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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Metallica Minerals hopeful about starting bauxite production by H1 2017
Metallica Minerals is looking forward to starting bauxite production by the first half of 2017. Metallica CEO, Simon Siesarewich said in a recent interview that the company is likely to have the approvals in place over the wet season 2016/17. Since that is not the right time up around Weipa to be producing a new mine, so they'll wait untill rain stops and then go into production. Metallica is an ASX listed resource company with a market cap of about $7 million or $8 million. Presently, they are focused on their direct shipping bauxite project called Urquhart Point, which is up near Weipa in northern Queensland. The benefit that Urquhart bauxite has is it does not require any infrastructure, Simon pointed out. So therefore, the construction timeframe for this project is likely to be a...
Consent given for bauxite mining in Wainunu, Bua
A landowning unit in Wainunu, Bua on Vanua Levu has given consent for bauxite mining in the district. Although the district meeting held at Daria Village this week did not identify the mataqali, Tui Wainunu Ratu Orisi Baleitavea confirmed that a landowning unit had given its approval. In an interview with this newspaper, Ratu Orisi said the district development board had worked closely with the company to ensure landowners were well informed about bauxite mining issues. "This is very important and we have had one landowning unit approve of mining in the district and the rest will follow suit," he said. "We have considered employment opportunities and a boost to income for our people so after awareness programs in villages and the visitation by chiefs, the landowners are coming forward....
Queensland Alumina eager to explore possibilities of red mud dam project
Red mud, a byproduct of alumina refining from bauxite (the principal ore of aluminium) could be the key to creating a new industry in Gladstone that would lead to thousands of new jobs. Extracting iron ore from the waste product of aluminium to make steel is the latest idea from the group behind the long awaited Gladstone Steel Project. But the proposal depends on whether Rio Tinto, owners of Gladstone aluminium producers, agrees to be the guinea pig for ground-breaking technology developed in Germany. So far the directors of Gladstone Steel are yet to approach Queensland Alumina Limited. But QAL's community relations manager Jeremy Hastings says the company is willing to explore the possibilities. The red mud represents a significant environmental burden for the aluminium industry; and...
Govt of India to set up online portal for monitoring mine clearances
Centre and states will create a platform to monitor the status of clearances and approvals of auctioned mines bearing minerals such as bauxite, gold, iron ore and limestone. At the first meeting of the inter-ministerial group (IMG) held earlier this month, it was decided that a software should be installed for such online monitoring to expedite post-auction clearances, a senior official said. "This platform (software) will monitor key activities involved in the clearance and approval process. Besides, the states and departments concerned will update the processing status on the online portal for monitoring and expediting post-auction mining," he added. According to the minutes of the meeting of Post-Auction Mining Clearances and Approvals Facilitator (PAMCAF), the preferred bidder will...
UAE based aluminium cable manufacturer chosen by Korean nuclear power plant builder
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...
Demand for Alufoil in Europe picks up, exports still under pressure
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...
Automotive alloy market to be worth $177.47 bln by 2021
The global alloy market for automotives is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.69 per cent from 2016 to 2021, to reach a market size of USD 177.47 billion by 2021, according to a recently published market research report. The report segmented the alloy market for automotives by the alloy type (steel, aluminium, magnesium, and others), area of application (structural, powertrain, exterior and others), vehicle type (passenger car, LCV and HCV), and by region. The major growth factors identified in the report are growing vehicle production, increasingly stringent regulations governing fuel efficiency and emissions, and the rising weight of the vehicles. Adoption of lightweight aluminium alloys has increased in the LCV segment In 2015, the use of aluminium alloy has increased in automotive...
Powertrain work-holding fixtures delivered to Amtek Group
Hyfore Engineering has recently completed the delivery of the latest phase of work-holding fixtures to the Amtek Group. Throughout the past year, the Coventry-based engineering company has delivered 54 bespoke fixtures into the Amtek Group, which operates a major aluminium die casting foundry in Witham. Amtek also operates a machine shop and casts components in the range of 400 to 2700t. The company works closely with its fellow Group member Coventry based King Automotive Systems which is predominantly dedicated to machining and for which Hyfore is also a major work-holding and fixturing supplier. Amtek’s Witham facility produces mostly powertrain engine and transmission components offering customers a fully integrated die casting and machining facility with components delivered in...
International Aluminium Institute appoints new chairman
Hilde Merete Aasheim, executive vice president of the primary metal business for Hydro, headquartered in Norway, has been appointed chairman of the London-based International Aluminium Institute (IAI) at the 89th meeting of its board of directors in Shanghai. Aasheim takes over from Abdulla Kalban, chief executive officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, who stands down at the end of his two-year tenure. “It is a great honour for me to have been elected by my peers to chair the institute at this time of unprecedented change in the aluminium industry,” Aasheim says. “I look forward to building on Abdulla’s achievements over the last two years to advance further the role our modern metal plays in improving people’s quality of life through its innovative applications and unique properties.”...
