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
Alcoa shuts Warrick aluminium smelter after 56 years of operation
Aluminium major, Alcoa has permanently closed its aluminium smelter at Warrick County, along the Ohio river in Indiana. The company had earlier announced that it would close the smelter operations by end-March this year. The company was forced to shut operations at the 56 year old smelter due to drastic drop in aluminium prices, which made it financially unviable for them to run the smelter operations. According to the company, almost 325 out of the 600 people who worked at the smelter would be laid off. The remaining 275 employees have either expressed their willingness to accept severance or retirement packages or have already found new jobs. Meantime, operations will continue uninterrupted at the plant’s rolling mill and power plant which employs nearly 1,200 people. Alexander Alford,...
China Shandong gets tough on aluminium capacity elimination
Shandong, among China’s top three aluminium producing provinces, will get tougher on weeding out excess aluminium capacity this year, reveals latest industry reports. “New aluminium projects shall not be approved unless being swapped with aluminium elimination projects of larger scale. Aluminium projects under construction that violate regulations shall be properly handled, while existing aluminium projects that violate regulations shall be ordered to shut down for correction,” Qian Huantao, director of Shandong Economic & Information Commission, was quoted as saying in an interview. The provincial government will make plans for elimination of outdated aluminium capacity. Those companies that fail to meet entrance requirement shall be subject to differential and punitive power tariffs, as...
Sapa: Automating production to stay ahead in Europe
Sapa has signed an agreement with the international flooring solutions company BerryAlloc for the delivery of aluminium skirtings for BerryAlloc’s wet room panels and laminated floor products. Sapa will deliver 37.5 million skirtings from its extrusion plant in Magnor, Norway. “I find it exciting that automation and the smart use of technology can make it profitable to move production closer to our customers and business operations,” says general manager John Vonli of BerryAlloc Norway. “We developed the new aluminium locking systems here in Norway. The new machines at Alloc and Sapa have been developed and built by Tronrud in Hønefoss. This is a good example of modern Norwegian industrial cooperation. “We chose Sapa as the supplier and manufacturer of the aluminium parts for our flooring...
Next Renault Clio to go hybrid, aluminium used in body to save weight
The next-generation Renault Clio could feature hybrid technology drawn from the new Euro-market Scenic MPV – but it won’t be a plug-in, according to a UK report. The body of the car employs a mix of high-strength steel, aluminium, magnesium and thermoplastics to save weight. The current fourth-generation Clio, which debuted in 2012, is only available with turbocharged petrol engines in Australia, while European markets also get turbo-diesel options. A recent report says the next Clio is likely to feature a mild hybrid system, similar to that featured in the recently revealed Scenic MPV. In addition to hybrid tech, the next Clio could utilise a suite of specialised aerodynamic features as seen with the futuristic 2015 Renault EOLAB concept, which had a claimed fuel use of 1.0L/100km. The...
International Space Station: A unique assemblage of aluminium and other metals, writes David Nixon
The International Space Station, located 250 miles above the earth, is an assemblage of aluminium, titanium, steel and Kevlar components, worth USD 160 billion. David Nixon, a British architect with special interest in space architecture, in his book has described it as a masterpiece of architecture and engineering which can be placed at par with the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge. Outside the constraints of earthbound gravity, structure of the space station follows different rules, Nixon writes. It has a different concept of “up” and “down”, and has the convincing quality of most objects designed to meet extreme functional imperatives. Aluminium, by virtue of being lightweight and non-corrosive, finds use in a number of applications across industries. Presently, it is being used...
Aluminium demand in North America down by 5.3% in Jan 2016
According to the preliminary estimates of Aluminum Association, aluminium demand in the United States and Canada (shipments by domestic producers plus imports) totalled an estimated 2,037 million pounds in January 2016, down 5.3 per cent from a year ago. Demand for semi-fabricated (mill) products totalled 1,458 million pounds, down 3.9 per cent. Apparent consumption (demand less exports) in domestic markets totalled an estimated 1,797 million pounds, decreasing 7.4 per cent. The estimated aluminium demand in the U.S. and Canada in 2015 totalled 25,739 million pounds, up eight-tenths of one per cent over 2014.
