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...
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Malaysia extends bauxite ban
The Malaysian bauxite export ban has been extended by an additional three months to July 15, 2016. The extension was announced Friday, last week, by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar at a press conference. In announcing the ban, Dr Wan Junaidi made reference to an estimated 29kt of bauxite at the port, 1.3 million tonnes outside the port and 2.3 million tonnes “at the mining site”, totalling around 4 million tonnes yet to be exported. The original bauxite export ban came into force on January 15 this year, the three-month moratorium called for a halt to bauxite mining activities to address industry concerns such as pollution, a lack of regulations as well as excessive extraction by operators. According to The Bauxite Index, the ban is...
Global high purity alumina market will reach USD 5.09 bln by 2020
According to a recently published market research report, the global high purity alumina market is projected to reach USD 5.09 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 20.1 per cent between 2015 and 2020. The rising demand of high definition televisions, smart phones, electronic sensors, and LED displays has been identified as one of the most significant factors influencing the growth of the high purity alumina market. The electronics market in China account for more than half of the global electronics market. The demand for electronic items has increased over the years, which has directly led to the increasing demand of high purity alumina in the Asia-Pacific region. LED is the largest application segment in the high purity alumina market. The use of HPA is increasing across other...
Aluminium die casting manufacturer Exco Technologies closes acquisition of AFX Industries
Exco Technologies said Tuesday, April 5, it has completed the acquisition of AFX Industries L.L.C. for US$73 million, excluding US$4 million of assumed debt. The transaction was first announced in February. AFX had revenue of approximately $115 million in 2015. Exco said it expects the acquisition will be highly accretive to its earnings per share. “AFX’s high quality operations are extremely complementary to our automotive interior trim business,” said Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Exco. “AFX also provides us with new capabilities and customer/ supplier relationships that undoubtedly strengthen our opportunity for further growth.” AFX was founded in 1998 and is based in Port Huron, Michigan with manufacturing operations in Mexico. The company supplies interior trim components...
2017 Aston Martin Vantage gets a new bonded and riveted aluminium architecture
Aston Martin will follow its recently unveiled DB11 with a minimum of five all-new models in the next four years. They will span three distinct model lines and form part of a plan to build 7000 cars per year by 2020. The DB11, a GT, was revealed at the recent Geneva motor show and will be on sale in the summer. It will be joined next year by an all-new Vantage sports car heavily inspired by the DB10 created for the James Bond film Spectre and by a replacement for the Vanquish in 2018. Both models will be built on versions of the DB11’s all-new aluminium architecture in Aston’s core sports and GT model line. By the end of the decade, Aston will also have on sale two models with no direct predecessors in new, separate model lines: the DBX crossover and an all-new Lagonda saloon. The model...
Tech start-up Trestor's "Swachh Machine" to dispense drinking water in exchange for used aluminium cans and bottles
Chandigarh-based start-up Trestor is building a machine that can provide clean drinking water to people, especially the urban poor. However, to get 300 ml of water, a person has to put an used plastic bottle or an aluminium beverage can or aerosol can into the machine. Developed in just 95 days by two final year students of IIT-Bombay — Anurag Meena and Satyendra Meena — the machine, built to capitalise on Government of India's Swachh Bharat campaign, is being marketed by Trestor. Trestor was founded by serial entrepreneur Kunal Dixit in the year 2014. Leveraging technology to help create healthy, responsible communities, Trestor has developed this machine to involve people in keeping public places clean and provide them with ready access to clean drinking water. “Through our ‘Swachh...
Meizu m3 Note with 6000 series aluminium unibody launched
Meizu M3 Note has been unveiled in China with 6000 series aluminium unibody and mTouch 2.1 fingerprint scanner starting at CNY 799 and will be available for purchase from April 11. Dubbed as the budget friendly smartphone similar to that of critically acclaimed m1 note and m3 note, the latest release of aluminium unibody-m3 note also packs in a wide range of latest technological innovations widely found in competing smartphones. While the 2GB RAM variant, priced at CNY 799 ($125) is equipped with 16GB internal storage, the 3GB RAM is equipped with 32GB storage space with a price tag of CNY 999 ($155). Both models offer eMMC 5.1 solid state chip storage and come with microSD expansion slots, which also serve as a second SIM card slot. The aluminium uni-body, integrated with Meizu m3 Note...
