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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Recycling rate for cans at new record level
The overall recycling rate for aluminium beverage cans in the EU 27 + EFTA countries increased by 1.5% points to a new record level of 69.5% (70%) in 2012. When considering the collection of cans in the remaining European countries and Turkey, the result is that the metal of more than 27.5 billion cans remains in the European circular economy and is available again for the production of new aluminium products. Moreover, these collected cans represent a total amount of 390,000 tons of recycled aluminium, avoiding more than 3.12 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), i.e. the average yearly emission of about 340.000 EU citizens, equivalent to the entire population of cities like Florence, Cardiff or Alicante. Each tonne of recycled aluminium saves up to 95% of the energy used or...
China importers postpone aluminium buying as premiums fall
Chinese buyers of primary aluminium are reluctant to book imports for the second quarter as they hold limited cash and as falling premiums prompt them to postpone purchases, traders and industry sources said. While China is the world's top producer of aluminium, some end users buy the metal abroad under a rule that allows them to import duty free as long as products made from the cargoes are shipped overseas. Imports usually pick up after holidays for the Lunar New Year, which this year came in February, but buying has been weaker than expected this month, sources said. Reduced buying will likely pile more pressure on premiums for primary aluminium ingots in Asia. Premiums, the surcharge paid by buyers on top of the London Metal Exchange cash price to obtain prompt delivery, have fallen...
Norsk Hydro: Extended maintenance at Paragominas, production at Alunorte unaffected
One of two ball mills at Hydro’s bauxite mining operations, Paragominas in Para, Brazil, was taken out for planned maintenance in the beginning of March, with planned return to production towards the second half of March. As work progressed, an inspection revealed items which require an extended period of reduced production. Maintenance and improvements are now expected to last until the second half of April. Paragominas normally operates with two ball mills, and with one ball mill out for maintenance, production at Paragominas is now running at 50% of capacity. In preparation for this maintenance, Hydro’s Alunorte alumina refinery was operating with an inventory level sufficient to cover the planned maintenance period. The current inventory levels at Alunorte and supply from the MRN...
New process can help 'make aircraft recycling a reality'
Researchers at Australia's Deakin University have developed a technology 'that should open the way to recycling the bulk of the 200 000 aircraft currently traversing the airways'. The university calculates this breakthrough would see around 6 million tonnes and billions of dollars’ worth of high-performance aluminium alloys retained within the airline industry. Dr Thomas Dorin and his co-workers have built a prototype of the recycling process at Deakin's Institute for Frontier Materials at Waurn Ponds. Said to deliver 'an enhancement of the alloys' performances', Dorin says of the process: 'We adapted the steel Direct Strip Casting technology, which uses a vertical twin copper roll system to process the alloys.' The key was using copper instead of steel roller to achieve extremely high...
Aluminium falls by 0.4% on profit-booking
Aluminium prices fell by 0.45% to INR 111.50 per kg in futures trade today as participants reduced their exposures even as the metal strengthened at the London Metal Exchange (LME). At the Multi Commodity Exchange, aluminium for delivery in March eased by 50 paise, or 0.45%, to INR 111.50 per kg in a business turnover of 269 lots. Similarly, the metal for delivery in April traded lower by 45 paise, or 0.44%, to INR 112.45 per kg in 27 lots. Marketmen said the weakness in aluminium at futures trade was mostly due to profit-booking by speculators but the metal's gain at the LME, limited the fall.
Novaproducts new aluminium stair nosing for sandy and abrasive environments
Novaproducts Global has released a new aluminium stair nosing product specially designed for the sandy and abrasive environment prevalent in Western Australia. Novaproducts’ new Fineribb CCRG stair nosing is made from special commercial grade aluminium and has a tough extra grade anodised surface for installation in highly trafficable areas. The unique design of the Fineribb surface provides extra grip on the stair nosing while also concealing scratches or signs of general wear to present an aesthetic appearance for a long time. Key features of Novaproducts’ new Fineribb CCRG aluminium stair nosing include choice of several inserts and designs; practical yet stylish design protecting the edge of the staircase for long-term durability; and compliance with AS/NZS 1428.1 when installed...