North American Aluminium scrap prices declined on Index 25th March, 2016
The North American Aluminium scrap prices declined on ScrapMonster Price Index as on March 25th, Friday. 1100 Scrap prices declined by $0.01 per Lb. The prices of 3003 Scrap too fell $0.01 per Lb. A down move of $0.01 per Lb was witnessed in 356 Aluminium Wheels, 6063 Extrusions and 6063 Extrusions/Fe. Meantime, 5052 Scrap and 6061 Extrusions prices fell by $0.01 per Lb. The prices of Al/Cu Radiators held steady from the previous day. Al/Cu Radiators/Fe and Aluminium Radiators/Fe prices remained unchanged. The price of Aluminium Radiators declined by $0.01 per Lb. Aluminium Transformer prices held steady over the previous day on March 25th. Breakage 50 per cent Recovery prices dropped by $0.01 per Lb. Chrome Wheels and Litho Sheets too witnessed decline of $0.01 per Lb each. E.C Aluminium...
Jeff Henderson elected president of the Aluminum Extruders Council
The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) has elected Jeff Henderson to be its next president effective April 1, 2016. Henderson succeeds Rand Baldwin, who announced his retirement to AEC’s Board of Directors during the Management Conference last September. Baldwin has been the Council’s President since 2000 and has seen the Council through both challenging and exciting times. AEC Chairman Martin Bidwell said, “We are excited to have Jeff lead our Council. He has been a part of the leadership team both as a board member during his time with Sapa, and in the last two years as staff. We expect the tenets of our strategic plan to carry forward as our industry continues to grow.” “I couldn’t be more honored and enthusiastic about the opportunity to lead our industry as we move forward with our...
MCX Aluminium up by 0.1% on rising demand
Aluminium prices were up by 0.10 per cent to INR 98.85 per kg in futures trade as traders enlarged positions, driven by pick up in demand at the spot market amid firm Asian cues. At the Multi Commodity Exchange, aluminium for delivery in March moved up by 10 paise, or 0.10 per cent, to INR 98.85 per kg, in a business turnover of 56 lots. Likewise, the metal for delivery in April edged up by five paise, or 0.05 per cent, to INR 100.10 per kg in 16 lots. Analysts said increasing of positions by participants due to pick up in demand from consuming industries at domestic spot markets and a firm trend in Asian trade mainly led to the rise in aluminium prices at futures trade. At Shanghai Futures Exchange, aluminum gained 1.1 per cent to trade at six month highs of 11,870 yuan ($1,818) a tonne...
Where is peak for China aluminium inventory in H1 2016?
Aluminium stocks in China’s five major markets grew steadily after the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, and reached 928,000 tonnes as of March 15. Could this figure mark the peak for first half of this year? The answer is yes, says SMM aluminium analyst Liu Xiaolei. In fact, the turning point has already emerged, with stocks down to 913,000 tonnes as of March 17, and stocks have been falling ever since. Higher costs from rising alumina and coal prices will deter massive capacity restarts. And tight bank lending will also curtail release of new capacity, Liu explained. In conclusion, SMM sees capacity restarts and new capacity release not enough to fill in supply gap from previous production cuts.
About 43% of Chinese aluminium smelters see aluminium prices rise this week
About 43 per cent of the 42 Chinese aluminium smelters surveyed by SMM expect aluminium prices to rise this week. Those optimists see SHFE 1605 aluminium rising above RMB 11,800/mt and LME aluminium advancing above USD 1,500/mt, citing positive factors. First, many Chinese aluminium smelters have no plans to restart idled capacity or put new capacity online, so supply will remain tight for the foreseeable future. Second, aluminium stocks in China’s five major markets kept falling, allowing spot discounts to narrow to less than RMB 50/mt. Third, downstream consumption recovered and operating rates at processors are better than the same period last year. Fourth, technical side is positive for SHFE aluminium . Another 52 per cent see SHFE 1605 aluminium stabilizing at RMB 11,600-11,750/mt...
NALCO signs allotment agreement for coal blocks in Odisha
National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) had been allotted Utkal-D & E coal blocks, near the company's Captive Power Plant in Angul district of Odisha. The allotment agreement for these blocks having a reserve of more than 200 million tonnes of coal was signed between the Centre and NALCO in New Delhi on Tuesday, last week. Terming it as a Holi gift, NALCO CMD T K Chand thanked the Union Government and congratulated all the employees as well as the stakeholders. "The company's smooth operation and expansion plans hinged on the allocation of these blocks. With this, NALCO s captive resources have been enriched, which will see the company through the next three decades and more," said Chand. Vivek Bharadwaj, Nominated Authority, on behalf of Government of India and D Manjit, GM (Coal...