Alcoa’s Micromill Technology for future cars
The Micromill is Alcoa’s proprietary technology that manufactures the most advanced aluminium sheet on the market, according to Alcoa. Since being introduced in December 2014, Alcoa has achieved some significant breakthroughs, producing more formable aluminium sheet, with greater strength, lighter weight and higher formability. The Micromill process, according to Alcoa, changes the microstructure of the metal, producing an aluminium alloy sheet with unique microstructure that has 40 per cent greater formability and 30 per cent greater strength than the incumbent automotive aluminium sheet produced in rolling mills, all while at the same time meeting stringent automotive surface quality requirements. Moreover, automotive parts made with Micromill made material will be twice as formable and...
TPM outcome to provide NZ Aluminium Smelters with $30 mln p.a. transmission cost relief
The outcome of the transmission pricing methodology (TPM) review was becoming increasingly important to the future of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, Forsyth Barr broker Damian Foster said yesterday. Smelter owner New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS) was undertaking work to determine the level of maintenance capital expenditure it had to undertake. It was expected the company would have to make a decision soon on its deferred maintenance spend. "Committing to capex is a good indication NZAS is likely to stay open for longer. However, it is clear the outcome of the transmission pricing methodology review is becoming increasingly important,'' Mr Foster said. In March, the NZAS contact with Meridian Energy was amended to allow the smelter to defer its decision on contract volumes, which...
Chalco cuts aluminium prices after three consecutive weeks of hike
China Aluminum International Trading Co. (Chalco Trading) cut aluminium prices in major markets this past week after three weeks hike, it said online. The table below shows the aluminium price corrections made by Chalco Trading:
SHFE Aluminium to face technical correction
SHFE 1606 aluminium will face technical correction after falling below the 10-day moving average, and should move at RMB 11,600-11,750/mt on Friday, SMM forecasts. According to SMM, LME aluminium will trade in a range of USD 1,490-1,510/mt, In China’s spot aluminium market, spot discounts of RMB 0-20/mt and spot premiums of RMB 0-20/mt are expected over SHFE 1604 aluminium contract. SHFE Aluminium ended with declines SHFE 1606 aluminium opened at RMB 11,795/mt on Thursday. The most active contract climbed to RMB 11,810/mt on long buying, but then retreated to RMB 11,750/mt as longs took profit at highs. Finally, SHFE 1606 aluminium ended down RMB 50/mt at RMB 11,780/mt. Trading volumes were down 28,244 lots to 121,118 lots, and positions were up 5,270 to 256,784. SHFE 1606 aluminium is...
Metallica finds port solution for Urquhart bauxite project
ASX-listed Metallica Minerals has struck a heads of agreement (HoA) with the operator of the nearby Hey Point bauxite mine to provide logistical services for the Urquhart bauxite project, in Cape York. The agreement would see direct shipping bauxite from the Urquhart mine delivered to export vessels through the approved Hey Point load-out facility, some 15 km away. The HoA included capped contracting rates over the projected life of the project, as well as access to the Hey Point load-out facility for transshipping bauxite. The agreement would form the basis of a full binding service contract and a binding access agreement, which was targeted for August this year. “As a bulk commodity operation, the economics of the Urquhart bauxite project are closely tied to the logistics of delivering...
'Kuantan MP wants moratorium on bauxite mining extended
Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh wants the three-month moratorium on bauxite mining in the state be extended until a more comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) is put into place. Fuziah also urged that existing licences for bauxite mining activities be cancelled and new applications be made compulsory. This way, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) must also be made mandatory as one of the requirements for a successful application, she said. Citing the moratorium, which will end come April 15, Fuziah said Kuantan residents were still unsure of their fates. “The SOP previously mentioned by various quarters, including the Pahang state government, is still hazy – it doesn't include solutions to all aspects of pollution,” she said. Recalling bauxite activities which took place before...
