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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Judge says U.S. aluminum price-fixing lawsuit can go forward
A U.S. judge on Thursday refused to dismiss antitrust litigation accusing a variety of Wall Street banks and commodity merchants of conspiring to drive up aluminum prices by reducing supply. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan said metals purchasers may pursue claims against affiliates of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co and mining company Glencore Plc, and well as aluminum warehouse operators such as Metro International, Henry Bath and Pacorini Metals USA. Purchasers had accused the defendants of colluding since 2009 to raise banks' trading profits and warehouse companies' revenues, causing an increase in Platts Midwest Premium, a component used in setting aluminum prices. They said the collusion led to higher storage costs, delays of up to 16 months to fill...
Novelis launches evercycle™ certified high-recycled content products
Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today announced the first product in a new portfolio of certified high-recycled content aluminum for specialty applications called evercycle™. This new material will enable customers to produce infinitely-recyclable products with a lower carbon footprint. The first product in the evercycle portfolio is designed for aluminum food containers. This product is certified by SCS Global Services to contain 100 percent recycled aluminum, made up of 90 percent post-consumer content and 10 percent customer manufacturing scrap – the only material of its kind in the market. Commercially available now in North America, evercycle is expected to become available globally as demand grows. "The launch of evercycle marks an important next step in...
SanTan Brewing Company’s Mr. Pineapple wheat beer launches in redesigned Rexam can
This year, the brewery has teamed up with Chiquita to use Rainforest Alliance Certified pineapple juice for a more sustainable, socially conscious and tasty beer. Winner of the silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival, Mr. Pineapple is a refreshing and fruity traditional German Wheat Ale using two-row, white wheat, caramel and Munich malt. Fresh pineapple is added during the primary fermentation then crushed and cooled to allow the natural flavors to infuse the beer. Mr Pineapple can “Mr. Pineapple knows how to get the party started,” said Anthony Canecchia, founder and brewmaster at SanTan Brewing Company. “Working with Rexam, we created a new look for its can, something exciting that’s going to make you smile from the first sip to the last drop. We’re also very pleased to be...
Tata JLR announces mega 600 million pound investment in UK
Tata Motors-owned luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover will invest 600 million pounds in the UK as part of its expansion plans, including doubling the size of its operations at its headquarters in Coventry. The funds will be pumped into its R&D and manufacturing divisions across three JLR sites in the West Midlands region of England - Castle Bromwich Advanced Manufacturing Plant; Whitley Advanced Design and Development Centre; and the National Automotive Innovation Centre in Coventry. The largest single investment has been made at the company's Castle Bromwich plant, where over 400 million pounds will go into new and upgraded facilities to support the introduction of the all-new Jaguar XF model. "This investment, made here in the heartland of our UK business operations, signals the...
Hulamin to invest ZAR 300 million for new aluminium recycling plant
Hulamin, a South Africa based aluminium products manufacturer has recently announced its plans to build an aluminium recycling plant that would use beverage cans as raw materials and ready to invest ZAR 300 million (US$ 25.4 million) for the same. The Pietermaritzburg-based company has disclosed that a majority of the fund to establish the new plant will come from a five-year loan from Nedbank worth ZAR 270 million (US$ 22.3 million). Using the plant, they will be able to churn out aluminium through their gas-fired furnaces while consuming only a fraction of the electricity required to smelt new metal, the company explained. Hulamin claims that despite the fierce competition in the global market, there is a healthy demand for beneficiated aluminium products and the niche in which the...
Aluminum Extruders Council recognizes two volunteers for outstanding contributions
The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) presented awards to two outstanding individuals during the Volunteer Recognition Banquet on March 7, 2015 at the AEC Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference held in Palm Desert, Calif. AEC presented Tom Schabel, CEO of Alexandria Industries in Alexandria, Minn., with the Council’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. The award goes exclusively to an AEC member who has shown exceptional dedication and service. Schabel was a member of the AEC Board of Directors since 2005 and Chairman of the Council from 2009-2010. “Alexandria Industries has been a member of the Council for decades and has evolved to become an enterprise that many in this industry would agree provides an excellent example of how to develop a culture of excellence, teamwork, and...
