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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Noranda plans temporary closure of Gramercy alumina plant in May
Alumina manufacturer Noranda is delaying plans to cut jobs and close its St. James Parish plant after completing an expansion it hopes will spur business. The company warned more than 100 workers could lose their jobs if the efforts fail. Noranda, based in Franklin, Texas, told state officials in January it would close the plant and eliminate 444 jobs in March. Noranda has since completed a "fast track expansion" of the Gramercy plant's capacity to produce non-metallurgical and chemical grade alumina, according to an updated notice the company filed March 9 with Louisiana workforce officials. Noranda said it would temporarily close the Gramercy plant in mid-May if those measures fail to spur business. The closure would result in 113 jobs lost. The Gramercy plant extracts alumina from raw...
Orbite provides update on high purity alumina project
Orbite Technologies Inc. has provided an update on the company's progress and the cost estimate towards plant completion and commissioning. Project Construction and Cost Highlights: • The installation of the air, steam, and process piping and utilities around the calcination system is complete. • A comprehensive review of costs recently incurred indicates that capital costs initially projected must be increased by approximately 9.9M$. This brings the revised total external capital cost budget of the project to 56.2M$ from 46.3M$, as previously contemplated. • In order to limit construction costs and manage its working capital, the company has ended overtime work and may postpone certain activities, which will push back the start of commercial production into Q2 of 2016 instead of Q1 as...
Consultation with villagers to commence over planned bauxite mining operations
Rural administration of the district of Wainunu in Bua, Fiji, is thinking of taking the villagers in their confidence before commencing any developmental work pertaining to bauxite mining in the region. At a district traditional meeting last week in Bua, Chief Tui Wainunu Ratu Orisi Baleitavea said a team would visit the villagers, beginning this week. The team would talk to the villagers about the upcoming bauxite mining plans and how they project would help them ean a better living. Ratu Orisi informed that some government officials were also present at the meeting last week to provide in-depth information about this bauxite project. "Our consultation will involve everything that we want to do in the district as part of our development plan. We are basically taking back to the village...
“Foil based flexible packaging…can have a far greater positive impact on the environment, even with zero recycling...” Stefan Glimm, Chief Executive Director (EAFA)
The European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) is an international body that represents companies engaged in the rolling and rewinding of alufoil and in the manufacture of aluminium closures, alufoil semi-rigid containers and of all kind of flexible packaging. In a mail conversation with AlCircle, Stefan Glimm, Chief Executive Director of the European Aluminium Foil Association, EAFA talks about the best approach to waste prevention and how foil based flexible packaging is leading the way. Excerpt from the interview AlCircle: You talk about ‘Debunking the recycling myth’. Can you explain what you mean? SG: Well, what it does not mean is reducing efforts and initiatives to recycle. EAFA continues to fully support all these activities. But with such a big focus on recycling people are...
Aluminum Landscape bodies from Crysteel offer increased payload, lower maintenance costs
Crysteel Manufacturing's Aluminum Landscape bodies combine the strength and convenience of Crysteel's Landscape Tipper with the lightweight efficiency and durability provided by aluminium construction. Crysteel's Aluminum Landscape bodies offer up to 13 per cent more payload capacity than comparable steel bodies. They also have lower maintenance costs and greater durability, since aluminium doesn't require painting and won't rust, according to the manufacturer. “Our new Aluminum Landscape line is a great choice for contractors in the landscaping, refuse/waste and recycling industries who need a reliable body to take on the toughest jobs,” said Joe Paulsen, general manager of Crysteel Manufacturing. “Crysteel Aluminum Landscape bodies are lightweight and corrosion resistant, so they haul...
Utility vehicle manufacturer Fruehauf chooses Endur aluminium sheet from Alcoa
Utility vehicle manufacturer Fruehauf has designed a new series of tip-trailers, which, for improved strength, durability and weight-saving reasons, are manufactured using Alcoa's Endur-Al aluminium sheet. Endur-Al is 52 percent harder than a standard aluminium alloy of type 5083 H111, and 20 to 30 percent lighter than steel. Sheet made of Endur-Al is used for the floor and side walls of the AgroMax grain transporter, and for the OptiMum and the OptiMax for open construction jobs. Production of this new trailer fleet is commencing now. Endur-Al was developed by Alcoa as material that can withstand extreme weather conditions. Performance characteristics include excellent surface hardness, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and workability. That is why in numerous tests Endur-Al has...
