AL Circle Analysis: Bauxite developments, alumina trade & primary aluminium market dynamics across Australia, Guinea, US & India
The aluminium industry is entering another phase of supply-chain repositioning. Across bauxite, alumina and primary aluminium, companies are investing in new resources, consolidating strategic assets and expanding processing capacity, while governments are increasingly treating domestic supply as a strategic priority. The latest developments from Australia, Guyana, Guinea, Indonesia, the US and India point to a market where resource security, processing location and control over supply chains are becoming as important as production growth. At the same time, new trading mechanisms and changing investment patterns are beginning to influence how aluminium and its raw materials reach the market. Bauxite supply expands, but securing the right tonnes is becoming harder In Western Australia, VBX...
China's 22.87 Mt extrusion market faces a structural shift as 317 GW solar growth counters weak construction demand
The global aluminium extrusion landscape is undergoing a structural transition driven by industrial decarbonisation, global electrification, and the rapid deployment of clean energy infrastructure. Historically anchored by civil engineering and residential real estate, demand for extruded aluminium profiles in China, the world’s dominant manufacturing hub, is decoupling from traditional property sectors. Persistent structural weakness in China’s domestic construction market has slowed the consumption of conventional architectural profiles such as window frames, door sections, and curtain walls. Conversely, advanced industrial applications, specifically solar photovoltaic (PV) racking, battery energy storage systems (BESS), power grid modernisation, and electric vehicles (EVs), have...
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China aluminium semis exports likely to lose ground in November
China's aluminium semis exports soared 40.2% month-on-month in November, but the growth is likely to slowdown in the short term. The significant increase was mainly driven by aluminium extrusion, whose exports rose 131,600 tonnes to 201,900 tonnes, Chinese customs data showed. Lower SHFE/LME aluminium price ratio, plus export rebate, added to the aluminum extrusion exports buoyancy, observed SMM. In fact, exports of other aluminium semis declined in November. Exports of aluminium plate/sheet and strip were down 10.4% from October to 113,000 tonnes in November, and exports of aluminium foil also slid 4.4% from October to 72,000 tonnes, according to the data revealed by China Customs.
i3MS software to help track India's mining operations across value chain
i3MS software is a technology breakthrough developed to track end-to-end mineral transaction including the quantum of minerals produced, transported and received by different industries. In a recent press meet held to update industry people on Odisha's revenue generation from mining sector, Director of Mines Deepak Mohanty said, the state as well the Centre is banking heavily on this software to track supply chain management of the entire mining sector. Chief Secretary AP Padhi, who reviewed the activities of Steel and Mines Department, on Monday reviewed the use of i3MS software for tracking mineral production and despatch. Principal Secretary in Steel and Mines Department RK Sharma said the software has proved very useful in monitoring production, despatch and transportation of minerals...
Aluminium intensive Range Rover Evoque Convertible to debut at 2016 Auto Expo
Tata-owned British carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), will showcase its Range Rover Evoque Convertible premium compact SUV at the upcoming 2016 Delhi Auto Expo. The car is expected to go on sale in India by the end of next year with its international launch date set for some time in spring 2016. The drop-top Range Rover Evoque was first showcased as an ambitious concept back in 2012. In terms of equipment and powertrain options, there isn't much difference between the Range Rover Evoque Convertible and its standard hard-top twin. The car will feature optional LED adaptive head-lamps with DRLs as standard, a choice between all-aluminium 2.0-litre petrol and Ingenium diesel engines, and a 9-speed ZF automatic gearbox. By chopping off the roof, the convertible rendition of the Evoque may not...
Registration opens for ISRI 2016 Convention and Exposition in Las Vegas
Registration is currently underway for ISRI2016 - the world’s largest annual gathering of scrap recycling professionals - to be held April 2-7, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The 2016 convention and exposition, produced by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), Washington, is set to provide scrap recyclers from around the world with the educational and networking opportunities, product showcases, and industry news needed to maximize their time, dollars and return on investment. “The ISRI show has become the most important meeting in the industry each year with participants typically coming from all fifty U.S. states and from more than fifty countries across the globe,” says Chuck Carr, vice president of member services for ISRI. “The show’s value...
Odisha govt to auction more bauxite mines in 2016
Odisha's economy has experienced a setback following revenue cuts by the Central government. This has affected, in turn, revenue generation from the state's mining sector. Even though revenues from iron ore and bauxite mining in India's mineral-rich coastal state increased during 2015-16 fiscal compared to last year, it has been reported to be lagging behind the target set for the year. However, the scenario is yet not that dissapointing as a collection of INR 3647 crore till December 22, 2015 is expected to put the sector back on a path of recovery. The State Government had initially set a target of INR 6000 crore from the sector, comprising mainly of iron ore and bauxite mining projects, for 2015-16. With the financial year nearing its end, doubts have cropped up whether this target can...
