AL Circle analysis: How do Germany’s 32.8% automotive aluminium share, 40% Diet Coke can price rise & 3.54Mt North American extrusion demand matter?
Aluminium’s downstream and end-user world is having one of those fortnights where a beer can, a luxury sports car, a German construction site and an Indian furnace all end up in the same conversation. The metal may begin its life far upstream, but its real fuss is playing out in cans, cars, extrusions, buildings and factories, where tariffs, trade policy, energy costs and demand cycles decide who wins. This fortnight highlights that aluminium demand is moving towards electric vehicles, lightweight transport and long-life infrastructure, even as packaging and construction feel the pinch of cost and weak activity. Meanwhile, producers from Vietnam to New Zealand are arguing over the oldest question in the business of how much protection, taxation or openness does a downstream industry need...
AL Circle Analysis: Guinea’s 150Mt bauxite cap, China’s import swings, US tariffs draw aluminium Q4’26
The global aluminium supply chain is facing a series of changes that extend from bauxite mines and alumina refineries to smelters, regional premiums and finished-metal trade. In 2026, the market’s direction is being shaped not only by production volumes but also by freight costs, export restrictions, shifting Chinese demand and tariffs. Developments across Guinea, Australia, China, Europe and North America point to a market where access to supply is increasingly as important as the availability of raw materials. Bauxite supply: Guinea’s cap meets a well-stocked China, but is it stable? Guinea remains central to the seaborne bauxite market, with its shipment connections to China demonstrating the importance of reliable logistics. A new sea-rail route has enabled a Guinea bauxite shipment...
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Altech optimises beneficiation process for its meckering deposit
Altech Chemicals Limited is pleased to announce that as part of the current Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) for its high purity alumina (HPA) project, it has optimised the proposed beneficiation process for the Meckering aluminous clay(kaolin) deposit. The results of the optimisation program confirm the significant benefits of wet processing (refer Figure 2), previously dry processing which involved the initial dry crushing, drying and screening of the material had been contemplated. The selection of wet processing is based on recent test-work conducted by Simulus Engineers and Simulus Laboratory’s in Perth, Australia. The test-work successfully demonstrated that Altech’s Meckering aluminous clay readily slurries in a water attritioner without the need for dry crushing and drying, prior...
Alcoa elects L. Rafael Reif to board of directors
Alcoa today announced that its Board of Directors has elected L. Rafael Reif a director of the Company effective March 2, 2015. Dr. Reif, 63, is president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the world renowned educational institution of science and technology. He has been a faculty member of MIT for more than 30 years. "In addition to leading one of the world’s most acclaimed academic institutions, Dr. Reif is a respected international authority on innovative material science and advanced manufacturing technologies,” said Alcoa Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld. “His expertise and counsel will be invaluable as Alcoa invests in digitization, automation and robotics to enhance the competitiveness of our expanding multi-material, value-add business portfolio.” Dr. Reif, at the...
2014 Aluminium Production in the GCC reached to 4,928,143 tons, an increase of 1,179,527 tons compared to 2013
Collectively the five Aluminium companies (EGA, Alba, Ma’aden, Qatalum and Sohar Aluminium) produced 4,928,143 tons of primary Aluminium in 2014 compared to 3,748,616 tons in 2013, an increase of 31%. GCC Aluminium production constitutes 10% of the total world production. Mr. Mahmood Daylami, Secretary General, Gulf Aluminium Council(GAC) added, “The main increase has come from Ma’aden Aluminum, Saudi Arabia start-up which was successfully ramped up during the year, and EMAL Phase 2 project completion before the target date”. He also added that the production for 2015 is expected to be more than 5 million tons. GCC remains to be one of the leading hubs for the Aluminum business where 40% of its production utilized by the Downstream Aluminium industry in the Gulf for Regional and...
Government of India to decide the parameters for mining auctions
The new mining Ordinance established by the Union government allows them to set any parameters for bidding of mineral concessions which could be a share in production, payment linked to royalty or any other parameter the Centre sees fit. According to the new Ordinance, the only way for the state to grant mineral concessions would be through auctions but the terms of the auction including conditions, procedures and the bidding parameters for different categories will be prescribed by the Union government. The mining industry also seems fine with the terms as a company has the right to say no to bidding if it is not comfortable with the set parameters, informed Dinesh Kumar Singhi, the MD of a leading mining company in Karnataka. Miners suggest that in order to get the best price in the...
EGA sponsors World Future Energy Summit 2015
UAE aluminium giant Emirates Global Aluminium ("EGA") will play a pivotal role as Associate Sponsor when the World Future Energy Summit ("WFES") 2015 is hosted by Masdar at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from 19 to 22 January. More than 30,000 delegates from 170 countries representing expertise from industry, technology, finance and government will attend an event widely considered the world's foremost summit dedicated to renewable energies, clean technologies and energy efficiency. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, WFES is a key part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2015.While the summit enjoyed sponsorship support from Emirates Aluminium ("EMAL", an...
