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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Century Aluminum begins shutting down plant with 600 workers
Century Aluminum began closing its Goose Creek plant Monday, a move expected to put 600 people out of work eventually. The company started to shut down one of the two lines that make aluminum at the plant, Century spokeswoman Samantha Dubay said. The first layoffs will come next week, with about half of the plant's employees affected by the initial line closure, Dubay said. The company announced in October that it would close the plant by year's end unless it was able to reach a new power contract with Santee Cooper, South Carolina's state-owned utility. Century proposed buying all its power from an out-of-state provider and paying Santee Cooper to transmit it. Santee Cooper said it could not agree to a rate that would increase costs for its other industrial customers. Rep. Bill Crosby,...
‘No ambiguity on bauxite mining issue,’ says Tribal Welfare Minister, AP
Minister for Tribal Welfare, Social Welfare and Empowerment Ravela Kishore Babu on Sunday hit out at the opposition party leader for criticising the State government’s stand on bauxite mining and claimed that the government would not do anything against the wishes of the tribal people in the Visakha Agency area. Stating that there was no ambiguity in the government’s stand on bauxite mining in Visakhapatnam district, Mr. Kishore Babu said even on Saturday, the State Cabinet discussed the mining issue. “Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has made it clear that bauxite mining will be allowed only when the tribal people give consent to it,” he said. However, the Minister parried questions on whether the State government supported the mining activity in the Agency area. He was quick to add:...
Mozal Aluminium again considered the largest company in Mozambique
The Mozal Aluminium company was considered the largest company in Mozambique in 2014, according to the 17th edition of the list compiled by consulting firm KPMG Moçambique. KPMG analysed the performance over 2014 of the largest companies in the country through criteria such as turnover, profitability of the company and its financial autonomy, a list intended to choose the biggest and best company. In addition to Mozal Aluminium, re-elected as the largest company, the report points to the Mozambican subsidiary of South African group Grindrod as the best company in the country, with growth of 43.14 percent between 2013 and last year. The highlights of list of the ten largest companies in Mozambique, according to KPMG, are oil company Petróleos de Mozambique (Petromoc) in second place, beer...
Pennar Aluminium Company Ltd announces change in Directorate
Pursuant to Regulation 30 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, Mr. Andi Srinivas has been appointed as an Non-Executive Director (Additional Director) of Pennar Aluminium Company Ltd with effect from December 12, 2015. Mrs. Surekha Manepalli has resigned as an Independent Director with effect from December 12, 2015. The Board has approved the same by passing a Board Resolution. Shares of PENNAR ALUMINIUM CO.LTD. was last trading in BSE at INR 0.34 as compared to the previous close of INR 0.33. The total number of shares traded during the day was 9000 in over 6 trades. The stock hit an intraday high of INR 0.34 and intraday low of 0.33. The net turnover during the day was INR 3030.
EGA presents key solutions at Dubai summit
UAE-based Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) recently co-hosted and presented 10 of its authored papers at the annual conference for the International Committee for Study of Bauxite, Alumina and Aluminium (ICSOBA) in Dubai, UAE. The summit marked the first time the conference has been hosted in the UAE, and it successfully gathered key industry players from around the world who exchanged insights in the areas of bauxite exploration and mining as well as alumina and aluminium production, said EGA in a statement. Over 200 delegates from 38 countries attended the event, and the agenda featured a total of 86 papers covering the various fields of the aluminium industry from bauxite to metal, it added. Dr Ali Al Zarouni, honorary president of ICSOBA and EGA's senior vice president, Jebel Ali...
Alba CEO delivers keynote at AmCham's business luncheon
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba), one of the world’s leading aluminium smelters, Chief Executive Officer Tim Murray delivered a keynote address at the American Chamber of Commerce in Bahrain’s Business Networking Luncheon, which was held at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay on Tuesday, December 08, 2015, The luncheon was attended by the US Ambassador William Roebuck and leading businessmen and businesswomen representing some of the over 200 US businesses in Bahrain as well as the many Bahraini companies with US business interests. Murray, in his address to the audience, highlighted several points in relation to the Aluminium industry, Alba’s Project Titan and focussed in particular on Alba’s Line 6 Expansion Project, including its total cost, outputs and impacts. He said: “Line 6 Expansion...