Import duty on raw material raises cost of products
The imposition of 5 to 15 per cent import regulatory duty on a number of items used as raw material by local manufacturers has increased the cost of finished products. Talking to Dawn, Zeeshan Merchant, former secretary-general Karachi Tax Bar Association (KTBA), said though the SRO 131(1)/2015 imposed regulatory duty on luxury goods, but it also covered five/six items used as raw material by local industry. Merchant pointed out that as per SRO 131(I)/2015, raw material with Pakistan Customs Tariff Code 7602.0090, 7204.5000, 7204.4990, 7204.4100 and 7204.3000 have been subjected to regulatory duty. Giving details, he explained these pertained to regulatory duty on import of aluminium waste or scrap used to manufacture aluminium alloy ingots which are widely used by automobile and fan...
Aleris may expand capacity in Europe for aluminum sheet for autos
Aleris Corp may expand its capacity for production of aluminum sheet for automobiles in Europe when the economy there recovers, its top executive said, as demand for lightweight materials continues to grow. The company has the "capability" to add a second continuous annealing line at its rolling mill in Duffel, Belgium, though it has not yet decided on any specifics, Steven Demetriou, Aleris' chairman and chief executive, said in a recent interview. Aleris completed a $70 million expansion in 2013 at Duffel, one of Europe's largest rolling mills which supplies Mercedes and Audi, and announced plans last year to start producing auto body sheet in the United States. Fuel efficiency standards are prompting many car manufacturers, such as Ford Motor Co, to switch to aluminum, which is lighter...
LME wants more electronic trading, deals with aluminum warehousing fallout
The London Metal Exchange wants to grow its electronic trading marketplace. Executives at the world’s biggest and oldest market for industrial metals believe they can grow it quite rapidly if the right conditions are put in place. Paul MacGregor, the exchange’s head of sales, said at an LME event in Chicago that the group is in a position where it has a good electronic trading platform and good participation in it, but needs more volume. The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, Ltd.-owned LME still uses open outcry trading. This system works great for actual metal users, but the professional traders and bank traders that the LME would like to have participating are used to a faster pace. “The actual financial participants, the so-called algorithmic traders and the market movers, are 10% or...
Upgradation work begins at EGA Jebel Ali conducted by SNC-Lavalin
SNC-Lavalin is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a contract by Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) to provide the engineering, procurement and construction management services for the PL1-3 Energy Optimization Project at EGA's operating subsidiary, Dubai Aluminium (DUBAL, also known as EGA Jebel Ali) in the United Arab Emirates. SNC-Lavalin will upgrade the three original potlines at the smelter. This will involve modifying existing equipment to implement EGA's in-house developed D18+ technology, as well as installing a new potline control system and transformer rectifier swing unit. Work has already begun and the project is expected to conclude in 2017. "We are proud to be a part of EGA's continued growth and success," said Dale Clarke, Executive Vice-President, Mining &...
Govt approves allocation of bauxite block to Odisha Mining
The government has approved a proposal from Odisha to allocate a bauxite deposit with reserves of over 150 million tonnes to the state mining company, a move likely to help companies like Sesa Sterlite Ltd that are banking on the raw material to fire their aluminium smelters in the state. In a parliament response on Tuesday, junior steel and mines minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the proposal to allocate the Karlapat bauxite deposit to Odisha Mining Corp (OMC) had been approved and conveyed to the state government. OMC, which has bauxite mining joint ventures with companies including Vedanta and Hindalco Industries Ltd, last month scrapped its joint venture with global mining giant Rio Tinto to focus its efforts on mining independently. A senior Sesa Sterlite executive, who did not want to be...
Ess Dee Aluminium hits 30-month low
Shares of Ess Dee Aluminium have tanked 17% to INR 142, its lowest level in past 30-months on the BSE, on back of heavy volumes. Earlier, in September 2012, the stock had fallen below INR 150 mark. Till 1315 hours, a combined a 817,210 equity shares changed hands as against an average sub 250,000 shares that were traded daily in past two weeks on the BSE and NSE. In past one month the stock has been almost halved after reported a weak set of numbers for the quarter ended December 2014. It plunged 47% from INR 266 on February 12, 2015, compared with less than 1% fall in the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex. The company engaged in advanced packaging solution business had posted a sharp 52% year on year (yoy) drop in its standalone net profit at INR 6.43 crore in October-December quarter, due to...