US shredded scrap prices reach $169; aluminium scrap prices stay stable
United States shredded scrap prices gained during the week ended December 11, while major US aluminium scrap commodities weekly average prices on Scrap Register Price Index also showed a steady trend. According to TSI, US Midwest shredded index increased $3 long ton the week to $169 long ton (delivered mill). There is still significant regional disparity across the US, with some mills still paying higher prices (over $190 long ton) the week in order to have prompt delivery of the material. While some prices were as low as $155 long ton, market participants do not expect these prices to last long as inventories need to be restocked, yet scrap is currently in short supply. The major aluminium scrap commodities on the Scrap Register Price Index showed flat trend during the week. The weekly...
Aluminium futures weaken on overseas cues, shed 0.10 per cent
Aluminium prices were down 0.10 per cent to INR 100.70 per kg in futures trade today as investors cut down their bets amid weak Asian cues and sluggish demand in the domestic spot market. In futures trading at the Multi Commodity Exchange, aluminium for delivery in the current month eased by 10 paise, or 0.10 per cent, to INR 100.70 per kg in a business turnover of 115 lots. The metal for delivery in January next year contract was trading flat at INR 101.75 per kg in seven lots. Marketmen said the weakness in aluminium in futures trade was mostly in line with a weak trend at the Shanghai Futures Exchange after data from China showed industrial profits declined again, underscoring a manufacturing slowdown in the biggest metal consumer. Aluminum in Shanghai slumped as much as 2.6 per cent,...
38% of Chinese smelters bearish toward aluminium prices this week, SMM survey
38% of the 42 Chinese aluminium smelters surveyed by SMM are bearish toward this week’s aluminium prices . Those pessimists fear that LME aluminium will fall below USD 1,500/mt and that SHFE 1603 aluminium will drop below RMB 10,500/mt. They argued that on-grid power tariffs cuts by the Chinese government and power tariff subsidy by local governments will weaken cost for aluminum prices. Besides, shorts are gathering momentum recently, and longs are cautious about entering, another negative factor. Another 19% are optimistic that LME aluminium will rise above USD 1,530/mt and SHFE 1603 aluminium will climb above RMB 1,700/mt. They noted that aluminium stocks in China’s five major trading markets have been falling for six weeks in a row due to production cuts. Large aluminium processors...
Shanghai aluminium falls 2%; market awaits output cuts
Shanghai aluminium slid more than two percent on Monday, with the market suffering possibly its biggest one-day decline in more than six weeks as a lack of further production cuts in China pressured prices. The most active aluminium contract on Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 2.3 percent to 10,650 yuan a tonne by 0410 GMT. Unless the contract recovers in the afternoon, aluminium will like mark its biggest daily fall since November 11. The London Metal Exchange will reopen on Tuesday after the Christmas break. "Total aluminium curtailment is still around four million tonnes per year for 2015 in China," said Jackie Wang a consultant CRU in Beijing, adding that no further cuts in output have been announced recently. That has put pressure on prices, because the market had been expecting...
Novelis achieves 49% recycled aluminium inputs, makes progress on GHG targets
Aluminium rolling and recycling leader Novelis released its sustainability report for Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) on December 22. The company doubled its recycling capacity over the past five years, among other achievements. Recycled aluminium produces 95 percent fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and requires 95 percent less energy than primary aluminium production, according to the company. Novelis says this enabled them to increase their global production capacity while reducing their GHG emissions by 13 percent from baseline years of 2007-2009. At the end of FY15, Novelis achieved an average of 49 percent recycled aluminium inputs, up 19 percent from the baseline years. Post-consumer recycled aluminium, most of which is used beverage containers, accounts for roughly two-thirds of...
Aluminium die-casting manufacturer DyCast celebrates 25 years of operation
DyCast Specialties Corporation, a custom job shop manufacturing company offering aluminium and zinc high-pressure die castings, is celebrating 25 years of operations and its association Starbuck community. The company opened its doors in Starbuck in 1990. Die casting is a metal forming process in which molten metal is put under high pressure and injected into a die. The molten alloy enters the die through a shot sleeve or sprue nozzle that is connected to the “A” half of the die. The alloy is then directed to the cavity by way of runners (passageways) and gates (inlets and outlets) in the ejector half. Aluminum type die casting molds can produce up to 100,000 casting shots in the life of the mold. DyCast with its pool of competent personnel has succesfully mastered this technique over the...