Balco moves to High Court to contest against cancellation and reallocation of coal block
Bharat Aluminium Company (Balco) has moved to High Court to contest against the government’s decision to cancel the company’s bid for Gare Palma IV/1 and allot it to the state-owned Coal India Limited (CIL). Balco was the highest bidder for the Chhattisgarh coal block with INR 1585 a tonne but it was much lower than the winning bids for similar coal blocks causing the government to reject the bid. The same thing happened with Jindal Power whose three coal blocks were cancelled and allocated to CIL. JPL had moved to court on 23rd March and managed to get a stay order issued against reallocation of the three coal mines the company bid for. High court questioned the Ministry how they could allot a mine to CIL when it has already been reserved by a company through the process of auction....
Aluminum Association suggests aluminium to achieve new federal energy efficiency standards
After the White House issued a plan to reduce energy use in federal buildings by 2.5% per year from 2015 to 2025, Aluminum Association released a statement stating how aluminium can be used to achieve this target. The motivation to reduce energy consumption in buildings is strong as many private companies that supply to federal government like IBM, GE and Honeywell have announced their own voluntary emission targets. Heidi Brock, the President and CEO of Aluminum Association, says that aluminium can be used as an important tool to achieve higher standards of energy efficiency in both public and private sector. Use of aluminium has long been a key component to ensure LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The government policy ‘incentivizes’ the use of products...
Rusal Q4 soars on weaker rouble, sees aluminium supply gap
Russia's United Company Rusal Plc reported a more than six-fold rise in fourth-quarter earnings due to a slump in the rouble against the dollar and stronger aluminium prices, and forecast a deficit in aluminium supply in 2015 outside China. The world's biggest aluminium producer warned, however, that aluminium premiums in Asia may come under pressure from rising exports of semi-manufactured products from China, the world's largest aluminium producer and consumer. "Looking at the industry as a whole, we believe that global aluminum demand will grow by 6.5% in 2015 to 59 million tonnes, while production growth outside of China will continue to be limited, with 1.1 million tonnes remaining in supply deficit," Chief Executive Vladislav Soloviev said in a statement. Rusal's adjusted earnings...
Yasuda Metal Industries orders HybrEx extrusion press from SMS Meer
Yasuda Metal Industries, based in Osaka, Japan, has placed an order with SMS Meer for an extrusion press of type HybrEx 14. Yasuda intends to use the press, which can attain a maximum force of 14.5 MN, to produce light-metal sections for windows and facades. It is capable of processing billets of up to 800 millimeters in length and has a capacity of around 5,000 tons per year. Thanks to the drive technology used in the HybrEx 14, energy savings of up to 55 percent can be achieved compared to conventional presses. The HybrEx press developed by SMS Meer uses its hydraulic system solely to generate the forming forces required for manufacturing semi-finished long products, with only the auxiliary movements of the extrusion press produced by dynamic, electric servo drives. Compared to the...
North American aluminum demand edges up slightly y/y in January 2015
The latest statistics released by the Aluminum Association indicate that aluminum demand in the United States and Canada (shipments by domestic producers plus imports) totaled an estimated 2,124 million pounds in January 2015, up one-tenth of one percent over a year ago. Demand for semi-fabricated (mill) products totaled 1,487 million pounds, up 10.1 percent. Apparent consumption (demand less exports) in domestic markets totaled an estimated 1,912 million pounds, increasing 7.9 percent. Exports of aluminum ingot and mill products from the U.S. and Canada (excluding cross-border trade) totaled 212 million pounds in January, down 39.5 percent from last year, while imports were up 17.6 percent to 477 million pounds. Aluminum imports of ingot, scrap and mill products into the U.S. and Canada...
Alcoa receives $259 million U.S. loan to expand aluminum output
The U.S. Department of Energy has agreed to lend Alcoa Inc. $259 million to expand automotive aluminum sheet production capacity at the supplier’s Tennessee factory, reviving a long-dormant loan program to support the development of energy-efficient vehicles. The funds will finance most of the costs of a $275 million expansion project already under way at the plant, where Alcoa is converting capacity previously used for making aluminum cans to produce high-strength aluminum for automakers. The project began in 2013 and is expected to add 200 permanent jobs after its mid-2015 completion, plus an additional 400 jobs during peak construction, the company and the DOE said. Automotive News first reported the DOE’s interest in Alcoa last May. “Alcoa’s innovative, high-strength aluminum...
