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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Details of the new aluminium-intensive Jaguar XF 2015 revealed
After some teaser pictures of the brand new 2015 Jaguar XF, full fledged pictures of the car was revealed featuring the company’s latest modular aluminium architecture. The second generation Jaguar XF is going to be officially launched at the New York motor show in April and will go on sale in autumn 2015, fighting for market space amongst other new releases like Jaguar Land Rover and smaller XE saloon. Jaguar says that 75% of the car’s structure is made up of aluminium making it 190 kg lighter than its predecessor and giving it an edge of 28% increase in torsional rigidity. The platform used is similar to the one used in XE saloon, only longer. The design of the car has been tweaked to offer more legroom, kneeroom and headroom which is good news for the taller passengers. The car will...
Valley Craft to showcase its new PAL 500 Aluminum lift
Valley Craft Industries (Booth 3191) has announced the introduction of its newest product: The PAL 500 lightweight aluminum lift. The PAL 500 is designed and built in the United States. The Powered Aluminum Lift from Valley Craft allows for safe and efficient lifting and transportation of heavy materials. The aluminum lift has a 500-pound load capacity. With an overall unit height of 81 inches, the powered aluminum lift is capable of fitting through standard doorways. The slim profile makes maneuvering in narrow and confined spaces easy. The unit is also equipped with overload protection for operator safety and equipment protection. Features include: Lightweight aluminum construction, ergonomic handle, motor control with variable lift speeds, smooth and precise lifting, precision ball...
Limited-edition Coke bottle for collectors
Coca-Cola has introduced a collectible limited-edition 250ml aluminium bottle with Mynews site. It is named Coca-Cola Polar Bear and only available at mynews site stores at RM7.90 each from April 1. The jolly-looking polar bear bottle is a must-have for any Coca-Cola fan’s collection and conveys a message on environmental awareness. Inspired by the importance of conservation works, Mynews.com aims to bring a clear message throughout its expansive network of stores. Customers can also look forward to winning gold bars by participating in the store’s April promotion. There will be 10 units of gold bar weighing five grammes each up for grabs.
Indian government to initiate new rounds of coal auctions next month
Indian government to start another round of coal auction next month which belong to the 204 coal blocks that were cancelled by the Supreme Court last year, announced Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday. No official number was declared as to how many coal blocks would be put on auction although an inside source had revealed on Monday that there will most likely be 15-20 coal blocks in the fresh round of auctions. This announcement comes at a time when the government is facing litigations from Jindal Steel & Power whose coal mines was cancelled by the government due to extremely low winning prices. The coal block was going to be allotted to the state-owned Coal India Limited but JSP managed to get a stay order from the court preventing the government from cancelling three coal...
26 German firms to exhibit at Dubai aluminium event
More than 26 German companies have signed up to showcase aluminium products at a leading aluminium and allied industry event in the Middle East, to take place in Dubai next month. Aluminium Middle East, organised by Reed Exhibitions Middle East, will run from April 14 to 16 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and will have the participation of more than 200 exhibitors from 25 countries. The show is expecting more that 4,000 visitors, a 14 per cent increase over the last edition, which saw around 3,500 visitors, said a statement. ?The exhibition, which will be held under the slogan ‘Forging Connections, Building Possibilities,’ will help the region’s aluminium industry reach a new level of extraordinary growth, it said. It is the biggest specialised exhibition for...
Venezuela steel, aluminum output hit lowest level in 30 years
Venezuela's production of aluminum and steel in 2014 fell to their lowest levels in three decades due to limited investment, aging machinery and chronic labor conflict, according to the industry ministry's annual report. Output at Venezuelan steelmaker Sidor, nationalized in 2008 by late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, dropped 33.5 percent from the year before to reach 1.03 million tonnes of liquid steel, its lowest level since the mid-1980s. "Financial limitations were caused by low (revenue) resulting from constant labor stoppages that made it difficult to acquire raw material," the report says, adding that Sidor operates at 31 percent of its capacity. State-run aluminum smelter Venalum saw production drop 14 percent from the year before to reach 109,536 tonnes. The firm acknowledged in...