Bell Bay Aluminium heading back to peak production
Bell Bay Aluminium announced resumption of operations within four to five weeks. The general manager of the company says they are thrilled to be heading back to full production after months of power rationing. The prolonged Basslink outage and record low rainfall caused major industrial energy users of Tasmania to agree to cut back energy use to help keep the region's lights on. BBA general manager Ray Mostogl said recent higher-than-expected rainfall had provided the trigger for an early return to full production. “The rainfall has been what we’ve all been hoping for. We’re delighted to be ramping up about a month earlier than we first planned,” he said. Bell Bay Aluminium operates a smelter near George Town, 45 kilometres away from Launceston. The smelter has a production volume of...
Where will aluminium prices head after two weeks of fall? SMM reports
Aluminium stocks in China’s five major markets plunged 39 per cent from this year’s peak to 570,000 tonnes as of May 13. Aluminium prices, however, got no boost and lost nearly 5 per cent in just two weeks. What was behind the unexpected price decline? Will the light metal search for even lower floor? Aluminium stocks in China’s five major markets dropped just 20,000 tonnes in the first week of May, much slower than previous weeks. This left market worried that a turning point in aluminium inventories might be in sight, thus dragging aluminium prices down. In addition, ferrous metals prices in domestic futures market took a heavy battering after Chinese regulators introduced measures to cool fever. Pessimistic remarks that Chinese economy will struggle in the “L” shape for a long time,...
Strong US dollar to weigh on LME aluminium
The US dollar index rose above 95 as minutes of the US Fed’s April meeting strengthened expectations for rate hike in June. This will drag LME aluminium down to USD 1,535-15,55/mt on Thursday. SHFE 1607 aluminium will move at RMB 12,200-12,420/mt. In China’s spot aluminium market, spot premiums of RMB 10-50/mt are expected over SHFE 1606 aluminium contract. Key macroeconomic indicators for base metal prices Diverging trend should intensify further on base metals market with US dollar gathering rising momentum, supported by hawkish statement from US Fed April rate meeting. Attention is turning to US May Philadelphia Fed's manufacturing index and US initial jobless claims early last week. The hawkish statement from US Fed April rate meeting come as no surprise and the meeting minutes...
Increasing applications of light emitting diodes benefit high purity alumina market
High purity alumina (HPA) is a high-value product that is used as a base material in the fabrication of sapphire substrates. These substrates have applications in scratch-proof artificial sapphire glass, semiconductor wafers, and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Traffic lights, backlights in electronics, LED-backlit LCDs, and general lighting products are some of the major applications of LEDs, which indirectly propel the high purity alumina market. Other applications of high purity alumina lie as a phosphor material in plasma displays and as an essential constituent in protective coatings. The price and performance of HPA are dependent on product density, degree of purity, and particle size distribution. The global HPA market was worth US$1.2 billion in 2014. Developing at a moderate CAGR...
Jiangsu Longzhe Tech offers to invest $125 mln in India's aluminium alloy conductor manufacturer
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...
India's FY16 industrial output growth plunges but aluminium conductor shows high positive growth
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...
Belgrade Polymer Products adds aluminium tooling to their portfolio to serve new markets
Belgrade Polymer Products is celebrating its 40th anniversary in the vacuum-forming and injection-moulding industry with investments in plant and personnel as the firm gears up to expand its production capabilities to serve new markets. The Northamptonshire-based company has invested substantially in its 90,000 sq ft Wellingborough facility, including a new extruder and other improvements to its production process and rapid prototyping facilities. Capable of extruding sheet up to 5mm thick, the new Welex equipment has added greater flexibility to Belgrade’s production capability by creating their ‘raw material’ on site. Key products are supplied as original equipment to a wide range of industries including automotive, aerospace, building products, cosmetics, fenestration, oil and gas,...
The US recovers 3.61 Mt of aluminium from scrap in 2015: USGS recycling statistics
The material flow of recycled metal commodities in the United States has been documented in a series of reports published by the U.S. Geological Survey. USGS’s 2014 Minerals Yearbook for recycling lists the recycling statistics for selected metals in US. In 2014, the United States recycled 64.7 million metric tons (Mt) of selected metals, an amount equivalent to about 50 Percent of the apparent supply of those metals. By gross quantity, the United States exported 19.9 Mt of scrap metals and imported 6.28 Mt of these same metals. United States recycled 3.6 million metric tons (Mt) of aluminium in 2014. By gross quantity, the United States exported 1.7 Mt of aluminium scrap and imported 0.5 Mt of this same metal in 2014. According to USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2016, aluminium...
iRecyle in Pretoria to reward donors of recyclable aluminium cans and bottles
An initiative to encourage people to recycle will launch on June 6 in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa. The project will be launched with the introduction of a recycling machine that rewards donors of recyclable bottles and aluminium cans. Mfundo Mkhize‚ project manager for Emvelo iRecycyle‚ said the first machine for collecting recyclyable aluminium cans and bottles will be unveiled at the Department of Environmental Affairs in Pretoria. Four other machines will be installed at the University of Pretoria‚ Wits University‚ Vaal University of Technology and University of Johannesburg. The machines are about the size of a vending machine and host a portal where an individual creates a personalised ID that needs to be entered when one deposits recyclable bottles or...