Constellium launches new website for the soft alloys extrusions market in Europe
Constellium launched today a new website dedicated to the soft alloys extrusions market in Europe. It features Constellium's portfolio, capabilities and services in four languages: English, French, German and Slovak. Our five plants located in Germany (Crailsheim, Landau, Burg), France (Nuits Saint Georges) and Slovakia (Levice) are geographically well positioned to serve European customers in the automotive, transport, industry, solar and building segments. “This new website presents our operations and broad extrusion offering in terms of dimensions, surfaces, tolerances and sizes,” said Anne Gauthier, Business Planning and Marketing Director of Soft Alloys Europe at Constellium.
AAMA releases updated documents on architectural aluminum
The American Architectural Manufacturers Association updated and released two documents specific to architectural aluminum: the combined AAMA 609 & 610-15, “Cleaning and Maintenance Guide for Architecturally Finished Aluminum” and CW-10-15, "Care and Handling of Architectural Aluminum from Shop to Site." Architecturally finished aluminum is considered any that has been treated with anodic or organic coatings. AAMA 609 & 610-15 lists methods, equipment and materials applicable for cleaning such finished aluminum after construction and for subsequent periodic maintenance. AAMA CW-10-15 poses how best to care for aluminum from the mill to product fabrication, to loading and shipping of the finished product, and finally after building completion. A single paragraph addressing finish damage to...
Questions raised over UK metal recycling figures
The UK's recycling targets for steel and aluminium packaging have been based on incorrect data, says a new report from the country's Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and compliance expert Valpak. The study was meant to test the 2012 and 2013 put-on-market figures for the aluminium and steel sectors as published by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). Those figures are said to give a slightly distorted view, with the volume of aluminium being underestimated while steel was overestimated. The 'most robust' estimate that could be derived, based on publicly-available data, suggests that the quantity of steel packaging put on the market was 524 000 tonnes in 2012 and 529 000 tonnes in 2013. 'In 2012, the level of steel reprocessed by accredited reprocessors...
Alpart resumes bauxite mining
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced a short while ago that the Russian company UC RUSAL yesterday commenced the mining and processing of bauxite at the Alpart refinery at Nain in St Elizabeth. So far, the company has employed some 40 people and it has given its commitment to employ another 70 people by the end of April, the prime minister said. Simpson Miller made the disclosure while addressing the House of Representatives in her budget presentation Tuesday. The haulage of the bauxite from the factory to the ports will take place during April.
Century Aluminum, union extend deadline for Kentucky smelter talks
Century Aluminum Co and unionized workers at its Hawesville, Kentucky, aluminum smelter agreed to extend by a week a deadline for reaching a new labor deal before the current contract expires on March 31, the two sides said on Wednesday. United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9423 did not specify a new deadline, but said on its website its negotiation committee was conferring with specialists at the USW's Pittsburgh headquarters. The union said the extension would give the two sides "another week to try and work out some difficult issues." Two years ago, the 244,000-tonne-per-year smelter was saved from closure when Century, which is owned by Swiss commodities trading and mining company Glencore, secured a new favorably priced power contract. Century spokesman Kenny Barkley confirmed on...
Chalco posts largest-ever loss in 2014 on lower aluminum prices
Aluminum Corp of China Ltd (Chalco), the country’s top aluminum producer, swung into its largest-ever loss in 2014 due to lower aluminum and alumina prices, it said in a filing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange yesterday. The Chinese aluminum giant suffered net loss of 16.2 billion yuan ($2.6 billion) in 2014, a sharp reversal from a profit of 948 million yuan in 2013, its earnings report showed. The average price for the most active SHFE aluminum contract dropped 6.13% year-on-year to 13,697 yuan/tonne in 2014 due to overcapacity, the major reason behind its losses, it said. Alumina prices in China sank to 2014’s bottom in Q1 as massive closures of hurt alumina demand. However, prices rebounded later in the year since aluminum capacity restarts and expansions boosted alumina demand. The...
