AL Circle Analysis: Aluminium’s recycling economics, trade walls and carbon rules converge
The story of the aluminium industry is starting a chapter wherein scrap availability, recycling technology, trade policy, carbon costs and demand growth are becoming increasingly interconnected. From the US and Canada to Europe, India, New Zealand and China, recent developments show that the global aluminium supply chain is being reshaped on several fronts at once. These developments point to a changing aluminium business model: access to metal alone may no longer be enough. Quality of recycled feedstock, domestic processing capacity, carbon intensity, trade exposure and the ability to meet increasingly specific customer requirements could become equally important competitive factors. Join the fourth edition of the webinar “Hedging for recyclers - Become an expert in 6 hours” by Jorge...
Europe holds 10% of global aluminium extrusion demand, supported by Germany’s Constellium, France’s Hydro Extrusions & Italy’s Metra
Across Europe, aluminium extrusion has become closely woven into some of the region’s biggest industrial and construction markets. From automotive and transport to buildings and industrial applications, extruded profiles are finding demand across a wide range of sectors. This is reflected in Europe’s position in the global market: the region accounted for 12 per cent of global aluminium extrusion capacity, making it the second-largest regional contributor after China. At the same time, Europe represented 10 per cent of global aluminium extrusion usage, out of total global usage of 35.35 million tonnes . With production capacity and usage shares relatively close, Europe’s extrusion capacity and consumption are broadly at par. If we break down Europe’s 10 per cent share of global aluminium...
Grow with
AL Circle
Aluminium architectural solution manufacturer announces product expansion
AB Glass, one the UK’s leading architectural aluminium manufactures and installers, has launched a new range of bespoke, aluminium folding doors for homes, which are all made from sustainable materials. Smart Bi-folds by AB Glass will feature high specification aluminium lifestyle designer products including: aluminium bi-folding doors, sliding doors, entrance doors, roof lights and windows. This type of door has grown in popularity in recent years as more architects and homeowners opt for designs that offer a more seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. Alan Brayley, managing director of AB Glass, said: “Aluminium is the alpha material for modern day living and products are highly resistant to corrosion with a life span measured in decades rather than years. The natural...
Sapa Profiles provides design consultation and fabrication for DawesGuard safety system
Dawes Highway Safety Ltd recently turned to Sapa Profiles UK for support with the design, extrusion and fabrication of profiles for its DawesGuard DropDown Technology safety system. Sapa Profiles provided initial design consultation and aided Dawes with fabrication processes including machining and anodising, as well as quality control for the extrusions. James Dawes, founder and managing director, Dawes, said: “I was impressed by the service we received from Sapa from the start." “Our products were delivered ahead of schedule and have passed quality control with flying colours. As a company we are satisfied that our tooling investment is in safe hands and we have gained an invaluable ‘production partner’ for our component supply chain.” DawesGuard DropDown Technology is a fully...
Bell Bay Aluminium prepares to cut more power use as Tasmanian energy crisis drags on
Tasmania's biggest electricity user, Bell Bay Aluminium, is preparing for more power rationing, if the state's energy crisis worsens. Bell Bay Aluminium has already cut production by 10 per cent for five months to save electricity as the state grapples with record low Hydro Tasmania dams and the extended outage of Basslink's undersea power cable to Victoria. A Labor and Greens dominated Senate committee examining the energy crisis is holding its first hearings in Hobart. Bell Bay's general manager Ray Mostogl told the inquiry the company was preparing for further power rationing at its smelter if the crisis drags on. "We've made contingency plans on site to work out if we have to shed more load how would we do it," he said. "They're more longer type decisions, so we've been busy doing...
Chalco raises aluminium prices in major markets this week
China Aluminum International Trading Co. (Chalco Trading) hiked aluminium prices in major markets in the week ending April 15, it said on its WeChat. For details, please see the table below: Chalco Trading is the wholly-owned subsidiary under Chalco responsible for alumina and aluminium sales.
Alcoa strikes power deal to keep Intalco aluminium plant open
Alcoa has agreed to a new power deal for its 279 000 t/y Intalco aluminium smelter in Washington state, according to a statement from its power supplier, staving off the closure of one of the last remaining US aluminium plants. Both sides struck a deal starting on July 1 that would keep 2.5 potlines open at the plant, according to a posting on the Bonneville Power Authority (BPA) website. The plant was slated to close by the end of June. Alcoa shuttered its 269 000 t/y Warrick smelter at the end of March, bringing US aluminium output to its lowest in more than 65 years as the industry struggles with low metal prices amid rising tensions with China. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the BPA is seeking comment on the agreement by April 22.