Gulfex unveils key solutions at Zak Aluminium Extrusions Expo 2015 in India
UAE-based Gulf Extrusions, a leading global manufacturer of extruded aluminium products, showcased its key solutions at the Zak Aluminium Extrusions Expo 2015, one of India's leading aluminium extrusions trade fairs. A member of Metal Industries -Al Ghurair Group, the company exhibited an assortment of products along with some key launches and special activities to further engage and interact with its visitors at the expo which concluded yesterday at the MMRDA Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, India. Gulfex was also the principle partner of the event. The company showcased ‘Safaa’ – a new range of specialty powder coating specifically developed for the unique architectural demands, offering a wide range of design and colour choices to architects, contractors, engineers, and property owners. It...
Around $10 million cut out of Rio Tinto's Gladstone alumina refineries
Profits seem to have gone missing from Rio Tinto's Gladstone alumina refineries and it is the contractors who are being squeezed to turn that around. Yarwun and Queensland Alumina Limited Contractors and suppliers will be worse off about $10 million through a re-tendering process that will look to make a saving on 750,000 hours (or around 90% of total contract hours). Rio Tinto, the global metal and minerals behemoth, has confirmed a re-tendering process is underway and that they are delaying payments to current contractors; extending their payments from 30 days to 60. This is all only part of a $300 million cost cutting effort across the Rio Tinto aluminium group worldwide announced to the London Metal Exchange this week by chief executive Alf Barrios. Speaking to investors, he said...
China aluminium smelters vow to cut capacity by 500,000 T by year-end
China's top aluminium smelters will reduce capacity by 500,000 tonnes by year-end, taking total capacity cuts for 2015 to just under 5 million tonnes in a bid to whittle down a domestic supply glut, a major trade association said on Friday, December 11. In a statement following a meeting of 14 major producers including Aluminium Corp of China (Chalco) in Yunnan province on Thursday, China's Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA) said the producers had also pledged not to open any new capacity for at least one year or to reopen any idled capacity. China's metals industry has been blighted by overcapacity as the world's No.2 economy slows, sending international prices plunging, with benchmark aluminium down by a quarter since May. Some 4.41 million tonnes of capacity has been cut so...
Chalco to sell 50% stake in Shanxi Huaxing Aluminum for $364 million
Chalco plans to sell 50% stake in Shanxi Huaxing Aluminum Co. for at least 2.35 billion yuan ($364 million), the company said in a statement filed to the Shanghai Stock Exchange on December 9. Chalco added that the move aims to draw strategic investors to jointly build its coal-electricity-aluminium integrated industry base in Shanxi province. At present, Chalco holds a 60% stake in Shanxi Huaxing Aluminum and the rest 40% by its fully owned subsidiary Chalco Hong Kong. Shanxi Huaxing Aluminum, located in Xing County, Shanxi, mainly engages in alumina refining.
Base metals decouple in china, with aluminium dominating the market
The value of the US dollar has been dropping since February 2015. In October-November period it hit the lowest against the Euro before making a turnaround last week. Indices that compare the dollar against a basket of major currencies have reflected the same trend. Metal prices typically follow an inverse relationship with the value of the dollar. When the dollar appreciates against other major currencies, metal prices tend to drop. When the value of the dollar weakens, metal prices generally go up. This connection between base metals and US dollar index somewhat weakened in China. Although crude oil prices hit the lowest in nearly seven years to USD 37/bbl, and the US dollar index rebounded after touching low, SHFE alumininum closed up 3.36%. News on production cuts and stockpiling in...
Aluminium down on caution over output cuts, firm dollar
Aluminium fell on Thursday on disappointment over the scope of production cutbacks in China while a firmer dollar also weighed on the industrial metals market. Chinese aluminium producers look to combat a slump in local prices to record lows; but analysts said much more was needed to curb an over supplied market that has led to global inventories surging to record highs. "There may be some capacity cuts in China, but it's all a bit meaningless. We think there was somewhere between 1.6 and 2.5 million tonnes of new capacity commissioned this quarter," said an analyst at Citigroup in London. "There may be production cuts at some smelters, but they're ramping up elsewhere, so overall they're not cutting production, There seems to be a lot of sleight of hand," he said. Three-month aluminium...
