent of this drop came on the back of reduced supply from China, from 2.53 mt at the end of December 2015 to 2.07 mt at the end of February 2016. According to China’s non-ferrous metals industry association, since December 2015, close to 4.27 mt of smelting capacity has been closed. Last year, global uncertainties and doubts over China’s investment-led growth saw aluminium prices tumble. Aluminium dropped more than 23 per cent, from $1,960 per tonne in...
20th ARABAL event to be held in Dubai in 2016
As part of its commitment to help shape the future of the global aluminium sector, Emirates Global Aluminium ("EGA") will host the 20th Arab International Aluminium Conference ("ARABAL") at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, UAE, from 22 to 24 November 2016. EGA, through its core operating assets Dubai Aluminium ("DUBAL", also known as Jebel Ali Operations) and Emirates Aluminium ("EMAL", also known as Al Taweelah Operations), has been involved in ARABAL since its inauguration in 1983; and 2016 marks the sixth time that EGA will host the event. More than 2,000 local, regional and international delegates, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors and visitors are expected to attend the Middle East's premium aluminium industry gathering. Combining a strategic conference with an international exhibition,...