Apple eyeing Indian mobile market with iPhone SE designed with bead-blasted aluminium
Apple has always been held in high esteem globally for being a premiere mobile handset maker excelling in design and technology. But due to its high price-points, the brand has never been able to penetrate much deep into the markets like India, as the majority of the consumers here belongs to the middle income group. This year, Apple has positioned itself across the Indian market by unlocking aluminium-body iPhone SE at a price of affordable place and installment scheme. According to a report of TECH 2, the gadget giant aims to disrupt the Indian market by convincing the Indian corporate to use the newly launched product. iPhone SE is beautifully designed with the same bead-blasted aluminium which has already been used on 5s. The smart touch of aluminium gives it a divergent look that...
Hindalco in talks to refinance Novelis' $5.3-bln loans
Aditya Birla Group firm Hindalco has initiated talks with banks to refinance loans worth $5.3 billion taken by its subsidiary Novelis. According to bankers, the loans are being refinanced with longer-term loans and at lower costs to cut the finance costs of the company and increase its repayment schedule. Hindalco had acquired Novelis in 2007 in an all-cash deal at an enterprise valuation of $6 billion. But, the commodity cycle turned against the company as low demand and high finance costs ate into its profits. Bankers said one of Novelis loans worth $3.5 billion is due early next year and the company has initiated talks to refinance this loan and the interest rates would be close to 25 basis points than the previous loan, said a banker. This will be one of the largest refinancing of...
TALEX site visit for AluSolutions visitors
Registered visitors to AluSolutions 2016 will be given the opportunity to visit the new Taweelah Aluminium Extrusion Company LLC (TALEX). TALEX is the first aluminium downstream project to be established in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD). The plant was set up to produce extruded aluminium and aluminium extrusion based-products for regional and international markets. The total expected investment is approximately US$ 240 million, with an estimated capacity of 50,000 Tonnes Per Annum of aluminium profiles and 45,000 Tonnes Per Annum of aluminium billets. The visit is being run by TALEX and will involve a networking lunch and tour of the facilities.
Aluminium hits 4-week peak as China trade data brightens demand outlook
Non-ferrous metals including aluminium, zinc, and copper gained on Wednesday, April 13, after Chinese trade data brightened the outlook for demand in the world's biggest metals consumer, prompting some investors to shift back to commodities. Price gains in aluminium and industrial metals had a snowball effect as they pushed through key levels, sparking more buying by speculators based on technical signals, traders said. The initial catalyst was data showing that China's exports in March returned to growth for the first time in nine months, adding to further signs of stabilisation in the world's second-largest economy that cheered regional investors. "The trade numbers are very, very strong. On the ground, the fundamentals appear to be consolidating. On the demand side, the property market...
Nine mines in Odisha including bauxite mines to be auctioned by year end
By December this year, nine mines, including iron ore, limestone and bauxite mines will be auctioned in Odisha, the state steel and mines minister Prafulla Mallik has said. For this necessary steps are being undertaken for the mines to be moved from G-3 to G-2, while GPS survey is also on he said on Tuesday in the secretariat. The minister has said that out of the 14 mines in Odisha most of them are in G-3 status, i.e at general exploration stage. The work is being done by the geology department, Geological Survey of India and mineral exploration corporation limited (MECL). Only the Kottameta limestone in Malkangiri district is in the G2 stage with its Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) survey will be over by May. The other mines in the Sundargarh, Koraput, Keojhar, Bargarh...
Australian Bauxite secures 5,000 tonnes non-met supply deal
Australian Bauxite Ltd announced that it has completed the first sale of 5,000 tonnes non-metallurgical grade bauxite from its Bald Hill mine operations in Tasmania to an unknown buyer for use in the cement and fertiliser markets. The sale is significant, not only because it is rare to hear of deals in the cement-grade market, but because the company cited a higher price for non-met supply. The move on the part of Australian Bauxite indicates at the company's growing focus towards the cement and fertiliser markets. Non-met bauxite applications cover about 10 per cent of Australia’s bauxite output.
NASA begins testing its new propulsion system comprising charged aluminium wires
NASA has begun testing components of a new propulsion system that could see spacecraft ride the solar wind into interstellar space. The system, called the Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System, would consist of 10 to 20 electrically charged, bare aluminium wires radiating from the centre of a spacecraft to form a circular “E-Sail”. The wires would electrostatically repel the fast-moving protons of the solar wind, with the momentum produced creating the spacecraft’s thrust. “The Sun releases protons and electrons into the solar wind at very high speeds – 400 to 750 kilometres per second,” said Bruce Wiegmann, leading engineer on the project. “The E-Sail would use these protons to propel the spacecraft.” Each tether would be just one millimetre thick but about 20 kilometres long....