Andhra govt plans special incentives for Rexam's aluminium beverage can plant
The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to provide some special incentives to Rexam HTW Beverage Can (India) Private Limited. The company will set up a new aluminium beverage can manufacturing plant in Sri City in Chittoor district with an investment of INR 588.88 crore. The proposed can plant, which will supply aluminium made food beverage cans to carbonated soft drinks, food packing companies in the Sri City, is expected to create employment to around 750 people. Apart from providing all the other benefits announced in the Industrial Development Policy (IDP) 2015-20, the State government would extend some other incentives such as reimbursement of 75 per cent VAT for a period of seven years from the date of commencement of commercial production or up to realization of 100 per cent...
EGA said to pay more for loan as liquidity tightens
Emirates Global Aluminium PJSC, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, is said to be paying almost 40 percent more for a loan compared with last year as liquidity in the Gulf tightens after the plunge in oil prices. The state-controlled company will pay 200 basis points, or 2 percentage points, above the London Interbank Offered Rate on a $4.9 billion, seven-year conventional loan and an Islamic facility, according to three people with knowledge of the plan, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. That compares with a spread of 145 basis points that subsidiary Dubai Aluminium paid on a similar maturity facility it raised in December 2014, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Companies in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, home to about 30...
Century Aluminum finds a saviour in CEO Michael Bless before inevitable closure
Century Aluminum’s Mount Holly smelter was due to shut down, probably for good; but just a couple days before the inevitable closure, president and CEO Michael Bless stepped in to try one last time to save several jobs from being lost. The aluminium smelter and its workers saw Bless working till the very last moment to strike a deal that would save at least some of the 35-year-old plant’s 600 jobs and nearly $1 billion in annual economic impact. “We’re pulling every lever we can,” said Bless of his last-minute negotiations with sthe tate lawmakers on a plan to keep Mount Holly operational. A day later, Bless announced that Mount Holly smelter would operate at half the capacity through the first half of 2016 while the Legislature worked to let his company buy electricity on the open...
China aluminium stocks fall for six consecutive weeks
Production cuts and improving demand have allowed aluminium stocks in China’s five major trading markets to fall for six consecutive weeks, SMM learns. It should be noted, though, that aluminium stocks in major trading markets are likely to fall at a slower pace in the future, SMM aluminium analyst pointed out. Downstream demand has shown signs of softening and more aluminium ingots will flow out of Inner Mongolia into main consumption hubs, the analyst explained. The table below shows details of aluminium stocks at China’s five major markets:
Sapa's aluminium facade solutions help lift landmark library in Leeds
Specially-adapted aluminium façade systems from the Wicona brand have been specified for a new £26m library for the University of Leeds, one of the largest universities in the UK. Wicona is one of Sapa’s aluminium building systems brands. The 6,500-square meter learning hub is expected to help the university attract more students in the competitive higher education environment and provide a cultural center to enrich the student experience and the wider community. Designed by ADP, the scheme occupies a sensitive location in a conservation area, surrounded by listed buildings, including two churches, and in a streetscape that has remained almost unchanged in 50 years. It is the fourth building on a challenging tear drop-shaped site, and its design had to be developed with careful...
Ford pumps $1.3 billion more into aluminium pickups
Ford is betting big on its new aluminium-bodied F-150, which has been taking traditional business away from the steel industry. The Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker announced it was going to invest $1.3 billion in Kentucky to make the F-Series Super Duty. Ford will invest in an all-new body shop, retooling and various facility upgrades to building the pickup, which has been the best-selling vehicle in America for more than three decades. The Louisville-based plant will make the 2017 Ford F-Series F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty trucks, which consist of more aluminium to help meet new federal emissions standards. "With the introduction of the all-new Ford Super Duty, America's best-selling heavy-duty pickup, we expect to continue growing our truck leadership," said Joe Hinrichs,...
Coca-Cola mulls expanding the global availability of aluminium contour bottle
Coca-Cola is celebrating its 100-year-old glass bottle in 2015 by expanding the global availability of the iconic package's 10-year-old aluminium sibling. Coca-Cola Amatil (Fiji) Ltd general manager Roger Hare said the company was looking at introducing this in the country as one of its primary focus next year. "For some countries in the world, we have aluminium contour bottle which is a mix of a can and a bottle," Mr Hare said. While expansion efforts have been tremendous, the company has aggressive plans next year, which will be revealed later. The company launched the 100th birthday of the Coca-Cola brand on Tuesday in Suva by honouring the past yet focusing on growth for the future. Coca-Cola, together with key suppliers and manufacturing partners, launched the aluminium bottle...