JNARDDC organizes three day workshop on “Microscopic Techniques in the Aluminium Industry”
The Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Mines, Government of India, was founded in 1989 as a centre of excellence to cater to the technical and R&D needs of the Indian Aluminium Industry. Since the last 25 years of its existence, it has been successful in meeting the aspirations of the vibrant and growing Indian aluminium industry. As a culmination of its Silver Jubilee Celebrations in April 2015, the centre is organizing, a three day workshop on “Microscopic Techniques in the Aluminium Industry” from 16-18 April 2015. The objectives of this workshop are to impart valuable technical and practical knowledge in the area of optical and electron microscopy for the benefit of the bauxite, alumina and aluminium...
Miller launches optimized Welding System to simplify aluminum auto body repairs
The new Millermatic® 350P auto body aluminum repair system provides all the equipment, from the power source to the gun and wire, to make quality aluminum auto body repairs. Miller Electric Mfg. Co. has introduced the new Millermatic® 350P auto body aluminum repair system — a complete welding package designed to provide high weld quality and simplify repairs on aluminum auto body panels and beds, such as found in the 2015 Ford F-150 truck. This turnkey solution addresses the growing trend of aluminum usage in the automotive market and has been designed specifically to address the challenges posed by welding thin gauge aluminum, such as warping, distortion and burn-through. It builds on the trusted performance of the popular Miller® Millermatic 350P MIG power source and can also be used to...
Antam seeking more partners to back SGA project
State-owned diversified miner PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) is still struggling to find partners to support its plan to develop another smelter to process bauxite into lucrative products. Antam corporate secretary Tri Hartono said on Tuesday that the company needed to find further partners to jointly develop a smelter grade alumina (SGA) plant, although it has one partner already: PT Inalum, another state-owned company. “Under the plan, Antam and Inalum will be the domestic majority shareholder in SGA with a stake of at least 51 percent. However, we will need a partner or partners with the technology and funding for SGA development,” Tri explained. Potential partners come from various countries, including China, according to Tri. The SGA plant is estimated to need US$1.7 billion in investment,...
Rio and Alcoa to give up Kimberly bauxite project to facilitate a national park
Industry leaders Rio Tinto and Alcoa bow out of the State Agreement Act developed to initiate a bauxite mine and alumina refinery in the north Kimberly region, so that the region can be included in a proposed national park. Mitchel Plateau area was reserved for the development of bauxite mine and alumina refinery according to the Act established 40 years ago. However the two giants are ready to give up this land so that the 175,000 hectare land can become a part of the national park which may be Australia’s largest covering over 2 million hectares across Kimberly. Alcoa Australia MD Alan Cransberg says, “While the Mitchell plateau bauxite resource is likely to hold value in the future, the State Agreement Act requires the development of an alumina refinery, which has always proven to be...
North American aluminium secondary Recovery Up 4.4% in 2014
The U.S. aluminum industry purchased1 an estimated 759 million pounds of aluminum scrap during December 2014, according to aluminum recycling statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior, up 7.7 percent over the December 2013 total of 705 million. USGS estimates that recovery of aluminum and aluminum alloys totaled 646 million pounds, an increase of 8.4 percent year-over-year. Preliminary data for 2014 indicate that recovery of aluminum from scrap totaled an estimated 8,018 million pounds, up 4.4 percent over the 2013 total of 7,677 million. U.S. exports of scrap, not included in the government’s consumption statistics, totaled 3,833 million pounds in 2014, down 6.3 percent from 2013. For more information visit the Aluminum Association website.
United Nations suggests recycling metals from ‘urban mines’
United Nations Environment Programme states that the average amount of e-waste generated globally amounts to almost 50 million tons and is expected to grow by a whopping 500 percent over the next decade. Surprisingly, only 15-20 percent of the waste is recycled and as a result a lot of it goes to landfills or incinerators causing pollution and at the same time a lot of valuable metal is wasted. The discarded e-waste not only causes pollution due to the presence of lead, mercury and cadmium which releases toxic fumes into the environment when burned or disposed improperly. A lot of valuable metal is also wasted leading to needless mining of new metals when the same could be derived from the waste. Dr Damien Giurco, a researcher in UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures says, “We’ve found...