Audi banks on aluminium for its one-off 6.4m, six-door A8 limo
Audi has built an extended, custom-made version of the A8 L for an European customer. With a length of 6.36 meters and a wheelbase of 4.22 meters, the A8 L extended offers a total of six seats and six doors. Less than a year’s time has been invested in development and construction of the unusually long luxury sedan, while the safety and rigidity of the XXL-body, as well as the design of the silhouette mirrors that of the production model. Audi has already bagged more requests for such a custom-made limousine. The Audi A8 L extended features the lightweight body of the production model, which is almost completely made of aluminium. Audi engineers extended the side skirts and the transmission tunnel by extruded aluminium profiles. A double rear wall separates the passenger compartment from...
Ford's aluminium-body F-150 Super Cab tested safest pickup truck by industry research group
Ford Motor Co’s F-150 Super Cab pickup truck was the only 2016 model large pickup truck to receive a “top safety pick” after new tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the agency said today. Two pickups built by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles — the Ram 1500 Quad Cab and the Ram 1500 Crew Cab — received marginal overall ratings for their performance in a test designed to simulate what happens when a vehicle strikes a tree or another vehicle with just the driver’s side fender. One model made by General Motors Co and one made by Toyota Motor Corp also received marginal ratings in the latest round of tests, the IIHS said. The IIHS is a research arm of the insurance industry, and its crash tests are increasingly influential in guiding vehicle safety design. Automakers strive...
Aluminium made pharma blister solutions celebrated for resource efficiency
The European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) is honoring achievements in pharmaceutical blister packaging in its annual Alufoil Trophy Awards in the category of Resource Efficiency. According to EAFA, the program is open to products either made from aluminium foil or containing aluminium foil as part of a laminate, structure, or packaging system, as well as aluminium closures. Amcor Flexibles was honored for its Formpack Ultra cold form blister for pharmaceutical products. According to the company, the material can be elongated more than standard cold form solutions, resulting in cavities that can be drawn deeper and with sharper wall angles than ever before. The resulting package can be either a smaller blister card or one featuring more cavities without an increase in blister card...
Sapa opens corrosion test center in Florida for customers using aluminium tubing
Sapa has opened a corrosion test center in Florida to service customers using aluminium tubing in automotive and industrial heat transfer applications, and in residential air conditioning systems. Sapa has installed new automated corrosion cabinets in the technology center at its aluminium precision tubing plant in Rockledge to enable customers to carry out Sea Water Acetic Acid Testing (SWAAT, or ASTM G85-A3) and other common standardized tests. SWAAT has long been used by the automotive market as a helpful tool for product validation comparisons of design changes. The heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) industry has now followed suit and also adopted SWAAT for aluminium heat exchangers. Further, Sapa’s experts are leading new research within the American...
China's semi-finished aluminium production reached 8.04 mt during Jan-Feb 2016
China's production of ten nonferrous metals including aluminium in the first two months of 2016 fell 4.3 per cent from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday, in a delayed data release. Total output stood at 7.612 million tonnes. The production reversed a 5.8 per cent rise for the full year of 2015, the data showed. Other non-ferrous metals which experienced a production drop during the period under review are copper, zinc, lead, nickel, tin, antimony, titanium, magnesium and mercury. The data did not include the breakdown of each metal Production of semi-finished aluminium products, however, such as profiles and plates was 8.04 million tonnes in the first two months, up 12.7 per cent from a year earlier.
Alcoa’s aluminium demand revision a worry for Indian producers
Aluminium prices rose for a while in the March quarter but gave up most of those gains towards the end of the quarter. Here comes more gloomy news. Aluminium producer Alcoa Inc. said global demand for aluminium will grow by 5 per cent this year, instead of the 6 per cent it had forecast in January. The main culprit is China—accounting for 52 per cent of global aluminium consumption—whose demand is set to grow by 6.5 per cent compared with the 8 per cent earlier. Ex-China demand too is expected to grow by 3 per cent compared with 4 per cent earlier. These estimates may change in future but the direction indicates lower growth. The aerospace and the heavy-duty truck/trailer segment (in the US) are the main sectors where demand is lower. If companies cut supply too, then the balance can be...