China alumina output to rebound in march, SMM expects
China’s alumina output will rebound slightly in March after consecutive months of declines as rising prices will spark capacity restarts, SMM understands. China’s alumina output was 4.25 million tonnes in February, down 7.41 per cent from January and 0.3 per cent from a year ago, SMM survey found. Tightening supply from output cuts allowed weighted average price of the raw material used in aluminum smelting to rise to 1,875 yuan per tonne in China’s four major markets in the first half of March, a gain of nearly 11 per cent from February’s average price.
Bauxite price recovering slowly amid tight global supply and rising demand from China
The tightening of global supply of bauxite and a rise in demand from Chinese alumina refineries are helping drive the price of bauxite back up. In May 2014, it was at a high of $US78.30 ($104) per tonne before heading for a steady decline; and now direct-shipped, high quality baxuite is worth around $US50 a tonne in China. The Chinese alumina refineries are already starting to feel the effects of supply crunch, which started when Indonesia banned its bauxite exports in early 2014. That ban was part of a push by the then-relatively new government to create more jobs by banning exports of raw metal commodities such as bauxite, while allowing highly-taxed exports of other metals like copper and zinc concentrates. It was hoped that would stimulate a much larger local refining sector, but the...
New SOP on bauxite mining sent to Malaysian federal govt.
<p>The proposed improved standard operating procedure on bauxite mining has been completed and sent to the federal government, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, in Kuantan, Malaysia.<br /><br /> He said the SOP, which was produced with the cooperation of all relevant agencies in the state, was submitted to the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.<br /><br /> "We have sent our recommendations. I urge all quarters to be patient," he said in a media briefing after opening a 2016 Malaysian Rubber Board awareness programme yesterday.<br /><br /> Adnan said the recommendations included the setting up of new gathering centres and identifying routes to contain pollution.<br /><br /> The federal government had imposed a three-month moratorium on bauxite mining in Pahang from...
Global aluminium blister packaging market to grow at 6.80% over 2015-19
According to a recently published market research report, the global aluminium blister packaging market is all set to grow at a CAGR of 6.80 per cent over the period 2015-2019. A blister pack is made up of aluminium foil (or plastic) with a cavity or pocket made from thermoformed plastic. It helps protect products from contamination and external conditions such as humidity. Blister packs are manufactured primarily through two processes: thermoforming and cold forming. According to the report, demand for interactive and user-friendly packs is rising because of the rise in the number of retail outlets worldwide. Blister packs not only safeguard products against harmful gases, ultraviolet rays, humidity, and mechanical hazards, but also provide brand recognition and a user-friendly interface...
Pakistani car assemblers likely to increase prices of variants following duty hike on aluminium alloy
Car assemblers in Pakistan are likely to further increase prices of their different variants aimed at passing on the financial impact of recent increase of 15 percent in Regulatory Duty (RD) on iron and steel products and 10 percent on aluminium alloy, according to well informed industry sources. Indus Motors which assembles Toyota cars recently increased the price of cars and would raise them further by passing on the impact of RD to the consumers. The two other players: Suzuki and Honda are also expected to increase prices. All the parts and sheets are either made up of imported steel or aluminium which are primary raw materials and any impact on their prices will be passed on to the consumers. The impact of increase in imported steel and aluminium on vender industry will also...
China Zhongwang 2015 net profit rises 13.2% to RMB2.8 bln
China Zhongwang Holdings Limited, the world's leading aluminium fabricated product developer and manufacturer, announced its audited annual results for the year ended 31 December 2015. During the year under review, the economic growth of China and the global markets continued to slow down. The Group gradually adjusted its production capacity and optimized the product mix by further increasing investments in technology as well as research and development (“R&D”), thereby improving its profitability and achieved total revenue of approximately RMB16.17 billion, representing a slight increase when compared with that of 2014. As the revenue contribution from high-end products increased, the overall gross margin increased by 4.9 percentage points to 32.9 per cent year-on-year. Profit...
