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
The Oman Aluminium Rolling Company (OARC) completes performance test for plant
The Oman Aluminium Rolling Company (OARC), owned by Takamul Investment Company, based in Sohar (Oman) and constructed by FATA EPC (a division of FATA S.p.A.), successfully concluded its extensive final IPPT (Integrated Plant Performance Tests) Program in November 2014. OARC has produced coils across all product ranges and have now begun their ramp-up to full production. The OARC Plant is a state-of-the-art, world-class light gauge sheet rolling facility with a capacity of 140,000 tonnes per year. It includes a Hazelett Twin Belt Caster which provides unique metallurgical properties that benefit customers in their business applications of aluminium sheet products. The successful combination of the industry leading technology of the Hazelett belt caster with the state-of-the-art Hot...
Bauxite and alumina winners at China commodity trade data
Commodity trading figures for 2014 in China confirms a trend that shows higher import volumes as a result of low commodity prices. Key commodities showed a rise in imports due to falling prices. There are a few commodities in which cases both the volumes and prices went up and these according to a Reuter reporting are the real winners in the story of natural resources demand in China. The last year was a positive and strong one for bauxite and alumina, the raw materials for aluminium. Imports of alumina went up 37.7% to 5.27 million tonnes in 2014, while the price of alumina as reported by Chinese customs in December 2014 was $382.34 a tonne, up from $364.97 a year back. Imports of bauxite plunged 48.3 percent to 36.28 million tonnes. However, this must be viewed in terms of the massive...
Alba wins the 2015 Green Era Award
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), recognised as a leading environment-friendly aluminium producer, is proud to announce that it has been declared a winner of the “The Green Era Award” for 2015. Granted by the French “Otherways Association” to companies and firms from both public and private sectors who have made sustainability a key driver in their business strategy, Alba was awarded for its outstanding environmental achievements and sustainable practices. Commenting on this achievement, Alba’s Chief Operations Officer, Isa Al Ansari said: “Alba continues to make great strides in its positive contribution to a “greener” world. We are proud to win the Green Era Award as it recognises the Company’s on-going commitment to responsibly manage its operations, thus making a positive impact on the...
Aluminium gains as global stockpiles dwindle
The global aluminium stockpiles drops to the lowest it has been in more than five months, tightening supply and pushing the aluminium prices up. London Metal Exchange tracked the metal stockpiles to find that it has now hit 4.08 million which is the least it has been since May 2009. Aluminium prices also were bolstered by the expectation of new business opportunities in Europe as a result of positive economic stimulus. Equities have been trading high in Europe inching towards a seven-year high on January 26. The commodity has also gained 1.4% this year, making it the best performing metal among the six listed on the LME. Aluminum for delivery in three months rose 2.6 percent to $1,879 a metric ton at 5:51 p.m. on the LME, gaining the most since Jan. 16. Prices fell 1.9 percent in the...
Surge in Chinese exports may threaten aluminium prices
Global aluminium fundamentals would have been in a much better state had the Chinese industry exercised the same kind of production discipline as was seen in other regions, especially Europe and America. Of the global aluminium production of 53.746 million tonnes (mt) in 2014, China alone accounted for 27.98 mt. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, aluminium capacity use in China ranged from 82 per cent to 84 per cent, several percentage points higher than in other countries. That there hasn't been any capacity decommissioning in China isn't true. Many believe under pressure from the Xi Jinping-led government, high-cost and polluting smelters with a combined capacity of 2.1 mt have stopped production permanently. Another 1.5 mt of capacity is due to be scrapped. Some Chinese aluminium producers...
China’s alumina imports surged again in December
China’s aluminium imports continue to surge, rising another 44% from the previous month and 83.7% from last year importing a total of 638,586 tonnes of alumina in December, according to the latest customs data. Australia, one of China’s biggest suppliers, alone contributed 399,121 tonnes in December rising 18.3% year-on-year. The supplier country’s alumina production has also seen a surge with BHP’s Worsley plant achieving record production in the December 2014 quarter. Brazil too contributed generously to China exporting 113,535 tonnes of alumina to China up by 15.4% from the previous month. In 2014, China imported a total of 5.27 million tonnes of alumina and 673,558 tonnes of bauxite from Malaysia pushing up the numbers of unwrought aluminium exports from China considerably. For the...