Australian Bauxite ups Tasmanian bauxite resources
Australian Bauxite has estimated initial resources for its Bald Hill mine near the Campbell Town production centre in Tasmania to be 3.5 million tonnes. Total Tasmanian bauxite resources now total 9.2 million tonnes, an increase of 61%, with bulk test pits in mid-2013 indicating yields of 65% to 75%. Crucially, reactive silica grades are low at 3.1%, with available alumina grades of 37.2%. Extensions of the Bald Hill deposit have been found and will be exploited during mining, and deposits at Fingal Rail and Nile Road are known to extend beyond the resource limits. These initial resources from the Campbell Town production centre increase ABX’s total bauxite resource base for all regions to 119 million tonnes. Drilling is in progress in the DL-130 area and revised resource estimation will...
Orbite announces proposed public offering of units
Orbite Aluminae Inc. is pleased to announce that it proposes to offer for sale a minimum of 8,500 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") and a maximum of 15,500 Units at a price of $1,000 per Unit for minimum gross proceeds of $8,500,000 and maximum gross proceeds of $15,500,000 (the "Offering"). Each Unit consists of $1,000 principal amount of 5% convertible unsecured unsubordinated debentures (the "Debentures") and 907 share purchase warrants (each single share purchase warrant, a "Warrant") of the Company (which is equivalent to 35% of the number of class A Shares (the "Common Shares") into which the Debentures are convertible). The Debentures will mature five years from their issue date (the "Maturity Date") and will bear interest at a rate of 5% per annum payable semi-annually. Each...
South Korean companies stepping up investment in non-ferrous metal industry
South Korea is increasing investment in the non-ferrous metal industry due to improving demands and major companies are stepping up to increase capacities, reported a national media. As companies are increasing capacities in zinc, lead, copper as well as silver and gold, aluminium is also gaining importance. A leading aluminium billet producer in the country, Standard Firm Co. Ltd, is planning an expansion and is expected to complete its No.2 Branch this month. At present the plant located in Gangwon Munmak industrial park has two 100-ton furnaces, three 60-ton furnaces and three 50-ton furnaces. After completion of the proposed expansion, the annual capacity will come up to a total of 304,000 tons. The company plans to export the finished goods from the new plant to overseas markets like...
Gulf Extrusions launches first ever e-library for building consultants, architects and developers
Gulf Extrusions (Gulfex), a leading global manufacturer of extruded aluminium products, launched it's first-ever e-library. The release of the new e-library, which is in AutoCAD format, is aimed at helping architects, design professionals and developers in coming up with flawless designs for windows or façade systems of their respective projects. The new e-library, first of its kind in the region, is also expected to act as a strategic tool that consultants can use to easily estimate costs and feasibilities for the projects they are working on. In addition, aluminium and glass contractors can also make use of the e-library to produce shop drawings, elevations, renderings and also generate quotes easily. Modar Al Mekdad, General Manager, Gulfex, said, "We are proud to release this new...
Flooding Chinese aluminum semis sparks anger in overseas markets
Rusal recently accused China of dumping aluminum semis and has called for a discussion of the issue at the next World Customs Organisation meeting. China exported 3.67 million tonnes of aluminum semis in 2014, up 600,000 tonnes or 19.5% from a year ago. The country also exported 800,000 tonnes of aluminum wheel rim, up 81,000 tonnes or 11.3% year-on-year. Export rebates on aluminum semis – 13% on aluminum plate/sheet, strip and extrusion; 15% on aluminum foil; and 17% on aluminum wheel rim – have given Chinese exporters a competitive edge in overseas market. However, the outward flood of Chinese aluminum semi, combined with expansions in India’s aluminum market, and Russia’s own growing aluminum exports have pushed down LME aluminum prices and aluminum premiums overseas. This has not only...
Pakistani producers urge FBR to repeal duty on aluminium scrap import
Pakistan’s engineering firms have urged the federal tax authority to repeal of the five percent regulatory duty paid on the import of aluminium waste and scrap as it is adversely affecting the local industrial production. In a letter to the Chairman Federal Board of Revenue, Tariq Bajwa, the producers of non-ferrous metal alloys argue that since there are no duties on the import of finished goods, there should not be any for the scrap raw materials either for a fair system. Production is being greatly hampered by the duty leading to several closures of industrial units, unemployment and deterioration of the overall economy, the producers informed the FBR chief. Additional duty was imposed last month in light of the steady fall of metal scrap price in the international markets. The finance...