Kulicke & Soffa introduces comprehensive solution for fine aluminium wire bonding
Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc., a global leader in the design and manufacture of semiconductor, LED and electronic assembly equipment, today announced the introduction of a comprehensive solution dedicated for Fine Aluminum (Wedge-to-Wedge) Wire Bonding – with the new launched VitaCap™ Series of Capillaries and IConnPS PLUS™ Ball Bonder. VitaCap™ is made from K&S’ leading ITA™ ceramics material, engineered for high quality Aluminium wedge bond and tail bond formation on any wire direction. Its unique features fit well with IConnPS PLUS™ Ball Bonder’s special wedge-to-wedge feature. Together, they deliver an innovative wire bonding platform for applications that uses fine Aluminium wire diameters (0.6-2.0 mil), supporting the Automotive, RF, Medical, LED and consumer segments. The key...
Felloe launches aluminium rim, hub & spoke production services
Newly launched Felloe is offering an aluminium rim, hub and spoke production services for brands. The U.K. based firm, named after an old English word for part of a wheel, is committed to servicing partners for all components from the axle to the ground. Sales and marketing specialist Ricki Nethercote is one of the founding members of Felloe. He said, “We are dedicated to not creating a wheel brand, so it's safe for all customers to share IP and secure production space for growing their brands and focusing on what matters most to them - competing in the market.” "The UK particularly has a lot of small start up brands. We’re here to serve them as a trusted partner that can guide them through sourcing and production in Taiwan. This is an area underserved in the market.” Nethercote is joined...
Dutch company Prolyte opens new aluminium structures factory in Romania
Dutch group Prolyte has opened a new factory in Romania, in Olt conty. The factory will produce light aluminium structures for public events. The group has invested some EUR 4 million in the factory, for which it got EU funds. Local lender Eximbank has financed the company with over EUR 3.5 million until it gets the EU funds disbursed. The Prolyte factory covers 5,000 sqm and will generate up to 500 jobs. The Dutch group has another factory in Slatina, which also produces light aluminium structures. Some 150 people work at that factory. Prolyte is one of the biggest suppliers of structures for events. Last year, it delivered the stages for the Andre Rieu and Robbie Williams concerts in Bucharest. The group plans to gradually transfer its manufacturing operations from the Netherlands to...
Constellium to record an impairment charge against carrying value of Wise Metals' asset
Constellium N.V. yesterday announced that the company intends to record an impairment charge of approximately €400 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 against the carrying value of the Wise Metals asset. This charge, which has no impact on cash flows, reflects management’s view of the future expected performance at Muscle Shoals in light of the challenges for the can/packaging business as previously disclosed. The execution of the Company’s Body-in-White (BiW) strategy is progressing as planned, and the Company has today separately announced an expansion of its joint venture with UACJ Corporation to provide automotive BiW sheet in the U.S. Constellium does not intend to make any further comments until its Q4 & FY 2015 Earnings call scheduled for March 15, 2016.
AluSolutions to focus on aluminium recycling and waste management
The stage is all set for this year’s AluSolutions. A free-to-attend international exhibition and conference, the event addresses sustainable challenges in aluminium production and processing. The AluSolutions exhibition offers a content-rich environment and international networking opportunity where you can spend time with the primary influencers and decision-makers within the industry. Exhibitors at this year’s AluSolutions will present technology and innovation in the following areas: • Reducing energy and greenhouse gases • Waste management • Biodiversity and land management • Resource efficiency and recycling • Scrap recovery Aluminium’s end-use environmental benefits Current exhibitors include: Gulf Extrusions, Cast Aluminium Industries, ABB, Wagstaff and AlCircle to name a few.