Aludium launched as Atlas Holdings acquires Alcoa rolling assets in Spain and France
On January 1, 2015, Atlas Holdings LLC launched Aludium — its newest operating company — with the acquisition of rolling mills in Spain and France from Alcoa, a global leader in lightweight metals technology, engineering, and manufacturing. Included in the transaction are mills located in Amorebieta and Alicante (Spain) and Castelsarrasin (France), as well as the state-of-the-art Cindal research and development facility in Alicante. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Aludium produces engineered, high-quality products for a broad array of sectors including building and construction, brights and decoration, and closures and cosmetics. The company will maintain its existing focus on these core markets. “Our objective is to become Europe’s premier supplier of aluminium sheets,...
Alcoa of Australia refuses to be tempted by bauxite boom
Rising demand for Australian bauxite has not tempted Alcoa of Australia to join the export rush, with the aluminium giant saying it would prefer to create local jobs by turning Australian bauxite into finished products. Bauxite prices rose strongly in 2014 and are expected to rise again in coming years as a shortage of high quality bauxite in China starts to take effect. Several Australian companies are planning to meet the increased demand, with Rio Tinto mulling a multi-billion dollar expansion of its bauxite operations at Weipa later this year. Former BHP Billiton executive Alberto Calderon is involved with another local bauxite aspirant, Gulf Alumina, while ASX-listed junior Australian Bauxite Limited has beaten them all to the punch by beginning trial production of a new bauxite mine...
Novelis commissions $48 million automotive closed-loop recycling investment in Oswego plant
Novelis, the global leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today announced the completion of a $48 million investment in its automotive scrap aluminum recycling facility in Oswego, N.Y. It expands upon the company's recent growth in Oswego to meet the increased demand for aluminum automotive sheet in North America. Including this recycling center, over the past five years, Novelis has invested more than $400 million in Oswego and hired more than 430 new employees, with around 250 additional jobs planned by the year 2020. The recycling investment includes a new 81,000 square-foot building capable of processing, sorting and storing automotive scrap aluminum. Additional investments were made in infrastructure improvements such as road and parking upgrades to handle increased truck...
2017 Jeep Wrangler may get a hybrid powerplant, be made of aluminum and carbon fiber
The Jeep Wrangler is a vehicle sort of encumbered by its success, in that everyone wants it to remain exactly the same, but improve at the same time. This is the conundrum Jeep chief, the aptly named Mike Manley, is forced to contend with as it prepares to update the vehicle for 2017. In an interview with Auto Express, Manley discusses the possibilities that lay ahead for the off-roader, including the introduction of hybrid power. “You have the potential for hybrid powertrains in the future,” he admitted. “For those people who use the Wrangler, the most important thing is the initial torque and the crawl ratio,” said Manley. “With an electric motor you have the most torque available and with the right combination of transmission and gear ratios you can create incredible crawl ratios.” It...
Ford contract, aluminum truck parts discussed
A Ford Motor Co. executive on Friday carefully skirted high-stakes questions about how the resurging automaker will handle labor contract negotiations this year with its hourly workers. Instead, John Fleming, Ford's executive vice president of global manufacturing and labor affairs, echoed recent remarks from United Auto Workers leaders, saying that the automaker and the union are "aligned" on the goal of ensuring that Ford remains competitive after a new pact is reached later this year. Fleming, who spoke at the Governor's Luncheon which concluded the annual Kentucky Transportation Conference hosted by Kentuckians for Better Transportation, gave a brisk talk, using a PowerPoint and few notes, that touched on Ford's expanding reach around the world and its pride in having Kentucky...
Sapa is pushing copper substitution in Chicago, at AHR 2015
Sapa is bringing new and revolutionary to Chicago at the world’s largest HVAC&R marketplace, the 2015 AHR Expo. Its aluminium tubing innovations include the WebMPE. The AHR Expo is held annually for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) industry. Sapa’s Precision Tubing business area will again be present at the three-day international trade fair, which opens on Monday, January 26, at McCormick Place in Chicago. One of the highlights at October’s Chillventa exhibition in Germany was Sapa's innovative WebMPE. Now, Sapa will be showing it for the second time – at the AHR Expo. Expert engineers will be present at Sapa’s stand to elaborate on the dramatic and revolutionary design of this brazed aluminium heat exchanger. Indeed, for the first time, the...