Honda presents ‘world’s first all-aluminum supercar’ at North American Auto Show 2015
Honda introduced Honda NSX a mid-engined, hybrid powered and supercar at the 2015 North American International Auto Show that it took centre stage. It is the literal and importantly spiritual successor to the 1990 NSX that had its chassis tuned by Formula 1 legend, Ayrton Senna. Honda says it has the “world’s first all-aluminium supercar” body that complements a carbon fibre floor. It sits on 19” wheels at the front and 20” at the rear. It also has four-wheel-drive, aluminium suspension, multi-piston callipers and carbon ceramic discs. Honda has not confirmed the engine’s full specification, but it takes the form of atwin-turbocharged V6 petrol that is teamed with 9-speed, dual-clutch and transmission. NSX power is at least 550PS that most likely propels it to 62mph in about four seconds....
Announcement : IBAAS 2015 Symposium
International Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium Society (IBAAS) has signed an agreement with Suzhou Research Institute for Non-ferrous Metals Co. Ltd (SINR), China to hold the 4th International Symposium in Suzhou (near Shanghai, China) during November 4-6, 2015. The theme of this conference would be 'Aluminium Industry - The Success Story of China: Learning for the World'. The main focus of this conference will be on the outstanding developments of aluminium downstream industry in China; the latest Innovation / R&D work on bauxite processing, alumina & aluminium production of the world will also be highlighted. The IBAAS-SINR conference will be followed by plant visits to modern Chinese aluminium downstream and special aluminium alloy production units. The first circular and details of the...
Government officials are hopeful Alpart refinery will bring development in Jamaica
While everybody is happy about the reopening of the Alpart refinery in 2016, parliamentarians Michael Peart and Richard Parchment say that this should not be seen as just an employment opportunity but a vehicle for overall development, especially in the most affected regions of South Manchester and South-Eastern St Elizabeth. In 1974, a Capital Development Fund was set up that would draw in the levies charged from the bauxite mining companies and use the sums to fund development. However, the Fund ended up supporting the government that was struggling at the time to make ends meet. This time the Fund would be used to serve its original purpose says Peart, who is a Member of Parliament for South Manchester. Parchment, representing South-East St Elizabeth, on the other hand points out to...
Nanshan Aluminum eyeing expansions in high-end aluminum product market
Shandong Nanshan Aluminum Co. is targeting high-end aluminum products to meet growing demand, China Securities Journal reported today. The company is looking to expand its aluminum extrusion capacity by 20,000-30,000-tpy in 2015 and bring its total capacity of industrial aluminum extrusion to 60,000-tpy, the media added. Nanshan Aluminum is planning to increase its annual capacity of cold-rolled aluminum products – mainly used to produce beverage cans – to 480,000 tonnes in 2015 from 430,000 tonnes in 2014. China’s annual demand for pop-top cans stands at 600,00-700,000 tonnes, growing at an annual rate of 10%, it reported. The company, whose high-end aluminum foil capacity stands at 30,000-tpy, has started construction on 40,000-tpy precision aluminum foil to capitalize on robust...
BALCO gets state nod to commence new power plant
Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), a subsidiary of Vedanta SSLT, announced that it has received approval from the state government of Chhattisgarh, to start a 1,200 megawatts (MW) captive power plant (4 units of 300 MW each). The move will boost BALCO’s annual aluminium production capacity to 5.7 lakh metric tonnes from the current 3.5 lakh and also make Chhattisgarh, India’s third largest aluminium producer, said the company. “We are very grateful to the Government of Chhattisgarh for the approval granted, at a time when we are celebrating our Golden Jubilee Year. It enables us to further ramp up our state-of-the-art aluminium smelter, thereby taking the aluminium capacity to 570,000 MT per annum. The power plant and Smelter will significantly contribute to the state exchequer and...
Nalco to double wind generation capacity, heads for sustainable growth
National Aluminum Company (Nalco) of India is enhancing its wind power generation capacity by investing around Rs 700 crore. The company has planned to install an additional 100 MW wind power generation capacity to its existing 100 MW capacity. “The project will be set up shortly at a suitable location in India”, says, Ansuman Das, chairman cum managing director, Nalco. Already company owns 100 MW in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Gandikota unit with 50.4 MW capacities in Andhra Pradesh was commissioned in 2012. The second wind power plant of 47.6 MW capacities at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan was commissioned in January last year. The central PSU has another proposal to set up a solar power plant in the country to meet its solar purchase obligation. Besides, Nalco has plans to build a 14-MW...