Bridgnorth Aluminium sees a 60% rise in customers over past year
Bridgnorth Aluminium, a producer of aluminium rolled products, has seen a 60 percent rise in customer numbers over the past year giving them ample reasons to celebrate. The company has bagged a number of contracts over the FY 2014-15 which includes deals with renowned companies like Siemens and Schneider Electric. Managing Director of Bridgnorth Aluminium, Simon MacVicker says, “The past 12 months have been fantastic for the firm. We’ve seen notable progress in the automotive and electrical sectors in particular, partly due to a hugely successful appearance at the 2014 CWIEME Show in Berlin – one of the world’s leading events for coil winding, insulation, and electrical manufacturing.” The company has made a significant investment worth €3.5million investment for a new piece of finishing...
Yarwun diversifying to alumina hydrate; Gove added as a source of bauxite
A part of the bauxite required for the Rio Tinto Alcan’s Yarwun site will come from Gove said the acting general manager Greg Bacon. The plant requires seven million tonnes of bauxite at present and six million of it comes from the Weipa site owned by Rio, only one million is being sourced from Gove bauxite site. Rio Tinto has also started dealing in alumina hydrate this year which is used in fertilizers, paints, inks and glass manufacturing. The compound is created by stopping one step short in the process of alumina refining, before the calcination process. Bacon says this makes maintenance of the plant easier and cost effective as the entire operation need not shut down in case maintenance is required. "We can reduce our energy consumption on site so we aren't having to fire that up in...
Middle East invests in bauxite, alumina and infrastructure in Africa
While Chinese investments in Africa get enough media coverage, Middle East is silently entering the African continent with their own plans for strategic investment. Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Development and Dubai Aluminium (Dubal) is planning a US$5 billion investment to develop the upstream industry which includes a bauxite mine, alumina refinery and port in Guinea as well as in West Africa. While bauxite is an important resource for Africa, with Guinea being the largest supplier of bauxite in the world, aluminium is now a key industry for the Middle East. UAE in a bid to reduce their dependence on oil has diversified to the lighter metal and has a strong state support in the industry. According to the Agreement, the bauxite mine will be ready to export ores by 2017while the alumina refinery...
Alcoa continues reshaping upstream business, 443,000 metric tons of Suralco’s refining capacity to be curtailed
Lightweight metals leader Alcoa today announced that it plans to curtail 443,000 metric tons per year (mtpy) of alumina refining capacity at Suralco in Suriname. In addition, the Company and the Government of Suriname have agreed to pursue a transaction for a Government-owned entity to acquire the Suralco operations. The curtailment and potential transaction are in line with Alcoa’s recent announcement to review upstream capacity for possible curtailment or divestiture and the Company’s strategic goal to create a globally competitive commodity business. The curtailment, which represents one digester, is expected to be complete by April 30, 2015. “Reducing the production of the refinery will assist in extending the life of the operations as we continue to work with the Government of...
Upward trend in German aluminium production; stable volumes expected in 2015
The German aluminium industry clearly outpaced economic growth as a whole last year and it is also expecting the economic trend to be stable in 2015. Aluminium producers (+ 3.7 per cent), manufacturers of semi-finished products (+ 2.2 per cent), aluminium casters (+ 12.1 per cent) and converters (+ 3.9 per cent) all increased their production significantly in 2014. “The use of aluminium will grow continuously worldwide, but also andparticularly in Germany,” is how Heinz-Peter Schlüter, President of Düsseldorf-based GDA Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie, describes the medium-term prospects of his sector. “Thanks to the high innovation potential of the markets in Germany, the competitiveness of the aluminium industry will continue to grow,” says GDA Executive Director Christian Wellner...
BHP flags $US738m demerger costs
BHP Billiton expects to incur one-off costs of around $US738 million on its $US15 billion ($A18.5bn) spin-off of non-core aluminium and manganese assets into South32, but has flagged further reductions to its cost base following the transaction. Investors responded well to the news. By 4.15pm (AEDT) BHP shares were 1.26 per cent higher at $29.77, against a benchmark index lift of 0.77 per cent. The charge comprises of stamp duty and cash tax of $US339m, South32 set up and separation costs of $US254m and execution costs of $US145m, including financial advisor costs of $US30m. BHP chief executive Andrew Mackenzie said the demerger of non-core aluminium and manganese businesses will materially simplify the miner's portfolio in a single step and, in the longer term, "allow [BHP] to further...