Metro Alloys joins ISRI’s Circle of Safety Excellence
The metals recycling company Metro Alloys Inc., East Point, Georgia, has been added to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) Circle of Safety Excellence, an industry initiative focused on improving operational safety for recycling companies. ISRI says the key to the new initiative is the establishment of a platform through which like-minded companies voluntarily come forward to share safety data and best practices for the betterment of their own safety operations. By taking this step, companies such as Metro Alloys are being recognized by ISRI for their commitment to safety. Companies must apply annually for membership in the Circle of Safety Excellence. “Employee safety must be embedded in a recycler’s day-to-day operations to be effective and its importance simply cannot be...
EGA targets future global aluminium demand at US symposium
The strength of Emirates Global Aluminium ("EGA") in being able to meet future primary global aluminium demand was highlighted during the Platts Aluminium Symposium 2015, which was staged in Scottsdale, Arizona from 18 to 20 January. Speaking at the symposium, of which EGA was one of the sponsors, Adel Abubakar (Managing Director of DUBAL America Inc.) told delegates how statistics show the Americas and Asia - both key EGA markets - will provide the major sources of growth in primary aluminium demand. "Global primary aluminium demand is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate ("CAGR") of 7.6% from 2014 to 2017 with statistics indicating that Asia and the Americas will generate the greatest share of aluminium demand in the next few years," said Abubakar, citing industry analysts....
China’s refined aluminum imports shrink to lowest since 2008
Chinese refined aluminum imports in December fell to a six-year low as domestic production surged. Inbound shipments of primary aluminum shrank to 1,857 tons in December, a tumble from 76,060 tons the previous year, according to data from the General Administration of Customs on Friday. The monthly figure was the lowest since June 2008. Full-year imports slumped 27 percent to 267,700 tons. The fall in imports reflects China’s rising output of refined aluminum and its surging aluminum product exports. Its primary aluminum output rose 7.7 percent to a record 24.4 million tons last year, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Global aluminum makers may add a net 3.9 million tons of new capacity this year, a 39 percent increase from 2014, according to...
Venezuela plans to produce 436,000 tonnes of aluminum
The governor made this remark, at the time of his visit to the aluminum plant, in order to inspect the asphalt paving associated with the aluminum plants. He added that the aluminum smelter collaborated with the State in 2008, when there was a hard drought in the Guri River, which is located to the eastern part of the Venezuela, and electric power had to be conserved. The workers never hesitated to turn off almost all of the plant’s power in order to provide electricity to the Country. Recovering from such a setback, takes hard work, and the company is still putting in the effort to recover. Rangel stated that it is very possible for the company to recover. He also added that the company had broken a production record during the oil strike in 2002-2003. Hence there is no doubt in the...
Global aluminium demand to grow at 7.6pc
Global primary aluminium demand is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.6 per cent from 2014 to 2017 with Asia and the Americas generating the greatest share of demand, said a top official. UAE-based Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) exported 56 per cent of its production in 2014 to Asia and the Americas, explained Adel Abubakar, managing director of Dubal America, highlighting that the company was well placed to achieve further market share. He was speaking at the recent Platts Aluminium Symposium 2015, which was staged in US city of Scottsdale, Arizona. Abubakar added that substantial future growth will be in value added products - a niche focus for EGA, where about 85 per cent of the 2.4 million tonnes manufactured each year comprises re-melt products, billets...
China’s bauxite purchases from Australia climb 75% to record
China’s bauxite imports from Australia rose 75 percent to a record in December, underlining the country’s role as top supplier after Indonesia banned exports in January. Purchases jumped to 1.87 million metric tons from 1.07 million tons in November and 1 million tons a year earlier, customs data showed on Jan. 23. Imports from Australia rose 9.5 percent to 15.7 million tons in 2014 from a year earlier. Indonesia was the top supplier in 2013, with 48.7 million tons. China, the biggest user of industrial metals, has sought supplies from other countries after Indonesia halted shipments of raw ore including, bauxite, nickel and copper to spur investment in domestic processing. Bauxite is the raw material used for aluminum and an additional 20 million tons will be needed annually in the next...