Innovation driver StrikoWestofen looks forward to Euroguss 2016
The “Euroguss 2016” taking place in Nürnberg from 12 - 14 January will focus on innovations in die-casting. During the fair, the StrikoWestofen Group (Gummersbach) will show visitors to its booth the internal and external values of its products. “Our concept is to show something new to existing and potential customers at every fair and to initiate topics that can help light metal casters to improve their companies,” stresses Rudi Riedel, manager of StrikoWestofen and the person responsible for product development there. Thus, the manufacturer of thermal process technology will present its highlights at booth 714 in hall 7: the new dosing furnace “Westomat Plus+”, the filling and transport system “Schnorkle” and the melting furnace “BigStruc”, which was designed to meet the requirements...
Ball set to win EU approval for 4.43-billion-pound Rexam deal
U.S. drinks can maker Ball Corp is set to win EU approval for its 4.43-billion-pound bid for Rexam Plc with an improved package of concessions, two people familiar with the matter said, boosting the UK firm's shares. The world's two largest beverage can makers by volume are seeking to merge to improve management of capital spending and costs. But the deal triggered concerns in the European Commission that it would drive up prices for companies and consumers. Last month, Ball offered to sell 11 plants across Europe, nine of which make cans and two produce can ends. Rivals and customers wanted a better mix, with more factories making aluminium cans rather than steel which is an old technology. Ball subsequently fine-tuned the package, the sources said on Thursday, declining to provide...
A slow commodity market drives Ess Dee Aluminium stocks down 1.69%
The stock of Ess Dee Aluminium Limited is trending downward. The stock decreased 1.69% or INR 4.75 on December 10, hitting INR 276. Ess Dee Aluminium Limited has risen 2.39% since May 13, 2015 and is uptrending. It has outperformed by 4.32% the S&P500. The move comes after 7 months negative chart setup for the INR 9.27B company. The trading house monitoring Ess Dee's stock movements in the market reported it has INR 251.16 PT for the company, which if reached, will make worth INR 834.30M less. Ess Dee Aluminium Limited is engaged in manufacturing primary packaging material for pharmaceutical, food and fast-moving consumer goods industries. The company has a market cap of INR9.27 billion. The company’s product portfolio includes aluminum strip foils, aluminum blister pack foil, polyvinyl...
China aluminium scrap prices rise; SHFE aluminium settles higher at 10,360 yuan per ton
Chinese aluminium scrap prices advanced on Scrap Register Price Index as on December 9, Wednesday, as expectation of output cuts in China prompted some investors to reverse bearish bets while lead hit a month peak as inventories hovered at multi-year lows. According to the Scrap Register Price Index, the major Chinese aluminium scrap commodities like 6063 extrusion, aluminium scrap, aluminium can and EC wire (Al >99%) traded up on Wednesday. However, the most active 1602 aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) settled slightly up by 0.68% to 10,360 yuan per ton on Wednesday from the previous close of 10,290 yuan per ton. 6063 Extrusions witnessed a rise of CNY 100 per MT over the previous day. Aluminium Radiators and Transformers prices increased by CNY 100 per MT each....
European aluminium premiums rise sharply after hitting lows in September
The duty unpaid premium, as per a leading industry watcher, in Rotterdam was quoted at $115 per metric ton on December 8. Aluminium premiums in Europe rose sharply after hitting their historic low of $65 per ton in September. US (SPY) Midwest aluminium premiums are also holding steady after Alcoa announced capacity curtailments last month. LME contracts The LME (London Metals Exchange) also started aluminium premiums contracts to enable market participants to hedge the all-in aluminium prices. Aluminium premiums have been less volatile compared to aluminium prices. It would be interesting to see what impact the new LME contracts have on aluminium premiums. Having said that, another rise in aluminium premiums doesn’t look likely, said experts. Aluminium markets still face oversupply,...
EGA leads productive industry discussions at ICSOBA 2015
Highlighting its commitment to industry progress, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) recently co-hosted the annual conference for the International Committee for Study of Bauxite, Alumina and Aluminium (ICSOBA) in Dubai. The 33rd event of its kind, ICSOBA 2015 marked the first time the conference has been hosted in the UAE and successfully gathered key industry players from around the world who exchanged insights in the areas of bauxite exploration and mining as well as alumina and aluminium production. Over 200 delegates from 38 countries attended ICSOBA 2015; and the agenda featured a total of 86 papers covering the various fields of the aluminium industry from Bauxite to Metal. Dr Ali Al Zarouni (Honorary President of ICSOBA and EGA 's Senior Vice President, Jebel Ali Operations and...