Aluminium hits 3-week low over mixed China data and stronger dollar
A firm dollar and weak Chinese industrial output weighed heavily upon aluminium causing it to hit a three-week low on Monday. Chinese factory output growth during the first two months of the year was the weakest since the global financial crisis, while retail sales rose by the least since May 2015. Fixed asset investment (FAI), however, was higher than expected and there were signs of recovery in the country's property sector. "The China data is a bit confusing because industrial production was a very weak number, but FAI was up," said Wiktor Bielski, head of commodities research at VTB Capital in London. Three-month aluminium on the London Metal Exchange closed 1.2 per cent lower at $1,542.50 a tonne after touching $1,536, the weakest since Febuary 19. China Hongqiao Group Limited, the...
LME aluminium may approach $1,582
LME aluminium may approach a resistance at $1,582 per tonne, as it has found a support at $1,545. The resistance and the support are identified respectively as the 14.6 percent and the 38.2 percent Fibonacci retracements on the rise from the January 12 low of $1,449 to March 7 high of $1,605. The first leg of the drop from the March 7 high of $1,605 has completed. The second leg, driven by a wave b, is extending towards $1,582. The third leg may develop around $1,582.
NALCO to invest $100 mln in renewable energy
Another government-owned aluminium producer in India has announced grand plans to increase investment in the renewable energy sector. Following a government push to increase investment in renewable energy and meet renewable energy procurement targets, the National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has announced plans to invest INR 700 crore (over $100 million) towards development and implementation of renewable energy projects this year. The company already has some renewable energy assets, mostly in the form of wind energy projects, and is now planning to add utility-scale as well as rooftop solar power projects to increase the share of renewable energy in its electricity consumption. NALCO currently has an operational wind energy capacity of 98 MW from wind energy projects in the states...
China Hongqiao starts alumina output in Indonesia, up bauxite from Guinea
China Hongqiao Group Limited, the top primary aluminium producer in the country, is running a trial production at its one million tonnes-a-year alumina plant in Indonesia and will complete building another 1 million tonnes by the end of 2017, its Chief Executive Officer said on Monday. The capacity is the first- and second-phase of a 4 million-tonne-a-year plant. Zhang Bo said the company had no timetable to build the remaining two million tonnes and the construction would be determined by market situations. Alumina is a material for production of primary aluminium, used in everything from soda cans and window frames to airplanes and cars. The production in Indonesia uses local bauxite, ores to be refined into alumina. Hongqiao produces alumina in China using bauxite imports mostly. Zhang...
Nanshan Aluminum to start construction of its alumina project in Indonesia in Oct
Shandong Nanshan Aluminum Co. is scheduled to break ground on the first phase of its large-scale alumina project in Indonesia in October this year. Nanshan Aluminum has the most complete aluminum industrial chain solely in Longkou throughout the world, covering the upstream and downstream links of the whole aluminum industry including energy and alumina, whose production scale ranks the top at home.
Bauxite operators complying with moratorium - Pahang CPO
Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Sharifuddin Ab Ghani said the results of monitoring conducted with several enforcement agencies found all parties including lorry drivers adhered to the temporary suspension on the bauxite mining activity. There have been no violations of the moratorium here since it came into force on January 15. "We will continue to 24-hour monitoring at nine inspection centres in this district and tomorrow we will change 90 Hulu Kinta General Operations Force (GOF) personnel who have been on duty there with personnel from GOF's 4th Battalion in Semenyih," he said. He told this to reporters after witnessing the handing over of duties for Pahang Special Branch head from DCP Datuk Riduan Hashim to SAC Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain here today. The nine locations involved are Bukit...
Aluminium body frames to replace fibre bodies of buses in Pune, India
Deemed a major security hazard, transport body in Pune is now replacing fibre parts with aluminium or other metal. After a spate of recent road accidents, Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mandal Limited (PMPML) has now taken up commuters' safety on a priority basis and started removing seats and other fibre body parts of several buses at the Swargate depot. "We need to think about whether to go for the same fibre bodies or the buses with aluminium body frames. The ones with fibre seats and other fibre parts are dangerous, especially considering the recent incident of fire at Shivajinagar. Our engineering department will be studying this," said T S Dharurkar, the transport body's general manager (operation and engineering). Currently, of the 1, 200 buses owned by PMPML, 489 CNG buses have fibre...
