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...
Grow with
AL Circle
Aluminium market rises on short covering, open interest drops 4.88%
Aluminium prices settled flat as prices recovered from lows despite of concerns over faltering Chinese demand and the dollar traded at its strongest in more than a decade. Russian aluminium giant Rusal plans to decide in mid-December which aluminium smelters to suspend as a part of its plans to potentially cut up to 200,000 tonnes of production. Rusal, the world's top aluminium producer, is looking to cut production, under pressure from sliding prices due to a market surplus. Rusal has trimmed its forecast for global aluminium demand growth in 2015 to 5.6 percent and raised its forecast for a global aluminium surplus this year by a third to 373,000 tonnes. Aluminium stocks held at three major Japanese ports stood at 433,700 tonnes at the end of October, down 8.3 percent from a month...
Midas secures four aluminium alloy extrusion supply contracts worth RMB.5 million
Midas Holdings Limited announced today that its subsidiary, Jilin Midas Aluminium Industries Co., Ltd has secured four contracts totalling RMB72.5 million for the supply of aluminum alloy extrusion profiles for metro trains and airport rail trains in the People’s Republic of China and Malaysia respectively. The first supply contract, worth RMB 31.9 million is for the Lanzhou Metro. The other two supply contracts are for the Nanchang Metro Line 2 and Wuhan Metro Line 2 and are worth RMB20.0 million and RMB 11.0 million respectively. The last supply contract, worth RMB9.6 million is for the KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit trains which connect Kuala Lumpur city centre and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. All four contracts are awarded by Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd and slated...
UACJ Group to open aluminum plant in Rayong
UACJ Group, the largest aluminum manufacturer in Japan, announced on Thursday, last week that it would be officially opening an aluminum rolling plant in Rayong. The plant will be the first of its kind in the Southeast Asia region, and will cost Bt21 billion. The plant began operations in August, and expects to achieve a 200,000 ton annual capacity by 2017. The plant in Rayong employs 700 workers; 100 of which are Japanese, and 600 of which are Thais. Over time, Japanese staff will be reduced and replaced completely by Thai staff. CEO of UACJ, Mitsuru Okada, stated that the company is considering making an additional investment to its Rayong facility to boost its annual capacity to reach 300,000 tons by 2020. Akinori Yamahuchi, UACJ’s president, noted that Thailand has excellent...
MCX aluminium falls by 0.2% on global cues
Aluminium prices eased by 0.16% to INR 96.50 per kg in futures trade today as participants reduced their positions amid weak global cues. Besides, subdued demand in the domestic spot markets weighed on aluminium prices. At the Multi Commodity Exchange, aluminium for delivery in November month weakened by 15 paise, or 0.16% to INR 96.50 per kg in business turnover of 324 lots. Likewise, the metal for delivery in December contract was trading lower by a similar margin to INR 98.10 per kg in 21 lots. Marketmen said the weakness in aluminium at futures trade was mostly in tune with a weak trend in global markets. Globally, aluminium for delivery in three month fell 0.3% at the London Metal Exchange, while in Shanghai Futures Exchange it slumped to its lowest since at least 2004. Meanwhile,...
Hydro takes stand ahead of Paris climate talks
Hydro supports a global climate agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions, including putting a price on carbon emissions, in connection with the upcoming UN Conference on Climate Change. The COP21 (21st Conference of the Parties) gathering in Paris November 30-Dec. 11 is expected to agree to a new international deal on climate change to keep global warming below 2°C. “We regard sustainability both as part of our license to operate and as key to our future competitiveness,” says President & CEO Svein Richard Brandtzæg. “Doors will start to close on those who remain part of the problem, while new doors will open for those who are part of the solution. “We have one of the most ambitious climate strategies in our industry, which is to become carbon-neutral from a life-cycle perspective...