Mozambique Government concerned at lack of market for bauxite
The Mozambican government is concerned at the lack of a market for the bauxite mined in the central province of Manica.Last year, Manica produced 4,985 tonnes of bauxite, a 47 per cent increase on the 3,386 tonnes produced in 2014. But much of this production remains unsold because of the difficulties in finding a market, inside or outside the country. The Manica Provincial Director of Economy and Finance, Virgulino Nhate, speaking at a meeting of the provincial Development Observatory said that the main potential buyer is Zambia - but for reasons that Nhate did not know, Zambian interest in Manica bauxite has declined sharply. “We have a lot of bauxite in the province”, said Nhate. “Zambia used to buy much of this product. But in recent years it has been buying in very small quantities,...
Benetti launches new 45 metre steel and aluminium superyacht Domani
Benetti has launched the new 45 metre custom superyacht Domani this week for an Owner with a passion for cruising the world. The Owner’s fourth Benetti, Domani was built for an expert sailor who loves cruising with his family across the globe. His extensive experience, along with Benetti’s construction expertise, resulted in a superyacht suitable for intensive use. The external design of this four deck steel and aluminium yacht is the result of Benetti’s in-house design team while her interior styling was created by Carlo Galeazzi with considerable input from the owner and builder. The efficient use of space is one of the peculiarities of this below 500GT full displacement yacht, offering a deceptive amount of room for a 45 metre thanks to the use of established Benetti platforms. The sky...
Vivocom’s Neata bags projects totalling RM37.5 million
Vivocom Intl Holdings Bhd’s (Vivocom) subsidiary, Neata Aluminium (M) Sdn Bhd (Neata), was awarded RM37.5 million worth of contracts yesterday, with the latest projects being Third Avenue Cyberjaya for an amount of RM22.5 million, and Kemensah Development for an amount of RM15 million for the supply and installation of aluminium works. This announcement to Bursa Malaysia yesterday is the latest in a series of solid wins for Neata, a subsidiary of Vivocom, a leading conglomerate in the sectors of construction, telecommunications and now manufacturing. “Since the acquisition by Vivocom last year, our business has grown by leaps and bounds, in particular our aluminium manufacturing and installation business. “We have secured almost RM80 million worth of contracts during the past nine months...
Mazda CX-3 hits the road with16-inch aluminium wheels
The recently launched Mazda CX-3, a taller version of the Mazda 2, certainly looks the part with chunkier appearance and immaculate exterior complemented by a simple yet modern interior. What impresses most with Mazda cars is the company’s KODO design language. On the CX-3, the language is expressed externally through short overhangs, powerful lines and striking proportions. The CX-3’s bold face centres on the grille and extends through the chromed signature wings into the headlamps. The rear combination lamps stretch from the body into the liftgate with a shape echoing the headlamps. The Mazda CX-3 features a 16-inch aluminium wheels on the Active and Dynamic models and 18-inch aluminium wheels which feature five sets of double spokes with a machined outer finish that contrasts with the...
Constellium inaugurates its dedicated University Technology Center to develop aluminium alloys and automotive structural components
Constellium N.V. announced today the opening of the Constellium University Technology Center (UTC) at Brunel University London, a dedicated center of excellence for the design, development and prototyping of aluminium alloys and automotive structural components. Featuring industrial size aluminium casting and extrusion equipment in the first phase, the Constellium UTC will provide rapid prototyping capability that is expected to reduce development times by at least 50% for advanced aluminium alloys required for the continued lightweighting of automotive structural components. The newly developed alloy and process technologies are expected to be transferred to Constellium’s extrusion and automotive structures plants worldwide, thereby closing the gap between fundamental R&D and series...
Aluminum Association applauds International Trade Commission on launching investigation on global aluminum industry
The Aluminum Association applauds the International Trade Commission for beginning its investigation into the global aluminum industry and the competitiveness of U.S. producers. The federal trade agency announced yesterday it has officially launched its investigation, “Aluminum: Competitive Conditions Affecting the U.S. Industry”. For U.S. producers, overcapacity, particularly in China, is of paramount concern to the aluminum industry. While the demand for aluminum is growing globally, and is particularly strong in North America, the Aluminum Association is concerned about growing overcapacity in China and questionable trading practices. Aluminum producers in the United States have been hurt by these practices, and have urged the U.S. government to investigate these issues. USITC will...