Hydro's Mertens heads first global alufoil association
Supporters of the Global Aluminium Foil Roller Initiative (GLAFRI) have decided to establish a legal trade association. Manfred Mertens, head of Hydro's Packaging & Building unit in the Rolled Products business area, was elected president of this first-ever global foil association. GLAFRI is now operating as an association with 42 member companies, including five supporters, from all major foil producer areas worldwide. This follows the remarkable success of GLAFRI so far, particularly the three annual conferences held to spearhead its activities. Initially the major objective of the new association will be to continue ‘one voice’ on foil promotion and sustainability issues globally, with the aim to support foil market growth in general. The new organization will enable more continuity in...
Brazil is off to slow start in the aluminium market amidst a weakening economy
2014 has been a bad year for Brazil and things do not look much brighter in 2015 as the country still seems to be in a haze of lethargy as the end-user demands remain low and most producers holding enough stocks to sustain them through the first quarter resulting in a quiet marketplace. Buyers complain that the sloth-paced market has forced many of them to extend their year end holidays, some even up to a month. Consumers are still long in aluminium after a disastrous 2014 and the condition is still not conducive for trading volumes in the country’s spot market. The slow Brazil economy has had a great impact on the country’s consumer market in the construction and automobiles sector, both of which use aluminium, dragging the demand for spurred by high energy prices and possibility of...
Estimates of aluminium price of Alcoa Inc. ‘Similar’ to present levels
On Monday, William Oplinger, the Chief Financial Officer of Alcoa Inc. said that the company has used an aluminium price which also includes the benchmark futures and also the regional premiums which are comparable to present level for its forecast for 2015 of $500 million. However, while announcing the fourth quarter reports Oplinger did not mention the aluminium price which the company used in its projects for 2015. He however mentioned that those were "similar to the market situation that we have today." His remarks will possibly start a debate over the issues of physical premiums that are paid according to the futures even for physical delivery. The Australian bank said "with the Chinese surplus expected to slightly widen" it also expects that there will be a trivial aluminium deficit...
Japan’s aluminium stockpiles rise as imports rise and demand falls
Japan’s high aluminium imports and weakening demand in the domestic front and elsewhere in Asia has given rise to stockpiles held at the three important ports of Japan for the ninth straight month, hitting a record high in December. The trading house, Marubeni Corp revealed on Friday that aluminium stocks held at Yokohama, Nagoya and Osaka rose to 413,000 tonnes in December, up by 9% from November which was already the highest level recorded since April 2000. The sudden rise of the stockpiles is due the reduced imports in China where export of the metal was seen to rise 19% last year, a trend that is expected to continue this year. Meanwhile, Japan’s import of aluminium ingot imports rose by 16% to 1.58 million tonnes during the period between January and November, according to the...
Aluminum Window Door Facade Expo 2015 to showcase new products and technologies for growing global market
Organized by Guangzhou Citiexpo Co Ltd, the 21st Aluminum Window Door Facade Expo will be the essential hub for the building envelope industry to view new products and innovative technologies, as well as networking with exhibiting companies and professional visitors. According to Navigant Research's recent report, the commercial and residential segments of global construction markets will experience compound annual growth rates over the next 10 years of 2.1 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively. In particular, China's construction boom has fueled extraordinary growth in that country's building stock, with nearly 2 billion square meters added each year. "Thanks to the continuously growing markets, we have increased the 2015 exhibition space 25% percent over last year," said Ms. Shea Xie,...
Hydro-owned casthouse technology provider celebrates 25 years
Hydro’s fully owned casthouse technology provider, Hycast, celebrates 25 years this week. “After some challenging years, the outlook now is promising,” says the managing director of Hycast, Helge Jansen. Over the years, Hycast has developed several game-changing casting technologies for Hydro, including the SIR in-line melt refiner system, which purifies molten aluminium from hydrogen and inclusions, and the RAM station, which removes alkali metals. On Thursday this week, the company marked its anniversary with a seminar on trends in the aluminium industry. “Not only are we celebrating our 25-year-long history, we are also celebrating 25 years without any work-related injuries to our employees,” says Jansen. Following the financial downturn that hit the aluminium industry in 2009, the...
China seen to shift focus from heavy metals to aluminium
There is a distinct shift noticed in the Chinese market from heavy metals to minerals that were once overlooked. The bearish outlook in core industries like iron ore and coal is largely responsible for the shift in focus. The minerals that have gained importance are bauxite – for making aluminium, zinc, copper, natural gas and uranium that are the feedstock for numerous consumer goods like washing machines, air conditioners and cars that are growing in demand amongst the 1.4 billion consumers in China. It has already been noticed that China has become the second largest consumer in the world after US, beating Japan. Euromonitor International forecasts that among the vast population, nearly 90 percent of Chinese households amounting to 470 million by 2030 will have around $15,000 or more...