Emirates Global Aluminium picks arrangers for $4.9 bln loan
State-owned Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), one of the largest aluminium firms in the world, has picked seven banks to raise a $4.9 billion loan to refinance debt taken on for some of its projects. EGA, created by the merger of two state-owned aluminium companies Dubai Aluminium (Dubal) and Abu Dhabi's Emirates Aluminium (Emal), is jointly owned by Abu Dhabi investment fund Mubadala and the state company which holds Dubai's most high-profile assets, Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD). The company has mandated BNP Paribas, Citi, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, ING, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Natixis to arrange the loan. Marketing to other banks is expected be start as early as this week, the sources said on condition of anonymity as the information is not public. A spokeswoman...
China, Russia work hands to hold up aluminum price
In the new Sino-Russian energy cooperation agreement, the two sides reached a consensus of reducing the output of aluminum products. Due to the excessive supply, the aluminum price has ever dropped the lowest since 2009. Aluminum Corporation Of China Limited and the world's top aluminum producer Rusal also joined hands in "smelting new alloys". Rusal Deputy CEO Oleg Mukhamedshin said, after solving the problem of excessive output, Russia may build a new smelter to provide cleaner aluminum products with more commercial value to the Chinese market and expected the market needs about three years to balance. Mukhamedshin the two giants may cooperate in alumina and bauxite development and the products will be supplied to the Chinese market.
IBAAS 2015 to open its doors at Suzhou, China on November 25
The Fourth International Symposium on “The Development and Future of Aluminium Industry in China -Reality and Dream," organized by the International Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium Society (IBAAS), in cooperation with China Aluminium International Engineering Corporation Limited (CHALIECO) and Suzhou Research Institute for Non-ferrous Metals Co. Ltd (SINR) awaits opening at Suzhou near Shanghai in China. The three-day symposium to be held from November 25-27 will focus on the outstanding developments of aluminium downstream industry in China. The latest innovation and R&D work on bauxite processing, alumina and aluminium production world over with special reference to China and India will also be highlighted in this one-of-a-kind trade event. IBAAS 2015 will provide an excellent opportunity...
Vedanta to cut costs by 25% amid global slump
Vedanta Resources Plc, India’s biggest producer of aluminium, copper and zinc, plans to cut costs by as much as 25% as it battles a global slump that sank industrial metal prices to a six-year low, chairman Anil Agarwal said. The London-listed mining firm will “tighten” capital spending and “do whatever is necessary” by way of innovation to help boost profit margins, he said in an interview in Jaipur. The prices of the three metals have dropped at least 25% in the past year as latest factory output data from China, the world’s biggest consumer, signalled the rout is deepening. “This is the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Agarwal. “We have to reinvent ourselves to cut costs, bring more efficiency. The fittest will survive and we believe we are the lowest cost quartile in the industry.” Apart...
Chinese aluminum surcharges fall in Europe
Surcharges for physical delivery of aluminum in Europe leveled off after recent gains and may come under pressure from additional supply if Chinese exports rebound and some inventories are liquidated. The surcharges, or premiums, which consumers pay on top of the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price for immediate delivery of metal, have gradually climbed over the past couple of months amid tighter availability, says SMM.
Lightweight car trend boosts US aluminium scrap volumes
The North American market is flooded with aluminium scrap and the situation will probably not change in the short term, it was stressed by David Rosenblum, vice president of non-ferrous at scrap metal major OmniSource, during Metal Bulletin's 23rd Recycled Aluminium Conference held this week in the Spanish capital Madrid. Owing to softening growth in the emerging economies - particularly China - scrap demand from these markets has decreased, according to Rosenblum, while a strong US dollar has also 'discouraged' overseas shipments. At the same time, demand for secondary aluminium in the USA has increased thanks to fast-growing use of aluminium in car production. 'Secondary automotive production is robust,' said Rosenblum, and this situation was unlikely to change as rolling mill capacity...
Nalco's Damanjodi alumina refinery expansion plan forwarded to HLCA
The State Government on Friday, last week, approved five projects with an investment proposal of `635 crore in various sectors to create more employment opportunities at a time when the number of unemployed has crossed 10 lakh in Odisha. The five projects were accorded in-principle approval at the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) meeting presided by Chief Secretary Gokul Chandra Pati. Two of the proposals were approved within seven days of the submission of the application. The projects include alumina refinery expansion plan of National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco) at Damanjodi Odisha's Koraput district. The alumina refining capacity at the plant is to be raised from 2.27 million tonne per annum (mtpa) to 3.27 mtpa. The INR 4,357 crore worth investment proposal...
Aluminium firm set to complete £1.2m contract at state-of-the-art research facility
Aluminium fabricators Dudley’s Aluminium is set to complete work on a landmark contract, supporting the construction of Cardiff University’s Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC). CUBRIC will open in spring 2016, and the £44m centre will become one of Europe’s top facilities for brain imaging. The site will have one of the world’s most sophisticated MRI scanners, and research at the centre will focus on understanding more about the causes of conditions such as dementia, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia – leading to improved diagnosis and treatments. The £1.2 million contract will see Dudley’s provide key structural and architectural aluminium and glazing at the site. The company will manufacture and install capped curtain walling with large multi-colour panels for the building...
High-traffic aluminium door debuts in City of London
One of the first applications of the Technal brand’s new SOLEAL aluminium door system is a prestige office and apartments scheme at Clifford’s Inn in the City of London, which has been extensively refurbished. The SOLEAL door has been developed to deliver outstanding thermal efficiency, stringent levels of security, and a range of specification options for high-traffic projects such as offices, apartment buildings, hospitals, shopping and sports centres, and schools. Fabricated and installed by Everglade Windows, the SOLEAL doors at 138 Fetter Lane in City of London met a range of requirements: • A single thermally broken pivot door provides access to the new lobby for the 30,000 square-foot Grade A offices. These silver anodized doors have a concealed overhead closer for a discrete and...
Ball offers concessions in EU antitrust review of Rexam deal
Ball Corp. offered antitrust commitments to European Union merger watchdogs probing its bid for Rexam Plc in an attempt to allay concerns over the deal to create the world’s biggest maker of food and beverage cans. The European Commission extended its deadline to rule on the deal until January 22, it said in a filing on its website, without giving further details. Companies often sell overlapping units to eliminate EU concerns that a deal might make the merged business too powerful. Ball also declined to disclose what it had offered “due to the sensitive nature of the discussions,” said Renee Robinson, a spokeswoman for the Broomfield, Colorado-based company. Ball is confident that it will close the deal in the first half of 2016, she said in an e-mail. Ball vowed in October to address EU...
New Audi Q7 with aluminium inlays launched in Malaysia
Teased by Audi Malaysia since October, the new Audi Q7 is now officially launched. We have for now a sole variant, the 3.0 TFSI quattro, priced at RM589,900. The second-generation large SUV was first revealed last December, before making its show debut at the season opening 2015 NAIAS show in Detroit. The Typ 4M replaces the original Q7 that had a fruitful 10-year lifespan. The old car’s substantial size stood out, and this one is no less imposing; although at 5,050mm long and 1,970 mm wide, it’s slightly shorter (37 mm) and narrower (15 mm) than the SUV it replaces. The 2,990 mm wheelbase is also marginally (12 mm) shorter than before. Despite the slightly smaller footprint, Audi claims a longest in class and more headroom thanks to better packaging. The seven-seater’s boot volume is 770...
SMM sees no alumina price rally in China, despite massive output cuts
Alumina prices in China are nowhere near bottom, despite massive capacity cuts, SMM predicts. Continuous declines in aluminum prices will weaken support on alumina prices from production cuts, SMM aluminum analyst explained. Alumina prices have lost almost 33.7% since the start of the year, pushing some refineries into losses. In response, three alumina refineries under Chalco slashed capacity by 2.12 million-tpy. Jinjiang Group is mulling over 1.3 million-tpy cuts.
Andhra Pradesh CM indicates bauxite mining decision still open
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday assured a Left party delegation here that tribal people would be consulted before a final decision was taken on bauxite mining in the Agency areas of Visakhapatnam. He told the political leaders that the decision would depend on the response of tribal people to the consultations. Panchayat Raj Minister Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu said that mining of bauxite cannot be taken up by the State Government unless the Department of Mining issues a GO to that effect. He too said that the Government would respect the sentiments of people in the tribal areas. The State Forest Department issued GO No. 97 on November 5 after the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests gave clearance for mining in the Jerrela area but another GO from the State...
